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.

5 Habits That Could Ruin Your Business Deals

We all have little habits we’re unaware of. Some of us tap our legs uncontrollably, others of us bite our nails or frequently flip our hair. Though habitual to us, they’re noticeable to other people—so much so that it could cost you a business deal. Yes, tapping your leg is a big no-no. Here’s a list of common habits we have while engaging in formal business (and why you should stop them): 1. Talking like you’ve had 18 cups of coffee. Slow it down people. By talking slowly and clearly, it shows that you have confidence in what you’re saying. 2. Standing with a leg crossed over or under. Watch your stance, any crossing or casual bending into your hips gives off the impression of shyness and insignificance—and you are neither. 3. Standing with your hands over your lap. Commonly referred to as the “fig leaf pose,” this position gives the impression that you are unimportant and intimidated. Instead, let your arms hang naturally by their side 4. Holding a cell phone in your hand. Now, this is getting nit-picky. But it’s a very common habit (considering our phones generally follow us wherever we go). Holding a phone while in a meeting suggests you don’t have time for it. (And you certainly don’t want your business deal going south because it feels rushed.) 5. Fidgeting. Oh, fidgeters. You’re not alone. Many business people face this challenge. Pens, paper, erasers, innocent paperclips, are all so tempting to reach for and grab out of comfort. But resist! Concentrate on your breathing—train yourself to breath slowly and it will make your nervous movements disappear. Other than these top five, we’d encourage you to avoid these as well: weight shifting, foot or finger tapping, sitting on the edge of your chair or propping your head up with your hands. All of these subtle habits could be construed negatively in a business deal. However, once the deal is done and you’ve nailed it (snaps and a pat on the back for you), go home and do all of these things to your heart’s content.

.Want to Succeed in Marketing? Act Like a Kid

Look to the kids. They have all the answers. When it comes to thinking differently about your marketing, consider these lessons we’ve learned from how children act. Lesson #1: They aren’t afraid to be wrong. “The moon is just a giant egg in the sky.” “Brown cows make chocolate milk.” “I’m going to be Beyonce when I grow up.” “Spiderman should be president.” Your greatest ideas will sound foolish, at first. Until they sound brilliant. You are going to fail a few times before you succeed. Accept this reality and move on. Your fearlessness will take your marketing and business to the next level. Your best coworkers are the ones who aren’t afraid to stumble as they learn. Lesson #2: They ask questions—a lot of questions. “Where do dreams come from?” “How come Grandma’s face is so wrinkly?” “Why do flies think gross stuff smells good?” “Why can’t we breathe underwater like fish?” “Why am I left-handed?” Some of their questions catch us off guard because they are strikingly profound and others make us smile. Either way, fear of asking foolish questions doesn’t exist in young children. They are driven by curiosity. Be driven by your spirit of inquiry—how can your marketing plans improve? What if we [insert outlandish marketing idea here]? It’s rumored that Disney World wanted to host a competition where the winner got sent to the moon. While this obviously never transpired, they weren’t afraid to think of big and ask crazy “what ifs.” Ask questions, continuously, that will push your marketing efforts to the next level—even if at first they seem far-reaching. Lesson #3: They put people at ease. Kids have a knack for breaking the ice. If ever in an uncomfortable business situation, channel your inner child. (No, we don’t mean give away free hugs or awkwardly tackle them.) Be engaging and personable like a child. Remember back to the days when you naturally captivated people just by existing—we know, kids have it so easy. Deepening business relationships gets easier when you can put any type of person at ease. Don’t be afraid to be outgoing. Sometimes it takes a gregarious business person to get a marketing relationship going. A four-year-old makes a distinct, warm impression. Strive to do the same.

What’s the best way to Market to Millennials: Just Tell a Good Story

There’s a new kid in town and they’re looking to spend. Yes, our latest young professionals that have been coming online in recent years are from the millennial generation. And these aren’t your parent’s consumers. If you’re looking to get a piece of their pocketbook, you have to understand how to change your marketing message to grab their attention—and there’s a lot of noise for them out there. Here are a few ways to have some impact in the market. Find Your Zen If you’re going to market to millennials you have to think about your business holistically. You can’t force marketing on your product or a millennial won’t buy your product—or your message. Product design and the marketing message are inseparable. Think Apple. So take a look at your products and truly understand the “why.” This will give your marketing meaning. Get Real Millennials can smell a rat. They’ve grown up sharing their lives with the world. They want authenticity in their relationships, and that includes relationships with the companies that sell them their stuff. The easiest way to understand how you can market to them is to listen. This will give you an opportunity to weave your product story into their story and show them that they’ve been heard. Speak in their language. The casual tone may bother you at first because it may feel unprofessional. But the kids will dig it if you do. Let All of Those Emotions Out If you develop a good story around your products, it humanizes your brand. Now you’re a person talking to a person. That’s the foundation of human existence. That vulnerability may have you squirming in your seat, but you’re going to build a level of trust that millennials crave

3 Startling Customer Service Statistics—Trust Us, You’ll Want to Take a Look

Want to see a startling statistic? No? Well, shut your eyes. The average business hears from 4% of dissatisfied customers. Many businesses make the mistake in thinking that if they don’t hear from customers, those customers had a positive experience. WRONG. Few people are going to take the time to tell you what you did wrong. They have their own problems to take care of, and solving yours isn’t one of them. The solution? Constantly strive to improve your service, even if you aren’t being flooded with complaints. Don’t let the problem get to that point. Identify it in its infant stage so it can be more readily taken care of. Want real feedback? Create an incentive for them to sacrifice their valuable time. Next fact: it’s up to 7 times less expensive to keep existing customers than to acquire new ones. Granted, in order to grow your business you need to acquire new customers. We accept that fact. However, you can’t acquire new ones at the expense of losing your old ones. In other words, customer acquisition can’t happen without customer retention. And considering that 86% of consumers will quit doing business with you after a bad customer experience, you could say that this fact goes hand in hand with fact #1 above. And finally, speed kills. (No, we’re not using some urban slang phrase.) We mean to say that the “help ‘em fast” attitude isn’t necessarily in your best interests. Taking the necessary time to truly understand your customers’ problems and skillfully solving it will go a lot further than getting them out the door as soon as possible. And here’s one bonus fact to startle the apathy right out of you: 80% of companies claim they have superior customer service. 8% of customers think these same companies deliver said superior service. Like we said above, most companies are in denial: “Who? Us? Bad service? Impossible. My employees are the best.” The lesson? Evaluate your service constantly and look for successes and shortcomings. Find different metrics that give you some real feedback on how your company is doing. And remember, don’t assume that just because you aren’t hearing any complaints that things are peachy—you could be oh so wrong. Don’t wait to find out.

