63-second cost cutter: Business Cards May 31, 2008

FRUGAL: Researching how far printing has come, and learning the tricks of that trade to your advantage.
CHEAP: Printing them at home; using a free service that tells everyone how little you had to spend.
The cost cutting? It’s in understanding the print world, and how cheap it’s become for professional results due to advanced technology.

Digital printers have put many conventional press houses out of business. Google the term if you are feeling scholarly, but in a peanutshell, digital printing is to conventional press as the hand-run mimeograph is to a Xerox™ machine.

Online printers abound; I use one particular service that I’ll endorse in a moment. The pricing tends to be much better because the setup has been removed–no more setting up metal plates, inking them with CYMK, changeouts, hand-cutting, proofing, etc. With online printers, you upload your files in the acceptable format (most will give you templates to download), proof the file they email you, watch the status, and track your shipment. I just ordered 1,000 postcards, glossy both sides, full color both sides, 4×6, for under $50 including shipping via UPS. I’ve also ordered 500 full color (both sides), glossy stock business cards for $13 including shipping. No more “These cards were printed FREE with VistaPrint” on the back for you, sir. No more Kinkos, and no more home printing.

My guys? GotPrint.com (just ask me to mail you some of my stuff to see what I mean).

Are You Positive About That? May 31, 2008

The anonymous nature of the Internet frequently empowers those who visit blogs to make more strongly worded statements in a comment section than they would if speaking face-to-face. If you have a blog, you’ve undoubtedly encountered some scathing comments. And in a post at MarketingProfs’ Daily Fix blog, Mark Goren suggests a way to handle this negativity, which usually fall into two general categories:

Free Challenge Inside! You know it’s a good hospital when… May 31, 2008

Recently my fiance had surgery at a local hospital. We could not have been surrounded with a happier, nicer group of staff. This was my (our) first experience with the hospital system here in the Triangle (but then, do you really want many experiences?), but I still did not expect the level of service we received. I expected a name to be called, to be pointed this way or that, brusque demeanors. But instead, as I watched, everyone working there just seemed happy. They smiled even when alone, they cracked jokes, they called out to each other and said things like “Have a great evening!”. A happy staff means happy customers, typically. But in my past hospital experiences, I had not yet encountered it.

Every single person was kind, looked us in the eye, asked questions, made us feel comfortable, and had bedside manners to be rivaled. Before I was even allowed to take him home I thought, goodness, I almost want to sign up for a surgery–so we don’t have to leave! Now, how ironic is that? Not wanting to leave the hospital because you’re having a good time. Yes, it goes against logic; logically I wanted to get us home so I could continue to care for him. But it also got me thinking–

What is a place you received some of the best service? The challenge: it must be a place you never thought you’d have such a good experience.

WellthyLifeStyle.com moves into Phase 2! May 9, 2008

I’m so pleased to announce that we are now in Phase 2. Namely this means we are doing a soft launch and engaging in initial publicity to promote the site. We are also now charging for memberships. Our goal is to do a hard launch this summer. That’s not too far from now!

If you haven’t already, please finish your listings and get them polished and spiffy!

We’re also looking at the possibility of holding a launch party downtown, with booths for our members to promote their services. How do you feel about that? Let us know.

 

“Fly someone else.” April 15, 2008

Southwest Airlines has arguably the best customer service of any airline. You can be well assured of being treated equally and wonderfully–I’ve certainly never had a complaint. But those customers who create trouble, mistreat the employees, or otherwise make the experience a pain for those around them get a hand-signed letter from the CEO of Southwest Airlines himself: “Fly someone else.”

Remember the adage “the customer is always right?”

We’ve all seen and heard horror stories where the customer took that adage a little too close to heart.

You’ll always come across “that” customer, or even a few at the same time, who make frivolous returns, scream in front of other customers over the most minor of infractions, harp on you about your prices, haggle for a discount, and then go across the street and buy from your competitor anyway.

Marketing to Women April 15, 2008

GET REAL
If you want to market to women, ground your message in reality.

When women look at your advertising, do they see themselves? For decades, advertisers have depicted an idealized version of a woman. But now, women are looking for their true selves mirrored in the message. So abandon outmoded and unattainable ideals and positively portray real women. Also, understand that female shoppers approach the buying process differently than men. It’s not about dumbing down the message or coloring the campaign in shades of pink, it’s about creating a campaign that reflects women the way they see themselves, plus following these important guidelines:

1. SHOW REAL BENEFITS TO REAL WOMEN. Women consumers are not monolithic, and an effective marketing campaign must be based on a clear understanding of your female prospects’ unique characteristics. Look beyond basic demographics and discover their hobbies, their habits, and how, where and what they buy. Women make purchases based on the relationships they develop with your company or brand, so listening carefully and fostering an exchange with women customers is vital. Uncover what they really want from companies or products and services like yours, and then communicate with them based on the issues or selling points they care about most.

2. DEVELOP WOMENCENTRIC MARKETING. There are important characteristics that define a more feminized shopping experience. Value and price are critical, but they’re often merely opening salvos in the decision-making process. Women tend to require more detailed information than men when considering a purchase, and that information is best received if presented on a peer-to-peer level, so address women from a ‘we’ point of view. Expect women customers to look for deep content on your website, thoroughly examine the benefits of your products or services vs. those of your competitors, read product reviews and seek input from family, friends and co-workers.

3. GO FOR A COMPLETE MAKEOVER. Integrate these women centric marketing methods into all your campaigns and materials. It’s not enough to just add deeper content to your site or produce a few ads that target women. The best campaigns integrate their marketing messages across multiple channels and feature an equally fine-tuned sales effort. Work with your salespeople to incorporate this attitudinal and contextual change into day-to-day sales activities for a completely integrated approach.

source: Entrepreneur Magazine, April 2008. by Kim T. Gordon