All Posts, Branding, Content & Copywriting, Marketing
Since 2000, UPrinting.com has remained in a class all by itself as an environmental-friendly online printing source for marketing & branding materials such as brochures, business cards, and so much more. In contrast to some of its industry contemporaries, UPrinting.com offers more customizable brochure options, a larger selection of templates as well as stellar customer service to create a top-notch user experience. And in the era of social responsibility to our environment, UPrinting.com offers eco-friendly printing that makes users feel even better about their products and UPrinting’s social and environmental awareness.
As you can see to the left, UPrinting.com offers an extensive line of products to give your business (or a clients) the branding edge with quality brochures and a wide array of other marketing materials.
Less Trees & Chemicals, A Better Brochure!
Create Impactful Impressions!
Ever receive a brochure that looks like it was designed and printed by a child? Nothing is worse for a small business than to appear small by skimping on their marketing materials such as brochures. You want to give a great impression when you hand your business literature to a prospective client or customer. UPrinting.com uses provides a quality product geared to enhance the appearance of your own products or services.
Customization on a Whole Other Level!
Oh how I wish I knew about UPrinting.com years ago! One of the fun parts of my job is to create something unexpected & atypical designs for my clients to showcase the range of my talents. Especially with brochures…you can create them in any size, folding options and paper stock. They even give you full creative license to develop you’re own signature brochure by choosing every component including background colors and innumerable stock photography options!
So unlike some of it’s competitors, UPrinting offers premier, high-quality brochures with unlimited options that you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Thanks UPrinting.com for giving me the designing edge I need to bring my clients brochures from vision to creation!
All Posts, Content & Copywriting, Marketing
The keys to persuasive, effective marketing materials are great design and informative, persuasive content. Content is both words and supporting imagery that conveys what benefits a consumer will derive from the product/service you are offering. Think of brochures as either the initial “handshake” of your business with a client or the last impression. Your business cards and brochures are essential parts of your brand and can certainly impact the marketability of your business and attracting potential clientele. This week I’d like to highlight the key components to a stand out & effective brochure.
Content can include charts, images, diagrams, listings and other graphic elements that highlight key benefits of your business services/products. Also use of calls to action can be critical to persuasion and getting the consumer to act on your solicitation. Also know that the caliber of writing of your brochure will certainly determine the effectiveness of your message and brand. If you aren’t the greatest writer, farm it out to a business or colleague that can.
White space is an essential part of every single marketing piece, namely brochures. The lines between text and imagery are white space; which allows your readers’ eyes relax and gives them a momentary break from the content. You never want intake overload but also don’t want your content to look too sparse. White space can also be used to separate important points. For example, the brochure below is an example of too much white space & too little content.
Colors evoke feelings and emotions, and can certainly help to build a customers’ first or last impression of your business. The colors you select for your brochure design should definitely compliment or match the colors in your logo or company name. Use of vibrant colors should be done in selective areas and in moderation.
Font selection be stylistic but be easily readable and the size should be chosen based on the volume of information you are trying to convey. It should not be too large (over 14 pt.) or too small (less than 10 pt.) The font should reflect your brand style and set the tone of your organization – elegant for a bridal shop, powerful for an auto body shop. Lastly, the body copy font should differ from your headlines, but you should not exceed the use of 3 different fonts within your brochure design.
Paper selected should be reflective of the quality of your business…Yeah, I said it. Using flimsy paper or a cheap card stock may give a flimsy impression of your business. Choosing glossy or matte finish is purely subjective.
Imagery plays a critical role just like your written content. Take your time when selecting the right imagery and the placement of them. Also, do not forget to check your resolution on the images you select. The higher the resolution the better your picture will come across in print. The lower the resolution, the more blurry and unprofessional your brochure will look when printed. FYI -300 dpi or higher is best for clear, color printing.
The Design of your brochure should be simple but effective. Feel free to break away from the normal trifold and display your brand & company character. 
Among the sea of typical trifolds, how do you make your brochure stand out?
Branding, Content & Copywriting, Marketing
Last week I talked about what to do with stagnant content and how to scrap the old, try something new & rebuild your content-driven materials to work in favor of your business goals. This week I’m going to address how to navigate your business through the forest of cunning consumers and look at some non-traditional options to brainstorm & create innovative content.
Cunning Consumers~ Now I know that when most people see the word cunning they think of deception but cunning is also defined as displaying keen insight. And 2012’s consumers & business clients have exactly that. Consumers have a much more intelligent & discriminating palate when it comes to the content they choose to take in, examine and possibly verify. Now verifying the truth of media content might not be a big deal for you but it was a major deal breaker for naturalists who believed in all things pure for Kashi products. While many consumers initially bought into Kashi’s Seven Whole Grains on a Mission campaign, it didn’t take long for one ingredient savvy consumer to blow the lid of the box that Kashi wasn’t really “natural” cereal as it contains genetically engineered grains (GMOs) and pesticide residues. Kashi Concerns over GMO Subterfuge Consumers don’t like to be duped! So be careful in being creative with the “truth” of your content. As noted in another blog by a different blog happy author “Yvonne” Jones, “Today’s consumers are mostly savvy Internet users who actively search for content on the Internet that will enable them to make wise buying decisions.” So content mavericks beware –the game has changed! Consumers are bringing their A-game to their tablets when searching, reading and consuming the words we write and how we spin’ facts & fiction about an intellectual or tangible product.
