====================================================== "The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report" August, 2003 ====================================================== Published by Renae Gregoire Freelance Commercial Writer The Write Idea Target Your Market with Laser Precision. Visit me at http://www.ineedcopy.com ------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe and un-subscribe information at the bottom! ---------------------------------------------------- Table of contents: 1. Message from the Editor 2. Get More Bang From Your Biz Card Buck 3. The Marketer's Bookshelf 4. How to use Display Ads to Capture More Prospects 5. Tampa Bay Resources 6. Reciprocal Links 7. About The Write Idea ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Readers, Thanks once again for inviting me to your e-mail box! I hope you enjoy this issue of "The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report". Let me apologize in advance for not publishing Part two of my Grammar Grapplers article. Honestly, I wrote two other pieces and forgot all about it! Look for Part two in an upcoming edition! And remember, as a free service to the Tampa Bay area business community, I'll solve any grammar grappler that's driving you batty. Just email me or give me a call. If I don't know the answer, I'll find it for you! Please contact me with any questions or comments. I'm here to help. Hope to be of service to you! Cordially yours, Renae Gregoire service@ineedcopy.com ------------------------------------------------------- ---> Get More Bang from Your Business Card Buck by Renae E.Gregoire ------------------------------------------------------- Note: You may read this version and view the images mentioned online at http://www.ineedcopy.com/article%20biz%20cards.html. Have you been to a networking event lately? If you’re a social-able person, you likely went home with a pocketful of business cards. Call a contractor to give you an estimate for work? Undoubtedly, he or she left you a business card. Request information by mail from vendors or other professionals? More business cards. If you’re like me, you’ve built quite a business card collection, and you’ve distributed a fair share of your own business cards, too. But I’m writing to tell you that if you’re using your business card to provide your contact information only, you’re not making the most of this powerful little marketing tool! Don’t just take my word for it though. I recently spoke with three Bay area printers to get their takes on what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to business cards. So before you order your next supply, read on and discover how you can make your business card more potent, more palatable, and hopefully, more promotional! Convey More Than Your Contact Information “Business cards truly are the best and least expensive message board of any company’s capabilities,” says Casey Corwin, President of Corwin Design and Graphics in Tampa. “While it’s obvious that your company name and other pertinent information must be on your business card, I feel it’s equally important that you convey your message,” she adds. What's Casey mean? Well, take a look at my first professionally designed business card. Text and logo on the front, blank on the back. Pretty nice, right? But it didn't communicate my message. It didn't tell my prospects what I could do for them. After all, what is “professional marketing communications” anyway? In fact, too many times, people would look at my card and say, “What do you do?” To avoid that confusion, and to promote my business, I asked Casey at Corwin Design to rework my card and add my message to the back side. Take a look. Now, when I'm at a networking event and someone asks what I do, I can either use my prepared networking speech, or if I'm feeling tongue-tied (which happens quite often--I'm a writer not a talker!), I can simply say, "Here's what I do!" and hand them my card! “Often, we don’t have time to listen to someone’s pitch when they’re handing us their card,” Casey says. “Or, we soon forget the message after we put the card in our pocket. By adding a quick take on your capabilities, whether by a tagline or graphic or list, the reader understands what you do and how to get in touch with you long after you’re gone,” she explains. Personally, I’m one of those marketers who will tell you to never, ever waste any “white space” on your collateral. If you’re paying for printing, you may as well use as much space as you can to explain what you do, and more importantly, how what you do benefits your prospects. Wondering about the cost of a two-sided card? I also spoke with David Weiss, Manager at One Stop Printing, Inc. in Clearwater, and Dolores Hamburg, President of Accuprint Printing Company in St. Petersburg. In general, they tell me, and from my own experience with two-sided cards, you can expect to pay between 50 to 70 percent more than you would pay for a standard single- sided business card. So if your regular single-sided business card print run costs you $50, expect to pay from $75 to $85 for two sided cards. And don’t forget: you’ll also have to pay a one time fee for additional design work, plus