Marketing Idea - Kid’s Growth Chart For the Wall

I am always looking for new marketing ideas that my clients can use either as part of their direct mail program or as items of value that they give their clients. The longer the concept stays on the fridge or in the house the more effective the idea.

Having measured 6 kids growing up over the past 24 years I realized that a wall-mounted growth chart would be a practical and long-lasting marketing tool. The wall chart is simple to design, easy to mail and is one of those thoughtful gifts that people appreciate.

I would put the client’s contact information and a simple message across the bottom that ties into their business. An insurance agent might use the slogan “Growing With Your Family”. Another slogan might refer to the quality of service “Taking You to New Heights”, How do we measure up” etc.

If you do a search on Google you will find pages of results which is an indication that there is a big market for growth charts. Why not add them to your marketing mix?

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2008 Marketing Cheat Sheet

I find the time between Christmas and when the kids go back to school the best time for planning and to help you out I am going to give you a peek at the steps I am taking to make 2008 a great year for business.

Step 1
Write out my Plan for Business which some of you refer to as your Business Plan. I think Plan for Business is pro-active. This is where I write down the following:

• what my current work-in-progress is
• where all of my business originated from in 2007
• identify the most profitable business opportunities
• plan which clients to continue to work with
• identify new market segments to pursue
• develop my revenue and expense targets

Step 2
Review my systems and checklists from 2007 and make any changes that may be required. I am a bg believer in implementing systems and following checklists than trying to remember everything.

Step 3
Revise and Update my Sphere of Influence. This is the time to check addresses that might have resulted in returned Christmas mailings and enter all of the business cards and scraps of information that has accumulated over the year.

Step 4
Develop my marketing plan. Which products am I going to focus on. Update my pricing guidelines. Update my marketing collateral material. Develop seasonal programs and products I can offer.

Step 5
Get organized. If it isn’t nailed down then I am either going to file it, act on it or trash it.

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Digital Photo Print Sizes

I am sure millions of people received a new digital camera this past week and are busy snapping photos of everything that moves. I actually had to buy my own, but am thoroughly enjoying having a higher-end digital camera. As I prepare a lot of print ads and marketing material I was curious what size I could print with my new 7.2 megapixel camera. I did a little research in the internet and thought you might find this interesting.

Here is a handy chart for your own reference showing the number of megapixels and the size you can print.

Number of Megapixels	Acceptable Print Size (Inches)
2.0	4 x 6
3.0	5 x 7
4.0	8 x 10
5.0	9 x 12
6.0	11 x 14
8.0	12 x 16
10.0	16 x 20
12.0	18 x 24

Here’s how to read the megapixel print size table: if you have an 8 megapixel camera, any print that you make that is 12″ x 16″ or smaller will look fantastic.

If you have a 4 megapixel camera, you can make high-quality prints at 8″ x 10″ or smaller. Now, there is nothing stopping you from printing your 4 megapixel photos at 20″ x 30″. You could even print your photos billboard size if you wanted to. As you increase the print size more and more above the acceptable print size, the image deteriorates further and further.

A 4 megapixel photo printed at 4″ x 6″ will be perfectly clear. It will also be clear at 8″ x “10. But a 4 megapixel photo printed at 12″ x 18″ will show a loss of image quality. The same image printed at 40″ x 60″ will show considerable loss of image quality.

Digital Image Storage Table

A digital image’s file size is mostly determined by the digital image’s resolution and the digital image format. Other factors that can influence the file size, depending on the chosen digital image format, is the number of colour channels per pixel, compression level, the digital camera’s settings and the complexity of the scene being photographed. The last three factors are applying only when using the JPEG format. The most important rule to remember is that higher image resolution, more megapixel, leads to larger file size.

Determining an image’s file size in advance for the TIFF and RAW format is relatively easy. But doing that for a JPEG image is impossible. It is also impossible to have the some file size for all images since each image is unique when shooting in JPEG mode. Therefore in the table below we assume that all JPEG images have the same file size.

Image	File Size	Image
Resolution	MB	Format
Megapixel
	5.5	TIFF
2	2.7	RAW
	1.1	JPEG
	9.0	TIFF
3	4.5	RAW
	1.8	JPEG
	11.4	TIFF
4	5.7	RAW
	2.3	JPEG
	14.3	TIFF
5	7.2	RAW
	2.9	JPEG
	17.2	TIFF
6	8.6	RAW
	3.4	JPEG
	20	TIFF
7	10	RAW
	4	JPEG
	22.9	TIFF
8	11.4	RAW
	4.6	JPEG
	25.7	TIFF
9	12.9	RAW
	5.1	JPEG
	28.6	TIFF
10	14.3	RAW
	5.7	JPEG

How To Write A Thank You Card

In an earlier post entitled The Best Kept Marketing Secret I wrote about how important and effective Thank You cards are as a marketing tool. Not to mention that they are the decent thing to do.