Innovative Options~ Let’s start this section with a quote from an article I read that really resonated with my business mind & own business goals. “Once you decide that there’s something you can do better…stick with your core competencies and what you’re best at”. The tangible success of any business is often determined by the ability to innovate ideas, captivate customers (and keep them), which results in creating a constant evolution toward new business.
Innovate -to make changes : do something in a new way
Change is not always easily embraced in day-to-day life or business. How you go about creatively implementing any change has a strong impact on the end result. Speaking of implementing change, it’s important to understand that rarely does one person have ALL the answers and brilliant ideas. Keeping that in mind, consider “think kitchen sink” meetings as a great way to come together as a business and be a part of an ocean of ideas. One way to accomplish creating innovative and fresh content options is to get into a room with a white board and allow each member of the business team (represent all departments of our business) and allow each one to write a few words that come to mind when thinking about a particular topic such as what is great about a particular business sector and what they’d like to see change. Why an all-hands-on-deck approach? In this case it will give you insight into the full operative nature of your business and cause you to think outside the confines of just your vision box for the business. Do something in a new way. And remember, the goal is to turn these collective ideas into innovative content AND profitable business solutions.
Newsjacking! is about relating your content to a topic that is a major headline grabber & blowing up in the news media world. Check out The Inbound Marketer’s Complete Guide to Newsjacking for the industry inside track on implementing this innovative tool. It shows the consumer that you are tapped intravenously in to what’s going on in the world and relating that to whatever content you’re writing about. It inherently increases the credibility of your content.
All Posts, Content & Copywriting, Marketing
You want me to do what? Something else besides read your blog or watch your commercial? Call right now? Give you the name of my friends & their email addresses? As if businesses don’t already require so much from the average consumer already, right! In the grocery stores, they want you to scan your own items & bag your own food. Don’t bother going into the bank when you can just do that account transfer yourself at home.
If you let businesses tell it, it’s really for your benefit you see…all in the name of quicker & saving you $. So when it comes to reading articles online, watching TV or surfing the web, Calls To Action (CTA’s) are peppered throughout just about every source of media to go beyond the current action of the user. For those unfamiliar with the term, a CTA is a statement imbedded in the content of the media source that summons the consumer to act. The goal is to implore the consumer to act upon information for the purpose of obtaining something from the consumer and most often, for making a sale. CTA’s often require an immediate response such as “call now, while supplies last,” write a Congressman to stop some agenda, or as simple as utilizing a coupon before a deadline.
So why are CTA’s so important in the first place and why are they a taking a leading role of so much media content? Here’s why: I have seen & heard of various marketing campaigns falling flat on their faces by failing to compel reaction from its audience. Although entertaining, a witty commercial can totally fail to sell the volume of product stocked in a warehouse because they lacked a clear call to action.
Terminology – Create, View, Buy Now, Subscribe…all are examples of businesses telling users/consumers what they want them to do. The words are usually short & concise because too many options & too many “too good to be true” statements turn users off. Word choice and terminology should always be relevant to the industry of the business. But in order for a business to see any ROI based on these efforts, they have to create a sense of urgency and/or create a limitation that once again, compels the reader or viewer to do something that is advantageous to the business.
Incentives & other “Bene’s” – Creative use of expiration dates and gifting incentives are very important in the world of CTA’s. In most cases, there has to be some type of incentive for the reader/user/consumer to go beyond what they are already doing. Such incentives may include a small token of appreciation such as a gift or discount that is relevant to they company or promotion of another business.
Make it Standout! I just love to see the little blue & white Cox Cable Digeez’ spin & flip around solving my internet & high-speed cable dilemma. http://bit.ly/CoxEspn3 Use of BOLD text, flash media and the like, as well as hyperlinks in web content are all tricks of the trade to peek the curiosity of the user to move them along the conveyor of consume & purchase world. So the main goal of both advertising agencies and media companies is to know how to stand out, get your attention and how to hold it long enough to profit them.
Use natural sounding phrases that are friendly yet enticing
Use testimonials to encourage participation
Use words that accurately describe the result of your interaction
Don’t be overly verbose-create simple & strong CTA’s
The bigger and more pronounced your call to action, the more chance it will be noticed and acted upon.
All Posts, Content & Copywriting, Marketing
Focus on Client Needs – The whole point of writing content for your clients is to provide value whether on their website, via their print marketing materials or on a billboard.
#1. Know their needs – spend time with your client obtaining relevant industry information, current marketing materials and noting their business insight into the industry (if it’s unfamiliar) and lastly, their company’s goals & desires.