3 Ways Successful Marketing is Like a Great Football Team

It’s officially football season. You’ve made it through the drought that is summer. Time to crack open a beverage, toss on your favorite team’s jersey and enjoy. But before you turn on the big game or hop in your car to go tailgate, let’s take a moment to think about how your organization’s successful marketing campaign parallels a great game plan for your beloved football team. Devise a Set of Consistent Goals Throughout the entire football season, a coach is responsible for tracking the progress of his team toward their goals. And in order to achieve this, he must continually research, train and adjust what works for his unique combination of team members for that particular season. This principle holds true for marketing. To achieve your sales goals for this quarter, you should outline specifically what you want to accomplish. Then design a marketing game plan around that goal. It may consist of a number of marketing tactics, whether it’s direct mail, new in-store signage or email marketing. Work as a Team It’s typically easy for a coach to get the team behind a common goal of winning the big game. Think of your entire staff as one team. Everyone should be aware of the marketing plan and how each person contributes to the success of the messages you’re putting out into the world. Whether it’s delivering the products on time or employing top-notch customer service, your marketing words should mirror your staff’s actions. Build each other up (but skip the celebratory chest bumps in order to avoid problems with HR) and celebrate your success. And if there’s a team member not being fully utilized, ask them for their input. Be a good coach. Utilize all of your players for their unique strengths. Learn to Adapt We’ve all seen this scenario played out on the field: the all-star quarterback gets injured and the coach is forced to put in the rookie who everyone doubts. But ultimately that rookie shocks and delights the stadium. Game-winning pass. The stadium roars. Cheering. Game over. This principle holds true for marketing. Sometimes the game plan must change in order to achieve success. If your plays aren’t working, you need to adjust your strategy. In most instances, marketing plans only need slight adjustments to make a big difference. Just be ready to creatively problem solve. Marketing is an ever-shifting discipline. Like a coach, you must adapt or lose.

Make Your List and Check It Twice: Plan Now For the Holiday Season

You might not be decking your halls yet, but when it comes to your marketing plans, those sugarplums better start dancing. The holiday season is just a few months away, and it’s time to start planning your marketing strategy (if you haven’t already). Email marketing can be particularly effective during the busy holiday season when people are watching their inboxes for special sales and promotions, and can be easily integrated with a direct mail plan. Here’s where to start. Update your mailing lists. Even if you’re using the best email marketing software, you still need a good list in order to get results and avoid being accused of spamming. Use this time now to collect and update your customers’ email and physical addresses. Focus on one key message. One of the most common mistakes is planning a holiday campaign with too many messages. People have a short attention span when they’re busy. Plan now for the one main message you want to convey or the particular call to action you’d like to include. Create all your assets based on that message. Give your emails a hook. Shoppers love to think they’re getting a bargain—tap into that desire by offering your customers a special deal. This can include free shipping, a bonus product or a coupon. Even the smallest incentive can go a long way in attracting more business. Don’t think of email marketing as a last-minute channel to bolster sales. Make it an effective part of your holiday marketing plan, and most importantly, be sure you have updated lists so your message will end up in the right place

Back-to-School Marketing Ideas

Nights are getting cooler, days are getting shorter and kids are getting more restless lounging at home. That can only mean one thing. It must be August, and it’s time for school to start. Companies everywhere are looking for innovative ways to tie in the beautiful autumn season into next quarter’s marketing plans. Need some jumping off points? We’ve got few to get you started. Send Your Brand to School Unless your company sells school supplies or school clothing, you can’t directly market as a “back-to-school essentials” brand. However, there are many great ways to market your services within the back-to-school season. For example, a health clinic might advertise school immunizations or physicals needed to participate in school sports. A printer could market to schools that are getting updated banners posted for sports and student council activities. A cleaning service could advertise “student packs” for first time college students who’ll be tidying their rooms without their parents’ help for the first time. Aim High For the most part, parents purchase school items for kids (especially elementary and middle school). Keep parents in mind as your target audience when marketing back to school services. Additionally, kids returning to school typically means that parents will have more time for their own activities. A gym could advertise specials during school hours for parents to enjoy. Hair stylists or any other pampering services could offer celebratory deals for “they’ve-gone-back-to-school” appointments. Restaurants could create newer updated menus for those now child-free lunch dates. Get Out That Shiny Red Apple Offer special treatment to teachers. Hard-working teachers don’t get enough credit for the wonderful jobs they do educating our children, so offer them some nice perks. Special deals available to teacher only, a free dessert for the first month of school or a teachers-only discount card.

What We Can Learn From the Twinkie’s Sweet Comeback

Question: How many Twinkies have you eaten this past month? Answer: Probably not as many as we have. If you haven’t noticed yet, the beloved cream-filled sponge cakes are back in the stores, and the sorrowful demise of the Twinkie is now history. After months off the shelves, Hostess relaunched their major brands last month with a campaign they called The Sweetest Comeback in the History of Ever. Failure is not always the end of the world, and second chances exist. Here are some takeaways from the Twinkie’s successful re-emergence back into the marketplace. Simple works. Why do people have such a sentimental bond with the Twinkie? It could be partly due to its 82-year history. But it’s also likely due to the Twinkie’s simplicity. It’s a combination of two basic elements—sponge cake and vanilla cream. Kind of like the M&M. People tend to respond to simplicity. Adapt and streamline when necessary. The new Twinkie now has a longer shelf life (45 days), a smaller size and way fewer jobs. The new Hostess employs 1,500 nonunion workers. The old Hostess had 15,000 union members on its payroll. The company also plans to use just four of its eleven factories. The company says it can make the cuts and still hit the same capacity as the old version. Listen to your customers. The triumphant return of Twinkies is also a victory for social media. When Hostess went bankrupt and Twinkies disappeared, consumers retorted through Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Apollo Global Management listened and today Twinkies are back. The lesson? Pay attention to the consumers in your networks and find out what products they want and need. Social media gives them a clear voice. And FYI: The previous owners of the Hostess brand did try to respond to America’s cry for “healthier” junk food last summer (before they declared bankruptcy) when they introduced a lighter and leaner Twinkie. A single spongy treat now has 135 calories and weighs 38.5 grams, compared to the traditional Twinkie, which weighed in at 42.5 grams and had 150 calories. The change may not have saved the previous owners from bankruptcy, but the new brand owners are packaging the slimmed-down Twinkie, so you can snack without guilt and those extra whopping 15 calories.

Attention is Filtered

One of the most renowned marketers in the world Seth Godin says, “smart companies abandon worry and embrace change”. This post is inspired by some of his thoughts on marketing: People see right through fake. It melts away instantly (along with your money). Everyone in every type of business needs to be a marketer these days. From the sandwich guy down two floors to the kids trying to differentiate themselves by selling Kool-Aid rather than lemonade. As a result, a lot more bad marketing is contaminating the air. There’s no rulebook to great marketing. In fact, the greatest marketers are the ones who take the supposed “rulebook” and toss it out the window (or probably something more unique like light it on fire or cut it up into an art piece). However, as difficult as it is, marketing is a necessary component of every business. Marketers think that the more they can get their messages across, the better—bus ads, bench ads, banner ads, and any other obnoxious placement that will get, let’s face it, ignored. Interruption marketing rarely works (unless you’re showcasing puppies or babies). Anymore, you have to ask to access consumers. You have to put your offer on the table and leave it there, hopefully wafting temptingly in their direction so they want to examine it closer. Attention is filtered. You have to earn trust before consumers are willing to listen. So, how do you get heard? By being consistently remarkable. We know that’s a tall order, but just look at companies that have managed to do it. The first one that comes to our mind is Apple. They have people literally lining up at their doors when they release a product. Why? Because they never disappoint. And they’re unpredictable. Their innovations are worth sharing. People get amped up over a leaked phone schematic as if it were dirt on the President. And it’s not. Often times it’s a simple scribble left accidentally on a bar napkin by some tired Apple Genius. But nevertheless, it spreads. Apple is trusted. People know that, when their new products are finally released, it won’t be average. And Apple has swagger. They know that they’re excellent at what they do. And how do consumers respond? By trusting them more. Confidence is an indication of quality. Because consumers aren’t dumb. And they know that marketers won’t boast a product unless it can stand up against the competition. Swagger without substance will result in a permanent loss of clients.