Thanks to an article on a website called The Morning News I can now relate the specific anatomy of a Thank You card. The article goes into much more detail, but here are the basic elements of a Thank You letter.

1. Greet the Giver
Dear (insert name here),

2. Express Your Gratitude
Thank you so much for the (insert item or object here).

3. Discuss Use or Benefit
Say something nice about the item and how you will use it.
I really enjoy _________ and think __________ it is perfect for _______________.
or
Having ________ will make _______ much easier.

4. Mention the Past, Allude to the Future
It was great to work with you this past year and I hope to see you at ______________ in _________.

5. Grace
Thanks again for your gift.

6. Wrap it up simply.
Love, sincerely, regards etc

This isn’t the time to brag about your new job, a hot girlfriend, or number of surgeries. The thank-you is exclusively about thanking somebody for their kindness.

There you have it. Six simple steps.  So go out and buy some Thank You cards.  Put stamps on the envelopes right away and keep them in your car, briefcase and desk so you can whip one out and send it while the feelings are still strong.

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Do You Know Where Your Business Plan Is?

I belong to a networking group that exchanges ideas and know-how at breakfast meetings every two weeks. Our mandate is to learn something new at each meeting and this is as important as referring business. Two of the last three meetings have involved business planning and when asked if we have a business plan I automatically said I had one because that is what people expected to hear. But the truth is I don’t have a business plan. There, I said it and my head did not explode.

The truth is I don’t think having a business plan is as important for a “fee for service” company as having a marketing plan. So while I may not have a formal business plan written out, as a marketing guy I do have a Marketing Plan that I update every year as I think the marketing of my services is the only thing I can really control.

In updating this year’s marketing plan I am focusing on the following questions?

1. How can using my services to benefit my clients; do I save them time, relieve them of pain, increase their revenue, improve their customer service or simply put money in their bank account?
2. What experience can I draw on from the past that applies to the market conditions in 2008?
3. How can I ensure I can deliver solutions in a timely manner?
4. What systems can I put in place to ensure that I am exceeding my clients’ expectations?
5. How will I communicate with them to ensure they are receiving what they are anticipating?
6. What can I do to create raving fans that are eager to refer new business to me?
7. How do I ensure my clients are getting value for their money rather than focusing on the fees?

Do professional service firms need a business plan?

Not in the way that a manufacturer or distributor would as the number of options for planning growth for a consulting firm are far less than for most businesses. The key things that people who sell their time plan for are:

1. Where they will offer their services
2. What market segments will they serve
3. What services they will offer
4. What will they charge for their services
5. What are the staffing requirements

When it comes to financial planning the calculation is pretty simple; x number of people billing at x dollars per hour for x number of hours.

So what should professional service firms consider in their marketing planning?

1. Evaluate the industries you specialize in and determine what effect the current market conditions are having on their business. What additional services can you then offer that will help them weather their specific storms?
2. Re-evaluate your fee structure to ensure you are maximizing your margins.
3. Ensure that every person in your organization understands the mandate and values of the company.
4. Consider new ways to deliver the same services.
5. Look for new market segments that you can market too.

The bottom line is that in the absence of a plan of any sort you will not know how you got to where you are and how to sustain it the next year.

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New Web Communication Tool

I ran across an interesting concept called Click Phone. The basic premise is that if you have someone on your website or reading your email you want to make it as easy as possible for them to reach you.

Click Phone is a Push to Talk Web Call Back service ( sometimes called, Click to Call, Click to Talk, Push to Call) that allows your online visitors to instantly connect to your cell phone from your website or email. In the case of a Realtor it will even work from their MLS.

It requires no fancy software downloads, speakers or microphones to use. All that is required is an open phone line from your prospect to receive the call. Most importantly, it’s a toll free call for your prospect and will even capture their phone number for later follow up.

The company provides a free demo which you can try by clicking here.

I plan to incorporate this feature on our email stationery website inboxFX Communications as interested prospects are already completing a brief contact form so why not make it easier for them to Click to Call.

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Your Marketing Manifesto

As the year winds down everyone seems to be reviewing business plans and writing their 2008 marketing plans. Well maybe not everyone, but they should be. As I started to review my business I was reviewing some old documents and came across an article about Marketing Manifestos. They must be important as there are pages of result on a Google search.

As I re-read what it really is I thought it would be a good idea to recommend that you take the time in the next few weeks to work on your Marketing Manifesto.

Now it is hard to write a Marketing Manifesto unless you know what a Manifesto is.

Manifesto as defined by Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: 1man·i·fes·to
Pronunciation: \,ma-nə-’fes-(,tō\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural man·i·fes·tos or man·i·fes·toes
Etymology: Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus
Date: 1620
: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

And there is no entry in a Thesaurus for the word “Manifesto” if we were to call it by something else we would have to make something up. How about “Marketing

So what exactly is a Marketing Manifesto?
A marketing manifesto is a document that will galvanize and unite your employees. It will tell them where they’re going and help focus their energies.