whatever your printer charges to make new plates for your cards. But Don’t Convey TOO Much More! You’re not limited to two sides only when it comes to your business card. In fact, you might decide on a folded business card, also known as a tent card, which gives you more valuable room to communicate. When you have more space available, you can put your your business card to work as an order form, as a mini- brochure, as a punch-card or as an advertisement. Dolores Hamburg of Accuprint Printing says that in her experience, folded business cards are the most effective way to get your message across. “You not only have much more space, but you can also add striking images, which is very important if you’re selling a product,” she says. But experienced printers will also tell you that if you’re choosing a tent card, pay attention to possible pitfalls that will make your piece less effective than you hoped for. “Make sure you give the card a clean look,” says Dolores. “And make sure it’s easy to read.” Casey Corwin agrees. “Tent cards tend to be too bulky. I say if you can’t get your message across on two sides, try to slim it down…use bullet points instead of long sentences, or graphics or photos that say more,” she explains. David Weiss will tell you the same thing. “If you want to go with a folding business card, make sure you don’t try to cram too much content in. If you do, your card will appear overwhelming,” he says. Your cost for a folded business card? The experts agree: if you want to go with a tent card, expect to pay between 1.5 to 3 times more than your standard single-sided card. So if you’re paying $50 now, plan on spending anywhere from $75 to $150, plus additional design and plate fees. Is it worth it? If you’re using your card as an order form, or to convey images that sell, I would say yes. Otherwise, I agree with the experts: narrow your message to its most salient points and keep your card to two sides. Food For Thought—Unusual Business Card Ideas Are you looking for something that really stands out? Something your prospects will be less likely to throw away? Then you might want to try some of these unique business card ideas. “The most unusual I’ve ever seen was an etched Plexiglas business card,” says David Weiss. “It was very striking, and really made an impression.” Dolores Hamburg shares some of her favorites, too. “The most unusual things I’ve seen include a business card printed on a coffee cup, a talking business card, a business card that was made into a sign for the side of a car, a CD-ROM business card you can play on your computer, and a welcome rug with a business card on it.” Casey Corwin describes an unusual project she worked on with an interior designer searching for a unique way to get her message across. Says Casey, “We designed a series, or set, of business cards that worked as mini- postcards. Each set had different images on the back side depicting various design styles, while the front side remained the same on all the cards.” “What was nice is that each designer on staff had his or her own set of cards showcasing their particular design style on the back,” Casey adds. Want a few more ideas? From Getting Business to Come to You by Paul and Sarah Edwards and Laura Clampitt Douglas: A facialist uses a two-sided card—one side with a mirror. A metal sculptor creates a card sculpted from soft aluminum. A packaging company distributes a shrink-wrapped business card. A vitamin retailer staples trial packs of three capsules to his business card. Business Card Advice from the Experts In closing, I asked our experts what advice they would give business owners who are getting ready to print their first, or fiftieth, set of cards. Take heed, and make your next business card print run your most successful one yet! I would tell them to remember: Less is best. The easier your card is to read, the more effective it will be. Too many people try to put too much stuff on their cards. David Weiss, Manager One Stop Printing, Inc. 1500 Gulf to Bay Boulevard Clearwater 727-442-6566 First of all, I’d advise people to make sure their business card files are prepared correctly. It saves time and money when it comes time to print. Second, check prices on various quantities. Your price per piece goes down as your quantity goes up. And finally, be specific with the information you present on your card, and keep the look of the card clean so it’s easy to read. Dolores R. Hamburg, President Accuprint Printing Company 2860 21st Avenue North St. Petersburg 727-321- 3316 www.4colorpower.com First, I’d say that when you’re preparing to get your new cards done, using a consultative printer is, by far, the least expensive and most accurate way to go. Consultative printers act as your business partner…someone who helps you save money by printing smart, and who gives you options to lowering your cost on all your printed items. And second, if you’re using a ‘freelance’ graphic designer, make sure you take their design on CD and hard copy to your printer, because she must understand and be able to duplicate the designer’s image from the monitor to the press. In other words, remember that what looks good on screen may not look