6 Rules for Excellent Customer Service

The general advice of all customer service departments is to “listen to your customers.” And sure, that’s a great start, but it means nothing if you aren’t actively listening and trying to problem solve. Think back to the most frustrating call you’ve ever had—the phone operator probably acted like they could care less about your problems, never mind getting them solved quickly. The whole process took 20 minutes and by the end of it, you still had your original problem (now complete with a few busted blood vessels and a sore throat from repeating yourself so many times). If you are to be good at customer service, your company must be valuable to your clients. So, how do you do it? How do you give awesome customer service always? By following these rules: Answer Your Phone Sounds simple, no? Avoid answering systems if at all possible. People want to talk to a person, not a machine. Accept Complaints No one likes hearing things they’ve done wrong. But give their complaint proper attention and you won’t lose their future business. Even if it’s negative, feedback is valuable in any form to know how to better serve your clients. Take it with class—your customers will appreciate your patience and attention. Don’t Take it Personally Accept accountability, even if you didn’t personally handle their case. Apologize if necessary, and be the one who saves the day. Don’t get defensive. Simply ask how you can help solve their issue. Train Your Staff You can’t be the only one equipped to handle situations. Make sure your staff is well aware of protocol on solving various customer problems. And make it so your employees ever have to respond with, “I don’t know, but _________ will be back in 20 minutes and he/she can answer your question.” Go the Extra Mile If it takes 10 extra minutes to solve a problem more fully, do it. Go the extra step, call the extra person, and take the extra time because customers will notice. Don’t Break a Promise Never agree to anything that your team or company isn’t capable of following through on. Breaking a client’s trust is the best way to lose them—permanently.

3 Tips to Beef Up Your Email Marketing

While print definitely isn't dead, digital isn't necessarily going anywhere either—and with that, email marketing. You don't want to focus on one or the other, so while you may have a strong print campaign in your prospects’ hands, now is a good time to put some effort into beefing up your email marketing. Here are a few tips to get your email marketing into fighting-fit shape. Don't Let Gender Render You Useless If you run gender-specific campaigns, this can seem like a no-brainer, but this happens. When you schedule a mailing that's set to target, say, women—make sure that your sending your email to women. This can be as simple as list maintenance and cleaning up your contacts. Also be aware that some names don't always scream a certain gender. Sending to Kelly Doe? May want to double-check what list they belong in. Graphics Aren't Always an Email's Best Friend Having graphic-heavy email marketing campaigns can weigh you down. We tend to assume that your recipients are using an email client that will allow them to see all the graphics in your message—and that's your first mistake. When you're building out your email marketing campaign, it's important to make sure your audience will still be able to understand your message without seeing the images. To play it safe, don't send out emails that are one big image. Include text and you'll have a better chance at avoiding the spam folder. Spam Without the Can A spam folder is to email what a trash can is to direct mail. The benefit of direct mail? That recipient is still physically holding that piece of mail and looking at it while they throw it away. Emails get sent to your spam folder without you even realizing it. How can you avoid the cyber trashcan? Don't include attachments in your campaigns—email programs will assume they include viruses. Be sure to watch your copy too. Including too many spamy words like "free," "bonus or "prize" can send you into the unseen. Don't let your time and money go to waste by sending it right where waste belongs. You're not far off from a stellar email marketing campaign. Put these three tips into action to ensure this tool generates revenue for your business.

Marketing Beyond Demographics

There’s a difference between knowing your target audience and knowing your target audience. It’s similar to the different levels of knowing your spouse—there’s the newlywed phase where you’re still learning that they sleep in their socks and hate lima beans and then there’s the been-married-25-years phase where you can be completely uninhibited and walk around in your undies. As marketers, you should strive for the undies-level of knowledge of your target market. (No, we’re not saying you should show up to your next meeting pantless). But you should know them beyond simple demographics. Demographics tell you their most basic information—age, gender, geographic location, etc.—and chances are, your business is already utilizing these stats on your existing customers. Psychographics, however, delve deeper. Including information such as lifestyle choices, behaviors, internal attitudes, what motivates them to buy, psychographics give you insight into why they buy whereas demographics is simply who’s buying. Utilizing a combination of psychographics and demographics allows you to create a richer brand experience for consumers. How do you go about compiling psychographics? A survey is the easiest method. Send one out to your current available email list asking them questions such as: • What made them decide to buy your product? • What do they like about your competitor’s product? • What are their interests, hobbies or pastimes? • Are they extroverted or introverted? Analytical or emotional? Etc. • What kind of environment do they thrive in? Other methods of obtaining useful psychographic information would include oral interviews, focus groups or employee observations. Pick the method that’s most effective for your company. And remember, in using a combination of both demographics and psychographics, you’re getting a leg up on the competition and gaining a deeper understanding of your current and future clients. In searching for a deeper understanding of what makes your customers tick, you’re striving to maximize the potential of your business. The more you know them, the easier it is to allow your business to satisfy their wants and needs.

Would You Want Your Grandmother to Buy This Product?

Every product tells a story. And as a business, you play a large part in what that story is. It’s called marketing. The best products represent an idea in the customer’s mind. It’s your job to figure out how to tell the story in a way that resonates with your customer and sticks. The problems happen when there’s a mismatch between the story the customer believes and the real experience of your product. Being an Ethical Marketer If you’re a proficient marketer and really understand the way that people’s decision-making process works, it’s tempting to try to coerce or trick people into buying your product. Powerful tools a marketer can use: the fear of missing out. The promise of a silver bullet. The embarrassment of not being trendy. The desire for the extravagant car. But just because you can use these tools doesn’t mean you should. If your product’s causing damage (to you, the customer or the environment), having the ability to convince someone they need your product doesn’t mean you should. Would You Sell it to Your Grandma? One of the best ways to make sure you’re being an ethical marketer: ask yourself questions that give you new perspective. If your grandmother believed in your product’s story and decided to buy it, would you want her to? If the answer is no (because she doesn’t really need this particular thing to solve her problem, or because you’ve created a false problem), you need to reconsider your message. Another good question: “If the customer I’m trying to target knew all the facts about this product, understood all the alternatives and perfectly grasped his situation, would he still want to buy this?” If the answer is no, you have two options. 1. Make a better product. 2. Use your marketing prowess to target a customer who does allows you to answer “yes” to these questions. If you ever find yourself asking: “Is this spam? Is this scammy? Are we being honest?” then the fact you have to ask indicates it’s a good time to reevaluate your message. Consider the Customer Ultimately, when it comes to marketing your product, service or even idea, it’s always a good idea to ask: “Will this message benefit my audience? Does it have their best interests at heart?” If you can honestly say “yes,” then full steam ahead. It’s time to tell your story.