If your message isn’t absolutely clear, then your employees can’t possibly communicate it to your customers. Any miscommunication between them and your customers can undermine the business.

“everything communicates” -

1. Radio, print, and television ads
2. The way you package your product
3. Your promotional materials
4. The way you treat your employees
5. The way they treat your customers
6. The articles written about you
7. The events you sponsor
8. Even the way you handle unexpected business successes and failures.

It all influences the way people view your company and your products, and it all influences whether or not anyone will buy what you’re selling.

A Marketing Manifesto addresses “What you do isn’t who you are”

To start creating your own marketing manifesto, you need to know, as quickly as possible, where you are and how you got there. To know this, you and everyone around you needs to understand that there’s a big difference between what your company is and what it does.

The best example I can give is a coffee shop. While many of us feel the need for caffeine each day, a latte is much more than just a quick fix. It is a social experience. So a coffee shop is not just a brewer of coffee. It is part of a daily experience of the customer.

But although we buy a new one each day, a coffee shop has to consider the bigger picture. If you buy a latte a day for 250 days a year from the same place your business is worth about $ 750 to that business. Not just $ 3 for that days drink. Is that coffee shop treating you like a $ 750 a year customer or a $ 3 customer. If the drink is cold do they instantly dump it out and replace it with a new one at no charge?

While the owner may know the difference, does the staff?

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How to Make Your Business Card Stand Out

A business card is one of the most effective marketing tools you have so creating a great one should be a priority. Just because your card worked 10 years ago, doesn’t mean it still works. Read on.

Many years ago I owned a small computer business and found myself wearing many different hats. One day I would be making a presentation to a room full of lawyers and the next day I would be crawling under desks installing network cable. I thought I would poke fun at myself and had the title “Big Kahuna” printed on my business cards. Every person who read my title laughed and commented on the title and I am sure most of them kept it nearby to show other people. Over time many customers referred to me as the Big Kahuna and 14 years later I was greeted on the street by an old customer by that name. While the card was not unique, the title was.

So what are the key things to remember when creating a business card?

• Include all your contact information: name, company, company’s logo, address, e-mail, phone numbers and Web page.
  • Name - If your last name is hard to pronounce, consider putting the phonetic spelling in parentheses so that people won’t hesitate to call you for fear of embarrassing themselves.
  • Email - Keep your email address professional.
  • Phone numbers - Unless you feel it is absolutely necessary a stack of phone numbers is the number one mistake people make on their business cards. Instead of saying “Look how easy I am to reach,” those crowded cards say, “Look how hard you’ll have to work to find me.” Usually a cell number and fax number will suffice.
  • Web page - Depending on the card layout and website name I don’t think you need to put www before your website url any more, but that is my personal opinion. There are exceptions, but leaving the www of the name can enhance the look of your card. Besides you don’t even have to type the www in anymore.
• Always put your slogan, tag line or unique selling proposition on your business card, but try to keep it to 7 words or less.
• If people will be coming to your business and it is hard to find put a landmark or cross streets in parentheses to make it easier to find. i.e. 1234 Main Street (behind the Home Depot)
• Use both sides of the business card. Think of the front of the card as a billboard that people are driving by and only put the most important information on the front. Use the back for the address, professionaldesignations and other non-brand information.
• Put something of value on the back of the card; feint lines so they are encouraged to write, conversion table, calendar or anything else that will make your card a reference tool.

One of the most amazing collection of business card designs can be found at this flickr website. While all of the cards copyrights are held by the designer it is a great place for ideas.

What not to do on a business card.

• DO NOT USE ALL CAPS AS THEY ARE HARD TO READ
• Do not cross out information and write in correct information. Get new business cards instead when information changes.
• Avoid fancy type faces that cannot be read.
• Choose the right size type face for all readers. If your customers are in their 40’s and above many of them will have to pull out reading glasses to read small print so make sure your name and phone number stand out.

Here is my business card.

As background to the design I work from a home office so the address was not necessary and I introduce myself as Mike the Marketing Guy. My slogan is “Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but implementation is priceless” so the half full glass is an important visual.

As an aside I would estimate that 80% of people when they see my card comment on whether the glass is half full or half empty so I know it is working. I also have my cards printed in Korea as the price and quality are unmatched. My cards have a smooth, silk finish that people like to feel and they are virtually indestructible because of the lamination. But they can still be written on with any pen.

I use the back of the card to expound on marketing, feature my slogan and have a few lines so people can jot information down.

If you are re-thinking your business card or just starting out I offer a service called 3-2-1 Business Card. You receive three concepts, combine the ideas and narrow them down to one, we make the final changes and presto; you have a business card. Generally the design fee is $75 to $150 and the price for 1,000 business cards with color on both sides, in a silk or crystal finish delivered to your door in a week is $ 195.00.

Click here to see Sample Business Card Designs. If you are interested please call Mike Blaney at 800-568-8338 for a new business card.

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