good in print. Casey Corwin, President Corwin Design and Graphics Corporation 107 North 11th Street, Suite 1 Tampa 813- 226-4242 www.corwindesign.com ------------------------------------------------------- ----> The Marketer's Bookshelf ------------------------------------------------------- If there's a book on marketing out there, chances are, I've read it. In this column you'll find out which books to buy, and which to avoid. And if you know of a great book that's helped you get more customers for less money, by all means, let me know! AUGUST'S READING LIST How Winners Sell: 21 Proven Strategies to Outsell Your Competition and Win the Big Sale David Stein PUBLISHED BY Bard Press 2002 From the inner flap: "How can you outsell your competition and win the big sale in today's hypercompetive marketplace? Sales master Dave Stein's 21 strategies--along with lots of proven tactics--provide "in the trenches" coaching on how to: ~~retool yourself to win by strengthening your skills, attitude and knowledge ~~leverage the Internet for information about your prospects and competitors ~~develop and qualify leads higher up the value ladder ~~and more! Easy reading. Good for those selling to the corporate market. Learn to move past your competitors and get the "in" you need. Recommended. ------------------------------------------------------- --->How to Use Display Ads to Capture More Prospects--- By: Renae E. Gregoire ------------------------------------------------------- Note: You may read this article online at http://www.ineedcopy.com/article%20print%20ads.html The Scenario It's Monday morning. Your new display ad appears in the local paper. You wait for the phone to ring. And you wait. And you wait. And you wait. But you don't get the results you're hoping for. The ad may have generated four or five calls, if you're lucky; one or two of which convert to paying customers. The response is not what you hoped for. You may or may not realize that advertising is not about instant sales. It's about repetition. It's about keeping your business name out there so that when customers are ready to buy, they'll remember your ad. For instance: Suppose you own a growing pest control company. You place a display ad in the newspaper once or twice a week in keeping with the theory that eventually, bugs will find their way into readers' homes and they'll remember your ad. "Geez, I need to call a pest control company...who's that guy who advertises in The Times?" Or, suppose you own an accounting firm. You’re looking to expand by taking on new monthly or quarterly write- up clients. Same thing. You place display ads in local publications hoping that when business owners tire of dickering with the books themselves, they'll remember your ads and give you a call. "I don't have time for all this #$&@!^. What's the name of that accounting firm that advertises in The Herald-Tribune?" The Problem Display advertising is a hit and miss proposition at best. Suppose 100 people view your ad. Two will be ready to buy right now. Those prospects may or may not respond. Eighty individuals might be in the market for your product or service some day in the future—but not right now, while they’re looking at your ad. They may set your ad aside. They may not. If they don’t, you have to hope your ad appears again when they’re ready to make the call. And then there’s the 18 other people who will never buy your product or service. Now I made those numbers up. They would obviously change for the worse if your ad appeared in a publication that missed your target market. But the point is that the only time prospects can—and will—respond to your ad is when they’re ready to make a purchase. So you’ve got to advertise on a regular basis to build confidence in your business and to keep your name visible. It’s the nature of advertising, especially for non- impulse products and services. Your ad has to be there at just the right time when your prospect is ready to buy. Purchases of accounting, legal, web design and print services typically think about the purchase before they make the call. Same with purchasers of house painting, well-check MRI scans, pianos and landscaping. If your prospect is still in the “thinking about it” stage when they see your ad, chances are they won’t call. They may set the ad aside for future reference. Then again, they may not. So how can you use your display advertisements to grab a prospect’s interest while they’re still in the “mulling it over” or “waiting for finances” stage? The Solution If you want to maximize your display advertising dollars, try expanding your sales cycle a bit. Instead of using your display ads to capture those two people who are ready to buy, use it to capture the 80 others who are likely to buy sometime in the future. How? By creating a “free” informational report and offering it in your ad instead. This report accomplishes a number of objectives at once. It lets you… Capture names and addresses of people who will be in the market for your service Save on additional hit-and- miss advertising by spending your resources on follow- ups with more qualified prospects “Say more” about your business than a display ad does, and gives you