Summer Vacation!

So that we may provide our dedicated employees with a well deserved summer vacation, BC Print and Web will be closed from Monday July 1st 2013 through Friday July 5th 2013. We will re-open promptly at 8am on Monday July 8th 2013. Please contact us immediately with any pending orders that you may have so that we may guarantee that they will be completed before our summer break.

3 Lessons on How to Market to Millennials

Generation Y, or Millennials as they’re also called, are those born between the 1980s and early 2000s. And if your company isn’t already looking into ways to appeal your products and services to them, it’s time to start. Why should you exert marketing efforts towards wooing them? Because they have $200 million spending power and are 80 million consumers strong. That’s why. Millennials have been referred to as the “Me Me Me Generation”. Supposedly, they’re the most self-involved, opinionated and impatient generation yet. And that’s why marketers are scared of them. They can sense companies trying too hard to be hip and demand authenticity. But we’ve got three key lessons your marketing team can utilize to successfully romance them—when we’re done with you, they’ll be putty in your hands. Lesson 1: Don’t try so hard. Like a nerdy Dad who’s trying to incorporate “rad” and “bomb-diggity” into his vernacular (and failing miserably), your company needs to try hard but not to the point of being totally uncool. Don’t market to them, talk to them. Tell them your story, but above all else, be real with them. If you’re a nerdy company, embrace those duct taped glasses and video game themed t-shirts. If you’re smooth, sleek and sexy as a GQ ad, be true to that. Whatever your personality, being genuine will attract a real audience of millennials appropriate for your marketing efforts. Lesson 2: Be good at something. You can’t be good at everything. Those movies where the star jock could also sing and had flawless Bieber-like hair? We’re calling bologna. Rather than being a company that does everything well, stress your best quality. Your competition will inevitably beat you out at some aspect (customer service, newer or faster technology, etc.), but you too are better at something than them. And that’s what you need to focus on. They won’t be fooled if you tell them what they want to hear. May we make a suggestion? If you’re looking for a new product development to appeal to millennials, make your product customizable (if they aren’t already). Millennials have been spoiled in their ability to pick the color, size, style, etc. of many products. They love the concept of co-creating your product when at all possible—cater to this by allowing them to express themselves through customization. Lesson 3. Exist to them. If you’re not on social media, you don’t exist. According to Heidi Cohen, actionable marketing expert, 93.3% of millennials are active on the Internet (75% are on Facebook) and over 90% of them have cell phones. Assuming they’ve had a good consumer experience, millennials will be some of the most loyal brand advocates for your company—if you’re sharable. A Facebook page, Twitter feed, “pin it” button, or “Share This” button will encourage millennials to recommend your company to their friends. The easier and more convenient you can make it, the better. Buyers in this generation love being affirmed by peers that they’re making a smart choice—give them ample opportunity for this validation. We know it can be intimidating to attempt to market to a demanding, opinionated, diverse generation. But you love a good challenge, right? Trust us, it’s worth the effort and research if you can engage millennials successfully. (And we know you can).

Make a Movie to Enhance Your Content Marketing Success

Mind over matter—it’s a mantra for a reason. Although it can be scary trying new things to market your business, innovation and nuances keep your marketing fresh. Content marketing involves the creation and sharing of content that’s engages and informs your target audience. The more captivating the content, the more likely it is to be circulated. Movies present your message in a way that text and plain images can’t. It gives you a unique opportunity to show some personality, and it can even be done on a reasonable budget. We’ve got a few simple tips for creating top-notch movies to enhance your marketing efforts. Keep them Short and Sharable If this is your first video endeavor, don’t bite off more than you can chew. It’ll lead to chewing with your mouth full—unattractive on multiple levels. Pick a simple topic with a clear message you feel you can share some unique insight on for your audience. Next, make sure your video is in a readily sharable format. So make a Facebook post, tweet it, pin it and any other means you have to circulate it. Consider attaching this video in your next email newsletter—including videos in emails is said to boost conversion rates by as much as 50 percent. The more you can share the video and get it shared, the more brand awareness it brings. Make it Useful This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but you’d be surprised. Avoid giving into the temptation of making your first video post something cutesy or comical. While these can be elements within your video, there needs to be a benefit or call to action for the viewer. What do they get out watching? A helpful tip or easy solution? A product demonstration? An answer to a question? Additionally, ensure that your video integrates your company’s culture and personality, as videos are an awesome opportunity to do so. Need Ideas? Got you on board for this video thing, but fresh out of ideas? We’ve assembled a short list to get you going. Take one of these ideas and roll with it. Put your own spin on it. Your company is as unique as a fingerprint, use this opportunity to show that. • Show a product or service • Use a customer testimonial • Introduce staff members • Give users a tour of your office space • Show off your company culture (holiday parties, company outings, etc.) No matter the topic you select, ensure your video is high quality. A low quality video reflects poorly on your professionalism and authority of the subject matter. That doesn’t mean you need fancy equipment. Many low cost cameras—including your iPhone—can do the trick, depending on the subject matter. You just want to be sure your video is a caliber of video you yourself would watch.

3 Things to Know Before Using Social Media for Your Business

Social media marketing is all the rage these days. The barrier to entry is extremely low (no money required–just create a free account!), so it seems like a straightforward win for your company. Because it’s so easy to get started, few people think through their social media strategy and whether it’s really helping them. Here are three things to know before you start using social media for your business. 1. It’s Hard to Measure While some highly focused social media campaigns have measureable ROI, the vast majority are investments in relationship building. And when those investments pay off, it will be difficult to draw a line back to social media. 2. It Isn't Free While Facebook doesn't demand any money to create an account, don’t fall into the trap of thinking it doesn’t cost you anything. The time spent maintaining your social media accounts is time that isn’t spent on your other, measurable marketing efforts. 3. It’s About Your Brand When your competitors’ products are available online with the click of a button, your brand is what differentiates you. If you have a vibrant social media presence where you take the time to interact with your customers, your company will stand out. At the end of the day, social media is meant to build trust. And while it’s hard to measure, being trusted is the biggest prerequisite to customers buying what you’re selling. So, while social media may not be for all businesses, many companies have found success in putting these tools in their marketing mix.

BC Print and Web is Moving!

As our company grows we remain cognizant of our carbon footprint and we want to make every effort as a socially and environmentally conscious company to secure an environmentally sound presence. Digital and web based solutions continue to be the driving force for our clientele, and we feel inspired to decrease our environmental impact, while increasing our services and capabilities. In an effort to better serve you within a centralized location and with a reduced carbon footprint, BC Print and Web is relocating. As of June 17th, 2013 our new address will be 1791 58th Ave Unit D Denver, Co 80216.

