When talking to business owners hesitant to implement social media in their marketing plan, I often get “fear” as their main reason. It’s not the fear of learning how it works or the effort required to maintain it (that’s what we’re here for) but it’s the fear of exposure.

The fear of exposure that comes from the realization that a social media message becomes available to the competition. Once we establish that trade secrets are not appropriate topics to divulge on social media sites, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Your competitors are on social media sites and so should you.

No successful company has ever held back placing an outdoor ad on a busy street, fearing that it could be seen by their most fierce competitor. Even the most targeted traditional media can still fall in the “wrong hands.”

Another common fear is that social media does not offer a targeted approach. The misconception is that the message might as well be thrown at the wind and there is no way to know who gets a hold of it.

Social media can actually be a very targeted and controlled marketing tool. There are ways to reach out to very specific audiences and limit exposure to non-relevant ones. The truth is that the benefits of implementing social media far out weights the risks. So it’s time to overcome that fear or you may as well be afraid of change – and that has never been good for business.

Tags: marketing | Social Media | Facebook | Fan Pages | Michela | Linkedin

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USB inserts are completely customizable for integration in your print marketing campaigns. Add a detachable USB insert to your ad inserts, mailers, brochures and trade show hand-outs and drive readers to your website and online promotions where they can continue to learn, experience and buy. Explore different shapes and graphics that reflect your brand, new product launch or message for your very own print to web marketing tool. Read more.

Tags: Promotional Items | print | trade shows | Michela | New Technology | Branding | marketing | website

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Do you want to bring your logo to life? Or have your product walk around and greet your customers? Give your brand and brand values a real-life character with high visibility and instant recognition. Mascots are a great way to make a lasting impression and increase sales at trade shows, special events and corporate parties. Consider your audience and product values and the impact of a standard, inflatable or animatronics talking mascots as part of your marketing strategy. Check out these great mascot examples, from concept to creation.

Tags: Michela | trade shows | Branding | marketing | logo

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Many small business owners cite a lack of budget to justify their hesitance to have their logo or sales materials professionally designed. Unfortunately, opting to save in this area often means losing out on potential sales due to unprofessional-looking (or plain ugly) design. If you're a small business owner, consider this:

Your clients are humans. Humans are attracted to attractive things. Clipart is not attractive. Any questions?

If you want to attract clients, if you want your company to look legitimate and profitable and trustworthy, you need professionally designed branding (that's your logo, tagline, stationery, etc.) and well-planned marketing materials (that's your website, brochures, flyers, eblasts and ads). Without them, you risk saving the initial investment, only to lose the business.

Of course, good design and effective marketing doesn't come free, and often not cheap. But when compared to the cost of losing sales to the competition who has a better logo and stiffer business cards, the idea of "cost" needs to be re-evaluated.

Some considerations:

• An amateurish logo and wimpy business cards can make your business look unprofessional or unsuccessful. It may not be true, but that's the perception, and it's perception that wins over truth.
• This unprofessional perception spawns even uglier perceptions among potential clients, namely that you don't care about the way your business presents itself and therefore you might not care about the quality of your work. Again, not true, but perceptions matter.
• If your materials don't look cohesive, like they are part of a thought-out plan to represent your company from all angles, it creates confusion for the end user who can't reconcile disparate logos, layouts or campaigns.

So, while ignoring your marketing materials to save cash may seem like a good idea, it could result in your business never getting off the ground. In fact, about 50% of all businesses fail within their first few years and one of the most commonly cited reasons for failure is sloppy or ineffective marketing.

If we still haven't convinced you to consider having your logo and materials professionally designed, can we at least convince you to stop it with the Clipart already?

Tags: Trina | design | marketing | logo | small business

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