digrafika blog

Promotional items are a great way to motivate your employees and to strengthen your customer loyalty. Everyone enjoys receiving free stuff. A promotional item is an item that is given away for free in order to promote a product or service. Clothing, accessories, cups, calendars, pens, hats, bookmarks, bags, and magnets make great giveaways.

If you are just starting out, are running a special, or if business is slow you may want to concentrate on getting your name out. It’s a great way to put your name in the eye of the public.

Promotional items can boost company morale. Award your hard working employees with a free shirt or hat. Just think: every time your employees wear the promotional items you gave them they are advertising your company name.

Advertising is the key to business success. If you want to be successful in the business world you must advertise. Promotional items are a wonderful advertisement.

Digrafika can review your logo files to see if they are ready for imprint on your favorite promo items. Call us today!

Ask us how to get promo items from these companies and more!
Bluebird Promotions - Local authorized dealer for Kaeser & Blair
Tree In A Box - Offers a variety of tree seed kits which can be custom labeled with a corporate logo.
CalicoUSA.com - Temporary body art from any logo or design.
FarFromBoring.com - Eco-friendly promotional products.

Thank you to all our clients and colleagues!

$10 off orders over $100
$20 off orders over $150
$30 off orders over $200

Place an order with us now until August 31st and automatically be entered to win an insulated picnic basket.

Order must be paid in full by August 31, 2010 to be eligible to win picnic basket.
Offer good now through Aug. 31, 2010.

Mention ANNIVERSARY SALE when ordering.

Would you like to spend more time providing your services, and less time on marketing?

Sure, but if you aren’t marketing and selling successfully, you won’t have any clients to deliver to!

Many of us embark on a profession we love, placing our attention on developing our skills, attending classes and seminars, and exploring new technologies. There’s always something new and exciting to learn.

But sometimes when it comes to getting the word out about a new product or service we offer, we miss the mark.

Hire the services of a graphic designer to be part of your marketing team. A graphic designer will enhance your brand by following a consistent theme of graphics, fonts, colors and layout. A graphic designer will create flyers, rack cards, brochures, sell sheets and more displaying your services and products. For example, a brochure is essential for any business to offer information about the qualifications and expertise of the owner and the services and products offered. More information can be supplied in a brochure, and they can be mailed, distributed door to door or given out at community events and trade shows.

How can your business can benefit from a professional brochure design?

Perhaps you do not currently have a brochure or rack card that gives more information about your services beyond your simple business card. When you decide to have a new design created, you can use that same professional design theme on your other marketing pieces. More bang for your buck! And it’s less likely your business will be confused with your competition when customers see your consistent theme. How long has it been since your website was updated and content refreshed? It’s easy to transfer the theme from your new brochure to your website and other media, which is a great investment.

Generally good marketing builds brands and takes time. And while it does bring long-term results, good marketing should also create a powerful first impression. So don’t miss the opportunity to impress a potential client! Consider hiring a professional designer to streamline your marketing pieces.

Creating clear doable goals for your business will help you achieve success for 2010.
Have a clear purpose, then be passionate and persistent about it until it is achieved.

7 Steps for Achieving Your Business Goals for 2010

1. Create goals that are doable, action oriented and achievable. Where do you want your business to be by the end of 2010? By the end of December 2010 you want to look back at say that you successfully accomplished all your goals. This will not only make you feel proud but will give you a great sense of accomplishment and also boost your confidence.
2. Write down your goals on paper - This makes your goals more substantial instead of having them floating around aimlessly in your head. Place this paper near your computer or somewhere where you will look at it every day or at least once a week. This will ensure you are on the right track.
3. Write goals in the present tense i.e. “I will write, publish and market an e-book by the end of July”. This kind of positive affirmation gives you a definite determination that will help attract the people, places, and situations you need to achieve that goal.
4. Picture yourself achieving these goals. Create a perfect picture of your goals and refer to it often. This adds a visual impact to achieving your desired goal.
5. Break down your goals into simple steps - you need to create simple steps on how you will achieve your goals. You could even create a flexible timeline when you plan on completing each goal.
6. Take action - setting goals is worth nothing if you don’t take action, so don’t procrastinate. Most people fail in this area because they get so overwhelmed with either the number of goals they set, the size of them, or paralysis from analysis. Don’t over analyze each goal so it paralyzes you from taking action.
7. Surround yourself with like minded people - talk to other people who are upbeat and positive about achieving their own goals as well as yours.