How to Use Marketing to Dominate Your Industry

Marketing is a battle of minds. What we mean is that marketing happens in your customer’s heads. If you can influence how people perceive your company and your brand in order to sell more effectively, you've succeeded as a marketer. But it’s not just your company that exists in people’s minds. The whole industry your business operates in (or is breaking into) has a set of expectations, impressions and assumptions that you can’t directly control. With these barriers in mind, what’s the best way to get into your customer’s minds and dominate your industry? Be the Leader of Your Niche The easiest way to define how your company appears in the market is by being the first one in a given industry. If you’re the first person playing the game, you can easily decide what the game is, and why you’re the best person to address the customer’s needs. But most of us don’t have that luxury. Instead, we’re competing established brands and big companies who have bigger marketing budgets to spend than we do. In other words, since you can’t embrace “brute force” marketing to outspend your competitors (and they’ve already established a place in the customer’s minds), you've got to be smarter with your marketing. And that means you have to define what makes your company unique. Compare and Contrast Having established models to compare yourself to can be a blessing in disguise. Instead of using marketing to compete directly with your competitors on their terms, figure out a way to define yourself against them. In other words, if you’re selling a new brand of detergent that’s in direct competition with the market leader, don’t advertise yourself in the market leader’s terms. If the detergent market leader says, “We make clothes bright and colorful,” it’s not a good strategy to say “We make clothes even brighter and more colorful than brand X,” because brand X already has that idea captive in your market’s mind. Instead, say something completely different. Pick a unique strength: “We’re the detergent for busy parents who just need to get laundry done,” or “We’re the fastest clean in town.” Even better if you can directly contrast yourself with your competitor: “We’re like X detergent, but fast.” One-up your benefits with theirs: “Our customers understand it’s not about just being bright and colorful; it’s about that wonderful detergent smell.” The market that values smell over appearance will identify with your product and might make the switch. This strategy works for anyone in a competitive market—whether you’re trying to clean clothes, sell cars or get people to come to your movie theater. Don’t forget that at the end of the day, marketing is a battle of the minds. It’s more effective to carve out a space in your customer’s mind than to compete for a space your competitors already own.

How To Make Your Marketing Messages Stick With Your Audience

Imagine you’re brainstorming the copy for your next direct mail piece or marketing campaign. Your team comes up with what seems like a great idea for your campaign, then you send out the mail piece and it flops completely. It doesn’t connect with customers and the response rate is abysmal. Obviously, if this happened to you, you’d be discouraged. But even more, you’d probably just be confused. Why did the message you so carefully crafted flop with your audience? It was so persuasive! You spent so much time on it! What gives? The truth is that making your messages stick with your audience doesn’t have to be some mysterious hit-or-miss art. There are techniques and ways to make sure that your message lands with your target market. We’ll share three with you. Keep it Simple The biggest problem with most marketing messages is that they’re written by the experts. And unfortunately, that means that they get written at an expert-level, instead of writing in a way that the audience can understand. Keeping your messages simple is hugely important. Since you’re the expert in your field, you understand why your product’s minute features make it excel over the competition–but your customers probably don’t care. They want to know the important basics, not the gritty details. Make sure your message doesn’t go over their heads. Stay Concrete The best way to get someone to understand your message is by making it concrete. Instead of talking in statistics and abstraction, give an example. For instance, you can sell your mirror cleaner by getting technical: “Use our foam aerosol, non-ammoniated cleaning spray for a wholesome clean surface!” Or you can tell it concretely: “Imagine seeing your face more clearly than you ever have before–and without any annoying streaks.” Getting concrete is more compelling—especially to a non-expert. Be Surprising The best marketing messages avoid clichés and puffery. Today’s customers have heard the generic marketing messages so often that they don’t even register with them anymore. If you want your campaign to make an impact, you need to do something unexpected. For instance, if you’re trying to convince your audience to avoid driving when they’re over-tired, this message might do the trick: Driving while sleep-impaired is ten times worse than driving drunk. That statistic works because it surprises us—and most importantly, is actually true, according to MythBusters. Next time you design a marketing campaign, make sure your messages are simple, concrete and surprising.

Surprise! The Secret to Good Customer Service

Imagine having to put together a list of your company’s values. What are a few things that differentiate your company and services? In fact, get out a piece of paper. Write down five different areas in which your company strives for excellence. Got them? Great! Take a look at your list. Is customer service one of your top five? If it is, you’re not alone. A study by Bain & Company found that 80% of companies believe they deliver a “superior experience” for their customers. Unfortunately, the same study revealed only 8% of those companies’ customers would say the same thing about the companies. Why the disconnect? What Makes Customer Service Excellent? Here’s why many companies overestimate how great their customer service is: they aren’t talking about the same thing customers are talking about when they say “customer service.” Many companies pay lip service to the idea of excellent customer service. But their customer service consists of things like making sure a package arrives at the promised time. They answer their phones promptly to help customers. Their prices are fair and their phone operators are pleasant. If you walk into their building, the front desk staff smiles at you. But that’s not what today’s customers consider good customer service. That’s the bare minimum. That’s expected. Aim to Surprise Your Customers Want to have great customer service? Surprise your customer. Get them to say, “wow.” When something negative happens that isn’t your company’s fault, be generous and fix it. When someone posts a complaint on Twitter about your brand, refund his or her purchase—even if they didn’t try to bring it to your attention. Good customer service isn’t about the basics—it’s going above and beyond and making your customer surprised. It’s making the customer feel right even when they aren’t—and when you don’t really need to. Good customer service isn’t just a smile. You should aim to surprise the most irate customer with your generosity. And pretty soon, the irate customers dwindle, and you’re left with satisfied customers—customers who trust you, and don’t feel like they need to complain. Customers who tell their friends about the cool thing you did to help them even though you didn’t need to. Good customer service is about surprising your customers every day. If you’re aiming for excellence, aim to surprise.

Social Media Marketing for Dummies (And Anyone Else Wanting to Get Started)

So you’ve decided to get involved in social media marketing! Congratulations. There’s no time like the present to jump on board. Many companies just like yourself are getting linked, booked and pinned and you’re about to join the great, buzzing conversation. But social media is a wild beast that is difficult to predict and quantify. Before jumping headfirst, ask yourself a few pivotal questions: Where’s Your Audience? Social media is like all media–it exists to connect people and ideas. And since you’re in the business of trying to connect to customers, it’s worth taking a moment to ask if your customers are on social media at all. Does your target demographic engage online–and if so, which social media platforms resonate with them? Are they tuned into social media companies? Are they already talking about you? If your audience isn’t active on social media, it’s not a good idea to invest time, money and energy in trying to reach them there. What’s the ROI? The thing marketers (and marketers’ bosses) complain most about when it comes to social media is measuring the return on investment. How can you tell if your social media strategy is effective? How do you know if it’s worth the effort? Likes, tweets and pins demonstrate engagement, but they don’t necessarily mean anything if you’re trying to produce revenue. While there are many intangible products of a vibrant social presence, take time to research ways to measure your social media’s impact on your bottom line, not just track the vanity data. Who’s Going to Do It? Many like the idea of social media because it’s free. Who doesn’t like free marketing? But it’s not that simple. Someone has to manage your social media accounts, and usually that person will want to be paid. If you pass it onto an existing employee, they’ll have to spend their time on it–instead of another valuable project. Plus, you might not have a social-media-skilled employee, so you might even have to hire someone new. What we’re trying to say is this: consider the costs and the benefits thoroughly before committing to social media marketing, because you’re better off not doing social media than doing it poorly. Social media is a powerful tool for connecting your company with those who love what it’s doing. And if you have a good game plan you can influence your loyal followers to do business with you.