#2. Know & Convey How Your Services Can Make Their Company Better – Be clear yourself and then convey to the client the benefits your services can provide them. Most importantly here is to establish a trustworthy relationship with them by making sure they know that:
- they have a professional who has the talent and experience to fulfill their needs. Provide references and previous examples of your work if needed. AND
- by connecting that experience & expertise to their content needs and how you can improve their professional credibility and financial line.
Stay Focused! – We may have our own ideas about a particular industry, political topic or the like, but you are being hired to do the job THEY want you to do. You have been hired to 
write about this client’s business, needs, ideas and standpoints-not your own. No matter how well you may write, you need to keep your writing focused on their area of expertise, products and/or services.
The Key to Keywords
#1. Remember to talk & write in the same industry language of your customers. A good tactic to employ here is to do some keyword research.
#2. Figure out how your customers (and their competition) think and how to write from that same level of expertise. See more from one of my previous articles http://bit.ly/Nsuub4 .
#3. Use a business based thesaurus. Here you will find other related words for a particular term that will showcase your assumed business prowess as well as increasing your clients SEO success.
I hope these few tidbits have been helpful. I’d love to hear what’s in your content writing toolbox and what tools you employ that I can add to sharpen my own content writing skills.
All Posts, Marketing
If you’ve been a freelancer for more than a year or two, the term “consultation” has a personal meaning to you. It means time you’re going to spend with a potential client for free to learn their needs and also your 15 minutes of fame to explain why you’re the best designer they’ll ever meet.
During these initial meetings, you the designer and your prospective client do a little bit of a dance. They initially believe you are good at what you do, but when you finally sit down at that coffee shop to show them your work, you still have to truly impress them. You’re going to say some industry terms to sound a bit techie and sophisticated like “your brand this,” or “corporate identity,” or “responsive web designs.” Things you know they may have heard or Googled but have to idea what they truly mean; though they know they want it.
Once you’re done with your presentation, and answered questions, you’re left with a bit of a pause and silence. This is where you need to be ready to pounce on sealing the deal. During your conversations though, there are a few things you’ll want to pick up on to gauge how you’ll want to seal the deal.
Body Language. This doesn’t necessarily take a psychology degree for you to use, but it is a good thing to keep a focus on. Pay attention to how they are sitting while you’re explaining your graphic process. Do they lean in, do they lock eyes with you while you’re talking. Are they fidgeting with their fingers or hands? These kinds of tells will give you some insight to what they’re actually thinking about.
Design Knowledge. How much of what you do are they already familiar with? Get them to talk about what they want first before you lean in on what you know and do. Its ok here because if you’ve made it this far in meeting with them, they already feel confident enough that you are who your reputation says. So spend a few minutes listening to what they say they’ve done in the past, or what they’d like to have done. This will help you understand the language level you need to be at. You’ll know if you can speak in more “tech-talk” or more in layman’s terms so that you’re not flying way over their heads.
Previous Experiences. Had this person or agency worked with a previous designer; and if so how was that experience. It ended for a reason which is why they’re speaking to you, so find out why. More times it may be a bad client/designer relationship that deteriorated over time. Was that time frame months, weeks, years? Is this potential client needy or expect projects done yesterday? Or do they need a lot of hand holding and persuasion to provide answers and content?
Budget Keywords. This one will pretty much tell you where on your pricing sheet they’ll fall. There are three factors to consider with any design project and that’s quality, price, and time. The client can choose only two out of those three, and you have to direct them there. I usually talk about price a little after I’ve made points to establish a base that myself and my team know what we’re talking about and are good at what we do. See the triangle below:
Be Prepared to Sign Today. Have all your necessary documents with you when you have your meetings. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scheduled meetings thinking it would be casual and mostly informational that turn into “Do you take credit cards?” Our own content and copy writer Yvonne, signed a client while at the hospital visiting a family friend. Always have copies of your most up to date contract, brochures, media kits, business cards, and some form of payment acceptance and receipt system. If your meeting goes well, you’ll want to try to close the deal by the time their coffee cup is on their last sip. And we all know that last sip is the best. Chances are you’ll wow them and inspire them that you’re going to take their business to the next level. That feeling fizzles out with each passing day after your initial meeting, and it’s even harder to recreate that “chemistry” you had from the first meeting.
Really think about these things and see where you may have used some of these techniques before. For me, its something I love to teach to my team members of Design Theory to make them even more confident in themselves and the level of service we provide as a whole. Do you have some other tips you’d like to add? Please share in the comments below.
(featured image credit: 123RF Stock Photos Copyright (c)
Since 2000, UPrinting.com has remained in a class all by itself as an environmental-friendly online printing source for marketing & branding materials such as brochures, business cards, and so much more. In contrast to some of its industry contemporaries, UPrinting.com offers more customizable brochure options, a larger selection of templates as well as stellar customer service to create a top-notch user experience. And in the era of social responsibility to our environment, UPrinting.com offers eco-friendly printing that makes users feel even better about their products and UPrinting’s social and environmental awareness.