Your goal setting for 2010 can truly be successful if you establish a clear purpose for fulfilling them, being passionate about them, persevering until they are accomplished and taking action daily.

Need more inspiration?
Herman Drost - Expert Author at EzineArticles.com
iSiteBuild.com

It seems early to be thinking of next year, but planning now will save headaches in the future. Companies often undervalue the impact of a marketing plan on their own people, who want to feel part of a team engaged in an exciting and complicated joint endeavor. People don’t always understand financial projections, but they can get excited about a well-written and well-thought-out marketing plan.

We all know that plans are imperfect things. How can you possibly know what’s going to happen 12 months or five years from now? Isn’t putting together a marketing plan an exercise in futility…a waste of time better spent meeting with customers or fine-tuning production? Possibly, but an inaccurate plan is far better than no plan at all. Without a marketing plan, you’ll wander the sea of advertising and promotion aimlessly, sometimes finding dry land but more often than not floundering in a vast ocean. Sea captains without a chart are rarely remembered for discovering anything but the ocean floor.

Digrafika is prepared to participate in a marketing plan for your company, any size and any budget, annually, simplifying your marketing, promotional, and passive income processes. Ideally, after writing marketing plans for a few years, you can sit back and review a series of them, year after year, and check the progress of your company.

Ask how your business can benefit from a professional design from Digrafika! Call 603-534-2040.

Source: The Small Business Encyclopedia and Knock-Out Marketing

Lately it seems more small business owners are asking me for inexpensive printing ideas. While they’d love to be investing in personalized promotional items, the cost per item is not always economical. Enter the bookmark, stage right.

Customized bookmarks are easier than ever to order. Many printers offer a standard 2″x6″ template now, eliminating costly setup and cutting charges. Often you can design online by adding images, backgrounds, colors and text, or upload your own completed design.

Use bookmark sized cards in addition to your traditional business card. Give bookmarks to clients and colleagues to promote or advertise, or to announce incentives. Feeling extra creative? Personalize printed bookmarks by adding ribbon, textured paper, gems, buttons and more.

Ideas for bookmark content:

• Business services checklist (great for realtor, landscaper or handyman to give to homeowners)
• Top 10 list
• Tips and tricks
• Inspirational quotes
• Coupon or incentive
• Team photo of your employees
• Calendar for upcoming events
• Announce a new product
• Event Ticket
• Punch Card
• Add URL and password for special access to offers on your website
• Gift Certificate

Clients will think of you first when they see your bookmark in their current book or magazine, sitting on their desk or on their corkboard, or in their wallet or bag. You’ll want to hand them out more frequently knowing the printing cost is low, but the value of the bookmark is sky high!

Have you ever Googled yourself or your business and wondered why you don’t show up until page 3?

Patti Fousek of CreativeMind Search Marketing is the guru to contact to increase your web presence and achieve your website goals. Her services include Affordable Search Engine Optimization and In-house SEO Training Workshops. But one thing I find most valuable is her trainings and consistent blog posts about growing your business through social media and Search Engine Optimization.

From small businesses with sites containing as few as five pages, to corporate and ecommerce sites looking to enhance their brand, SEO services will enhance your website ranking with:

• analysis of usability and design
• targeted key word phrases
• content suggestions and copy editing
• web analytics, reports, and tracking

Do you think social media is just for kids? Think again. If you are petrified of social media like I was just a short while ago, Patti’s calm demeanor and expert hands-on training will put you at ease. Patti will fully explain the benefits of sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and more. If you want to blog, or learn another social media outlet, you can build credibility and show expertise in your field by learning how to post valuable content. Your business will grow and your website traffic will increase.

Be sure to visit CreativeMind Search Marketing online, follow Patti on Twitter for the latest info.

The beginning of a new calendar or fiscal year is a great time kickstart your marketing efforts. Be sure these items were completed in the first quarter.

1) Define your marketing focus and vision for your business.
2) Develop an marketing plan that incorporates strategies for advertising, marketing and public relations.
3) Define your target market.
4) Define your marketing objectives and strategies.
5) Develop a unique selling proposition, compelling message and valuable offer to your target market.
6) Develop a contact management system.
7) Implement a system to track your marketing efforts.
8) Use the power of referrals as part of your marketing efforts.
9) Seek advice from a marketing consultant and business coach.