3 Social Media Improvements for Marketing Success

The great thing about social media is that it’s always evolving, and most of the time it’s for the betterment of your marketing strategy. These changes (some simple, some BIG) will help you reach out to customers in the social media world more effectively. We’ve got the simple changes, the upgrades and the just plain complicated (in simplified form, just for you). See what’s new in the world of social media that can help you today. The Complicated—Facebook Home Let’s start with the complicated. You’re probably thinking, “Facebook, Huh?” It’s okay, we’re wondering the same thing. Is it a phone? Nope. Is it an operating system? Try again. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook Home is an application that turns android phones into a Facebook phone. So what exactly does that mean? It means people with the application will see Facebook news front and center without ever having to open an application. Facebook’s Chat will always be on so people can communicate with users that way. Plus, notifications from other social media sites will take a backseat to Facebook. For you, it means your current social media presence should be evaluated. If you don’t have much emphasis on Facebook currently, it may be worth looking into increased emphasis. The Simple—Facebook Direct Comments It’s time to get personal—or at least more personal than you’ve been on Facebook. A simple and much needed upgrade to your Facebook profile now allows users to make a direct reply to a fan who has made a comment on your wall, photo or status. In the past one of your fans could post a question or statement that needs a reply, but tons of people commented after it before you could respond. Now you can simply click ‘reply’ to that particular comment and the person will be notified. Facebook then puts your reply next to the original statement or question. The change means better customer service and an easier way to connect with fans. Kudos to Facebook for implementing a change to make marketers lives easier. The Upgrade—LinkedIn Mentions At last, what Twitter and Facebook have already done we can now do with LinkedIn. The professional networking social media site has included direct mentions in its updates. If you have an article you know one of your clients would love or want them to see your post, simply type your connection’s name and select their profile. They’ll then be notified that you have content or a message just for them. Use it to make sure you’re targeting the right people with your content, and ensuring that they see it. Again, the upgrade gives you the opportunity seek out specific people and make them feel special

Aim to Own a Single Idea in Your Customer’s Mind

Being in the business world is difficult, because you have literally endless options of what you might focus on. You could choose to spend more on your marketing, launch a new campaign or even introduce a new product or feature to your existing line. The possibilities can be exhilarating, and you usually end up with more good ideas than you can possibly implement effectively. But we’re usually reluctant to abandon good ideas, even when the result would be having one GREAT one. Freelancers and business owners alike suffer from this problem. We either overload our products with too many features or dilute our personal brands by having too many specialties. The truth is that our customers and clients will be happier and more satisfied if we offer LESS, not MORE. Read on to find out how to narrow your ideas down until you find that one, key marketing message. The Paradox of Choice In Sheena Iyengar’s famous 1995 jam study, he found that while many consumers believe that they prefer more choices to fewer, when it actually comes to making purchasing decisions, having only a few choices sells better. Iyengar set up two scenarios in his study. In the first, a supermarket table was packed with 24 flavors of jam to sample and purchase. In the second scenario, the same table had only 6 jam types to choose from. While customers spent much more time at the table with more choices, only 3% made a purchase. At the table with fewer options, 30% of customers ended up purchasing jam. In other words, while people think they like more options, they’re often overwhelmed by too many similar choices. It’s too hard to compare, so people end up paralyzed and make no decision instead. This counter-intuitive finding holds true in many situations–it happens to young people picking their careers and to customers picking jam. Owning A Word In your industry, consumers likely have hundreds of companies and services to choose from. How can you overcome the consumer’s multitude of choices and stand out among your many competitors? Al Ries and Jack Trout have a few ideas. In their classic book The 21 Immutable Laws of Marketing, they suggest that the most effective companies and products own a word or phrase in their customers’ minds. What comes into your mind when you hear “search engine?” A majority of you probably thought “Google.” Google very nearly owns the idea of search engines. What word or idea do you want to own in your customers’ minds? What phrase makes you distinct from your nameless competitors? Focus on that idea relentlessly to create a powerful awareness in your market. Niche it Down – You Can Always Branch Out Later Derek Halpern of the website Social Triggers writes often about how to distinguish yourself in a competitive market. For example, there are millions of blogs, and thousands of good ones on any given subject. Therefore, says Halpern, the only way to compete and get attention is by choosing an incredibly specific topic. For example, if you were looking to get some pictures of your newborn baby, which of these two freelancers would you trust (and pay) more? Photographer #1 says: “I take pictures of anything! Cats, dogs, landscapes, families, sports teams, architecture and young children.” Or Freelance Photographer #2: “I am an established photographer who specializes in portraits of children between 3 and 24 months of age.” The lesson? Being specific pays. Once you own an idea in your customer’s mind and have a strong market presence, you can always use that trust and expertise to branch out into related areas of the market.

Give Mom and Pop Some Business Love

To the millions who acted on their dream, we salute you. For days on end, you rise before the sun and outlive the burn of the midnight oil. You play a vital role in the US economy and yet you don’t get the recognition you deserve. But on March 29, we celebrate National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day. And because you have little time to work on absolutely everything in your business, we’re offering three marketing tips that you can do in your sleep—or at least take less of your time to do them. Get Found Online Google tells us that 97% of consumers look to a web search to find local businesses. With no cost to you and less than an hour of your time, your customers can find you online if you set up your Google Places account. It’s as easy as updating your address, hours and phone number and adding a few photos to help you stand out. It should get your business closer to the top of a search when your prospects search for, “plumber, city, state,” unless of course you’re not a plumber. Leave Your Calling Card It sounds simple, but so many small business owners overlook a basic necessity of doing business. Get thee to a printing company and order some business cards. Then, have them with you at all times. You never know when you’ll run into a potential customer or want to leave one in a conspicuous place for an unsuspecting customer to find. Ask For Referrals Again, we’ll look to the basics. You have to interact with your customers, right? Well give them the best service they can receive all day. Ask your customers if they've appreciated your service. If they say yes, ask if they know of anyone else that can benefit from your business. It may feel like you’re begging at first, but if it becomes a routine with every transaction, you should have more business in no time. Oh, and that’s where those handy business cards can come into play. So as we celebrate National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day, we encourage you all to go out and support a local business this week, and everyday.