plenty of room to let your prospects see why you’re better than your competitors (who hopefully, do not use this strategy) Educate prospects on the ins and outs of using your product or service For example: ~~An accountant could issue a report called, “How to Select an Accountant,” or “10 Questions to Ask Your Prospective Accountant Before You Give Him Your Books.” If you serve a niche market, you could tailor your report around it. ~~A lawyer specializing in nursing home abuse could issue a report entitled, “Protect Your Loved Ones by Being Aware of These 7 Signs of Nursing Home Abuse.” ~~A web design firm can prepare a report called, “8 Fatal Mistakes Businesses Make When Getting on the Web…and How You Can Avoid Them.” ~~A printer could offer a free report entitled, “Business Brochure Checklist—Everything You Need to Know to Produce a Winning Company Brochure.” ~~A piano retailer can issue a report titled, “Everything You Need to Know Before You Invest in Your First Piano.” A free report (or a series of free reports) for your business will let you get one-step ahead of your competition, whose display ads are most likely designed to capture those two single prospects who are ready to buy now. And with your free report, chances are good you’ll capture those two prospects as well. By the way, this same technique works well for direct mail letter or postcard campaigns, as well as with email campaigns. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> Tampa Bay Resources-------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Tampa Bay Area Printers Corwin Design and Graphics Corporation 107 North 11th Street, Suite 1 Tampa 813-226-4242 www.corwindesign.com One Stop Printing, Inc. 1500 Gulf to Bay Boulevard Clearwater 727-442-6566 Accuprint Printing Company 2860 21st Avenue North St. Petersburg 727-321-3316 www.4colorpower.com ------------------------------------------------------- >> Get More Biz with a Reciprocal Link --------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Did you know search engines like Google not only rank your site based on keywords, but also based on how many external sites link to yours? With that in mind, I've developed a "links" page where I'll post a link to your professional web site in exchange for a similar link to my site on yours. If you'd like to increase your page ranking, visit my page at www.ineedcopy.com/links2.html to see where you'll be listed, and then email me or give me a call to talk about exchanging links. ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> About The Write Idea ------------------ ------------------------------------------------------- OK, SO WHAT IS THE WRITE IDEA? The Write Idea supports small to mid-sized business owners in their desire to look and sound professional and increase profits by means of well-written and persuasive promotional materials. WHO'S RENAE GREGOIRE? That's me. Owner and President of The Write Idea, a commercial freelance writing firm serving clients in the Tampa Bay area, and all around the world! I'VE GOT SOME QUESTIONS. HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU? Easy. Call me at (727) 302-0232. I'm available Monday through Friday, from around 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. (Well, I'm here later than that, but if you call then you might hear my kids in the background!) If you get my machine, that means I'm out with a client, or stretching my legs! Leave me a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Or, email me at service@ineedcopy.com. To find out more about how The Write Idea can enhance your image-- and your profits, check out my web site at http://www.ineedcopy.com. You can email me from there too. I look forward to hearing from you! ------------------------------------------------------- ------------->> Subscription Information -------------- ------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report. It's Free! You'll find lots of information on promoting your business in our area, including resources for actually doing it! The Tampa Bay Marketer's Report is issued bimonthly, and is free to business owners who request it. Unsubscribing is easy too. Just let me know and I'll promptly remove your name from the list. Subscribe by sending an email to tampamarketer@replypro.com Unsubscribe by sending an email to service@ineedcopy.com. Just say "unsubscribe," and you won't hear from me again :) And if you enjoyed this issue, please pass it along to a friend who might also like to learn more about marketing in the Tampa Bay area. ------------------------------------------------------- And that's all for this time. Thanks for reading. Wishing you all my best, Renae Gregoire, Freelance Commercial Writer service@ineedcopy.com Target Your Market With Laser Precision. The Write Idea (727) 302-0232 Visit me at http://www.ineedcopy.com ------------------------------------------------------- ---------Subscribe & Un-subscribe Instruction --------- ------------------------------------------------------- * To subscribe email tampamarketer@replypro,com. * To unsubscribe, send a message to: service@ineedcopy.com, and say "unsubscribe." ======================================================