(518) 489-9019

ourBlog

January 25, 2010

How To Do a Bang Up Job on Your Annual Report

Category: Design, Print — Tags: , , — Sarah @ 8:42 am

Do we have any annual report enthusiasts out there?

Anyone?

Anyone at all?

Oh boy.

Okay, so annual reports don’t usually top anyone’s list of publications to read for pleasure.  But since many businesses are required to churn one out each year, let’s chat about some dos and don’ts.

When you are putting together your annual report…

DO…

  • Include photos. The large amount of data that is required in an annual report can make your readers’ eyes sting.  Pictures add some much needed life to facts and figures.
  • Make the layout interesting. Again, some of the information you have to include is about as alluring as a scoop of canned dog food.  Having a good layout is key to keeping your readers awake and emphasizing the key points within your annual report.
  • Keep it true to your brand. Everything – colors, graphics, fonts, tone – should be in line with what you’ve been doing for your other marketing efforts.  Your annual report should look like it belongs to your company.
  • Entrust the copy to a good writer. The quality of the writing in your annual report, or any document with your company logo on it, is a reflection on your business.  You need it to be as interesting as possible and, most importantly, clear.  So make sure your writer leaves out the SAT words and compound-complex sentences and makes your message accessible to your readers.
  • Proofread the living daylights out of the thing. Noebody likkes speling mistakkes, or, Grammatical, errors.
  • Get it printed by experts. Your investors are likely to get a little nervous if it’s clear that you printed out your annual report on a printer with a dying ink cartridge and stapled it together with your trusty Swingline.  High quality paper and printing will help your annual report look professional.

DON’T…

  • Hesitate to contact imPress if you need help with any of the above.

Comments (0)

January 18, 2010

Are You Reaching Your Off-Web Targets?

Category: Marketing, Print — Tags: , , , , — Sarah @ 8:06 am

Right now, you are reading our blog on a computer screen.  So it stands to reason that you, like zillions of others, have internet access.

But there are actually people out there who still don’t.

And they aren’t even necessarily people who live in hollowed-out cacti in the middle of the Mojave Desert.  (Although those folks are likely to experience difficulty connecting to the web, too.)

We actually know an actual regular person over in Duanesburg who can’t get high-speed internet access in her home unless she is interested in paying the internet company thousands of dollars to run a wire out to her area of town, which, needless to say, she is not.

So although the world wide web is growing nonstop, there is still a segment of the population who can’t access it.  And then of course there’s another group that could access it but has no desire to do so.  And another group that goes online only occasionally at the local public library.  And another group that doesn’t know how to use a computer.

So, while your Facebook page and your website and other internet marketing are probably hooking you up with a lot of customers, if you put all your eggs in the internet basket, you are definitely going to miss some potential clients.

On the other hand, pretty much everyone gets postal mail.  Whether you inhabit a frosty igloo or dwell in a dark cave, there’s a daring mailman somewhere out there who ensures that your mail gets delivered.

So don’t overlook traditional paper postcards and brochures for marketing purposes.  Printed materials should actually be a key component of your marketing mix.  Successful companies have been mailing out coupons and advertisements for years because they really work.

Give it a whirl – send out a mailing and see what long lost internetless potential customers you can reach.

Comments (0)

January 11, 2010

Turn Your Customer Base Into a Fan Base

Category: Marketing, Print, Promotional Items — Tags: , , , — Sarah @ 11:27 am

Having customers is a good thing.  But having rabid fans turns your customer base into a word-of-mouth machine.

So how do you turn regular customers into foaming-at-the-mouth animals who are ravenous for more of your products?

Well…you could…

  • give your merchandise away for free
  • purchase a tropical island for each of your customers
  • have Chuck Norris intimidate each customer into fanaticism

Not the ideas you were looking for?

Not to worry.  We’ve got another really good one.

Okay, so the holidays are over, and we’re stuck in that bleak January vibe.  The exciting Christmas cards that used to be in your customers’ mailboxes have been replaced by bills.  So we’re thinking that now would be a great time to start sending fun surprises to your customers via postal mail.  How about starting with little gift certificates or coupons?

Then, what if a few weeks after the coupon…wham!  Another surprise.  This time you could mail out promotional items – cool magnets, perhaps.  And then, when the clients least expect it…kazaam!  You can surprise them with a little something else.

Slowly but surely, your customers will start to look forward to these surprises.  And on a random day in March when not much else is going down, a little pick-me-up from you might just be enough to get your customer to Tweet about you.  And across town, maybe another surprise recipient might mention you to a friend.  Then, maybe after the next surprise, you might find a shout out to your company on someone’s Facebook status.

And, little by little, ordinary customers will start morphing into crazy fans.

And as your thoughtful gifts and coupons continue to surprise them, their loyalty and referrals will pleasantly surprise you.

Comments (0)

January 4, 2010

What Luxury Brands Know

Category: Marketing — Tags: , , — Sarah @ 9:24 am

Let’s play a game.  In the next seven seconds, think of everything you can that is plaid.

Think.

Think-o.

Thinkity think.

Think.

Okay, done.  How’d you do?  We came up with four things.  A farmer’s flannel plaid shirt.  A Catholic school jumper.  A Scottish bagpipe dude’s kilt.  And a Burberry scarf.

Now, so it’s possible that your list was a little more extensive, but chances are, it was pretty close to ours.  If you think of all the plaid things out there, you are going to come up with a collection of clothing items that are worn by average folks…and Burberry items.  If you line up Farmer Bob, a Catholic schoolgirl, Clyde MacNeil the bagpiper, and an affluent businesswoman sporting a $1400 Burberry trench coat, at the end of the day, they are all wearing just about the same pattern on their clothes.

So in a world where plaid is commonplace, how does Burberry stand out as a luxury brand?

Well, the fact that they are an older company and have years of tradition behind them doesn’t hurt.  And it’s also helpful that their company name sounds deliciously rich.  (The real test of this, by the way, is to say it with a British accent.  Go ahead, bust out your best Hugh Grant or Kate Beckinsale accent and say it.  Buhhhhberry.)

Okay, but seriously, a lot of it has to do with the fact that they have marketed themselves strategically to appeal to the prestigious and well-to-do.  They have used superior materials and developed high quality products, and they sell these products for a lot of money.  The high price tag attracts consumers who have money.  And when the rich and famous walk around with Burberry handbags and accessories, it furthers our perception of the brand as elite and luxurious.

It’s a pretty good deal for them.  And although putting together an image like Burberry’s might be a little out of the realm of possibility for a small, local business, it is possible to be the luxury choice in whatever field you are in.  It’s just a matter of deciding that you want to cater to that target market and then taking the right pricing and marketing steps from there.

Of course, regardless of whether you want to be the Burberry or the Walmart of your particular industry, the most important thing to remember from a print and promotional items standpoint is consistency.  Burberry has told a consistent marketing story that has resulted in a solid, prestigious brand that we all recognize.  See what you can do to separate your brand from the rest.

Yes, Farmer Bob, that includes you.

Comments (0)

other Pages

stay Connected

site map | blog | contact us
© 2011
Graphic Design - imPress Printing Albany NY
Think. Create. Deliver. Partnered with IntelliSites Web Design Albany Marketing - Burst Marketing