Market Yourself by Teaming Up with a Nonprofit

You are part of running a business, and that business needs revenue to keep things happening. That’s the cold hard truth. But this truth doesn't mean money is the only thing that you care about. As a business professional, you’re just like the rest of us–you have dreams, aspirations and hopes for the world. You have beliefs about how the world could be a better place. If you’re like the rest of us in the business world, you believe in your product or service and its ability to actually improve people’s lives–otherwise, you wouldn’t be in your line of work. Teaming up with a nonprofit organization–sometimes known as “cause marketing”–is one way to reunite your altruistic side with your pragmatic, business self. While there are a ton of great reasons to unite philanthropy with your marketing efforts, we’ll name just a few. It Helps You We’ll start with the least altruistic reason: it helps you! Customer research indicates 79% of Americans say they’d be likely to switch from one brand to another (price being about equal) if the other brand is associated with a good cause. In other words, the market rewards those brands who care about something beyond their own, immediate profits. Consumers want to feel like they’re making a positive difference in the world, not just buying products for their own good. It Helps a Nonprofit One big difference between corporate giving and cause marketing is a long term commitment to a marketing campaign, not a single, tax-deductible donation. This means you have an opportunity to significantly grow a nonprofit’s brand and their long-term success. Sure, your business can give a charity a donation, but through cause marketing, you can help them connect with hundreds or thousands of long-term donors, instead. Which do you think has a greater impact? It Helps the World Business, at its heart, is about finding solutions to problems. Your business has unique resources and people with unique skills. Customers trade their money for the specific value you can add to their lives–and their lives are improved. Partnering with a cause is just another way you can use your business to add value to other people’s lives, thanks to the unique reach and market your business captures. Use your marketing prowess for good: to help a cause you believe in grow.

Every Day You’re Marketing – Whether You Realize It Or Not

When we think about our businesses, we tend to think of marketing as just one department among our neatly segmented workplace. But marketing isn’t some abstract thing you relegate to the writers and advertising dorks. Pretty much everything you do as a business is part of the greater marketing process. Don’t believe it? Let us break down the various ways you’re marketing, every day–whether you realize it or not. Your Customer Service Every time you answer the phone, you get to decide what message you’re going to send to the person on the other line. Your decision is marketing: you’re forming the way your customer experiences your company. Your interaction with that customer is one in a chain of experiences that creates a lasting impression: one that stays with that customer, and more often than not, is shared with someone else. The way you respond to complaints when your service goes offline is marketing. If you ever decide to say, “I’m sorry, but that’s against our policy,” you’ve just sent a very potent marketing message. Your Human Resources When you craft a work environment where you value employees, cater their job description to their strengths and listen to them when they grouse, you’re marketing. You’re telling those employees something about your business, and about what you value. You’re saying something about your services. You’re marketing. If you don’t replace your employees’ outdated equipment or refuse to give them the tools they need to do their job well, you’re marketing. Do you think the outside world doesn’t hear about how you treat the people closest to you? Do you think your employees don’t market you to future job candidates, based on how you treat them? Every HR decision you make is marketing. Your Product Your product might be the ultimate marketing message. Think pricing. The way an item is priced is marketing, plain and simple. A person assumes different things about a cheap, plastic bottle of vodka than an expensive glass one with an intricately designed label–even if they contain the exact same liquid. How is your product delivered? Where is it delivered? What’s the experience like? Was it easy to use? What extras did you offer? What did your product say about your company? The way these questions are answered determines what the market will say about you, and what your customers will tell their friends. Finally, to paraphrase Dr. Phil: “We teach others how to treat us.” Every day your business operates, you’re teaching the market how to treat you. Make smart decisions, because whether you like it or not, you’re marketing your business every day.

A Guide to Effectively Connecting to People

Networking is such a valuable skill because it allows you to create new bridges. And it IS a skill–meaning it can be practiced and learned like anything else. You don’t have to be a born extrovert to network well. Networking allows you to reach new connections, which in turn will connect you with their own contacts, expanding your reach far more quickly than you could on your own. You can use networking to market your business or even yourself. In other words, while it’s about who you know, it’s also about who OTHER people know, because those people might open you up to a whole new audience and new sales opportunities. Here are three tactics to get your networking game into gear: 1. Get off your couch and into the real world. If you’re browsing on Twitter, Facebook, or sending out cold emails, it’s no wonder why doors aren't opening for you. You've got to play the game. And sometimes, that means getting off your butt and actually meeting people. Be proactive. Contact someone and ask him or her out for a 10-minute coffee break. Don’t expect a VIP to invest time in you unless you have an existing connection. Who do you know who knows this person and could introduce you? What networking events would host valuable networking contacts? And if you’re at one of those events, talk to people. Networking–and all human connection–is about initiative. If you don’t put yourself out there and say hello, no one else can do it for you. 2. Offer your contacts value, instead of just expecting value from them. The idea of networking makes people feel uncomfortable because we associate it with awkward, self-interested sales people working a room and handing out their business cards. Real networking isn’t about getting–it’s about mutual giving. Networking done right is a two way street, where both parties work to make a human connection that provides reciprocal value. So for every networking interaction, ask yourself, how can I provide value to this person? Figure out how you can help them before you interact: Can you be already known for leaving insightful comments on their blog? Can you offer them a unique solution to a problem? Could you help them find a valuable contact? Maybe they’d like the satisfaction of having someone to mentor–someone who listens to them and actually shows them a way they've applied their advice. 3. Respect those you’re networking with. If they are a valuable contact, treat them that way. Many who take the initiative to meet up with high-level VIPs know that it’s not enough to contact them. You have to make it easy for them to reply, because they are incredibly busy. By definition, if someone’s valuable enough for you to go out of the way to connect to, his or her time is more valuable than yours. Position your conversations with that fact in mind. If you’re emailing to get in touch with someone, make answering the email as easy as saying “Yes.” So if you’re proposing a meet-up, make your intentions clear immediately and provide a specific time and location (letting them know you’re willing to be flexible). If you’re setting a meeting in person, don’t ramble. If you’re trying to learn from someone, understand how to ask good questions and allow your contact to talk more than you. At the end of the day, networking is about two people offering one another mutual value. There’s nothing sleazy about building relationships with someone who is interested in the same things as you and would benefit from the relationship, too. Just learn how to offer value to another person, and soon you’ll have a stronger business and be able to reach more people than ever.

Customer Service

At the heart of every printing company is the customer service staff – the people who interact every day with customers. What makes a good customer service representative (CSR)? Is it cheerfulness? A pleasant personality? The point of view that the customer is always right? Here’s our take on the question: we believe a good customer service representative has personal accountability. Personal accountability means the CSR has the ability and has been given the authority to take action when needed. A good CSR offers suggestions and alternatives, speaks up if what the customer has asked for will increase cost or turnaround time, and manages the printing project to ensure on time delivery. Personal accountability is the natural outcome when a CSR has strong communication skills and a natural tendency to be detail-oriented. A good CSR has been trained to listen closely to the customer, write up the job accurately, order any required special materials, and provide a checklist with due dates of inputs due from the customer. At BC Print and Web we provide our CSRs with a written job description clearly explaining the duties and responsibilities of the position, and we conduct an annual performance review that includes eight areas of evaluation. We provide tools and continuous training for technical skills. If you’re not experiencing top-level customer service, give us a try. You won’t be disappointed.

One for the Environment !

Over the last few years, we have noticed a trend that we applaud: our customers are requesting recycled papers for their printing projects as part of a heightened sense of how their buying decisions might affect the environment. As printers, we have an understanding of and appreciation for paper that makes us happy to see this turn of events. At the same time, we are somewhat dismayed by the conventional wisdom that use of paper must be curtailed to protect the environment – particularly when this notion causes our customers to forego the benefits of using printed materials for sales and marketing or other purposes. Evidence exists that paper – the product of trees grown specifically to be made into paper – can be considered a beneficial, renewable resource. Please understand that we’re not advocating for wasting paper by printing things that don’t need a hard copy. But we do feel strongly that printed material, including direct mail pieces, still has an important and valuable role in helping businesses and organizations reach their target audience.

7 Things Small Businesses Need to Know About the Future of Mobile Marketing

With more than half of all Americans now using Smartphones and nearly a quarter of all online activity now coming from mobile devices—we have stumbled into a new age in technology and the future of mobile marketing has unexpectedly shown up at our doors. Is your business equipped to market to the new digital consumer? Here are seven things all small businesses need to know about the future of mobile marketing. 1. The future of mobile started yesterday The first thing you need to know about the future of mobile marketing, is that it actually started yesterday. Don’t worry; you’re not the only one who may be running a little late. In fact, most of the world’s biggest retailers and service providers are still playing catch up. That’s because, no one could have fully predicted the rate at which the surge in mobile ownership would begin to influence all of our online activities.Hits from mobile devices more than doubled from January 2011 to January 2012. By 2013, mobile web searches are expected to eclipse searches from desktop for the first time in history. Don’t wait until next week, next month, or next year to start thinking about mobile—get started today! 2. Mobile users are social users If you’re already using social media to engage with your target audience, chances are you’re already involved in a conversation with the mobile majority. Over 80% of smartphone users use their mobile devices to connect to sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. On Facebook, 600 million of its 1 billion users are logging onto the site via a mobile device, and 70% of those users return to the site on a daily basis (compared to 40% for desktops). That means, whether it’s at home, work, or at your place of business—mobile users are among the most engaged members of your social communities. How can you prepare your social media marketing to speak to these members? First, make sure to download the mobile apps for each of the networks you’re currently using to market your brand—that way you’ll have a better understanding of what their online experience looks like. Then, put yourself in the place of a customer on the go. Most of these users won’t have the time or patience to read long pieces of text, and in the case of Facebook, any posts longer than 160 characters are going to be cut off. Focus on photos, videos, and other types of rich media. Track your results and see what types of post are driving the most engagement. 3. Consumers are accessing more information in more places than ever before The influence of mobile on the life of your customers is already being seen at home, on the go, and especially at your place of business. Consumers are ahead of the mobile curve. A recent study found that two-thirds of all smartphone users had used their mobile devices to help with making a purchase—with more than a third of those customers using their devices for in-store research. Last week, Google released a forecast for the holiday season projecting that four out of five Smartphones will rely on mobile devices for help during the shopping season. These users are checking prices, reading reviews, and researching competing businesses. Bottom line? The mobile consumer is an informed consumer, and it’s never been more important to have your information up-to-date and accurate across all of your online channels. Plus, 72% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, which means, sites like Yelp, could become even more important to your business. 4. Most mobile searches are location-based If you’re not on mobile, you don’t exist. Over 40% of all mobile web searches have local intent. These are people that are currently living or visiting your area, searching for a specific product or service, and who are hoping to discover a local answer to their mobile questions. In the case of restaurants, 64% of these mobile searches convert to real business within the hour. That’s a huge opportunity for a business looking to attract new customers and tap into the potential of mobile marketing. Mobile web searches can either be a small business’ dream or its worst nightmare. Take the time to search your place of business for keywords related to the work you do. Make sure that what customers are finding is something that accurately represents your brand. And most importantly, make sure you have a presence on mobile maps! 5. Mobile videos have gone viral If you’re already a smartphone or tablet user, you know that much of the activity that’s done on these devices is, well … less than active. The fact is, these devices don’t only provide people with endless amounts of information—they also provide an excellent tool for making less use out of free time. (Thanks again, Angry Birds.) That’s likely why watching online video has become such a popular activity amongst smartphone and tablet users. In the last 18 months, YouTube has seen a 400% increase in mobile viewership. Today more than a fourth of all videos being watched on the video sharing site are being seen on mobile devices. If you’ve been on the fence of about using video to market your business, now may be the time to rethink your directorial future. Video is a powerful medium for small businesses, and it doesn’t have to cost a dime to create. 6. Mobile will redefine customer service If you haven’t been monitoring your social networks for customer comments, questions, and complaints —you may want to add it to your list of resolutions for 2013. Nearly three-quarters of all companies are now using social media as a channel for customer service. One in five consumers is already using sites like Facebook and Twitter to have their voices heard. Expect mobile to send that number skyrocketing and for social costumer service to become the norm for businesses of all sizes. 7. Content creation is going mobile The mobile revolution isn’t only having a profound influence on the lives of consumers, it’s also changing the way business owners—especially small business owners—are marketing their business. This is especially true when it comes to content creating. Coming up with content ideas for Facebook, Twitter, or an email newsletter is one of the biggest pain points facing small businesses. And while Smartphones aren’t guaranteed to alleviate all your content creating anxieties, they do make it easier than ever before to capture content ideas and turn everyday work experiences into engagement posts on Facebook and active-worthy articles for an email newsletter. Today, less than 1% of marketing budgets are being allocated for mobile. That’s a huge miss for business owners and, more importantly, a huge disappointment for their growing mobile customer base. But preparing your business for its mobile future doesn’t have to break the bank. Start by giving the tools you’re already using to market your business another look. Does your social media marketing strategy fit a mobile world? Does your website offer the type of experience you want on Smartphones and tablets? Is your business easily discovered by online searches? Start small, think big, and begin to plan for a bright future in mobile marketing. To find out how mobile marketing can benefit your business call Dan or Kimberly at 303.320.4855.

Let EDDM Take Your Marketing Further

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to increase sales by expanding into a new market located in a well-defined geographic area, we urge you to take a close look at Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), a new program from the United States Postal Service. EDDM is an outreach program aimed at helping businesses with small marketing budgets use direct mail as an effective way to promote their products and services. The USPS launched EDDM in March 2011 after making changes to postal regulations to allow the use of the simplified address format in city mail delivery routes. To help make EDDM a success, the USPS heavily promoted the program using self-mailers, Grow Your Business in-person presentations, online seminars, sales calls by USPS personnel, and a comprehensive website emphasizing do-it-yourself. And it worked. According to Paul Vogel, USPS president and chief marketing/sales officer, as of January 2012 EDDM mail was approaching the one billion mark and had generated $270 million in revenue in 2011. If you aren’t familiar with what EDDM can do for your business, give us a call and we’ll bring you up to speed.