Marketing Brochures are One of the Most Versatile Tools You Can Use

Versatility
Marketing brochures are among the most versatile tools you can use to inform customers of your products or services. Retail stores and offices that experience a lot of customer traffic often have brochures with product information at the front of the store or in the waiting room. Banks, for instance, create brochures on each category of financial product for customers to review as they wait in the lobby. Marketers also take brochures to trade shows and presentations to hand out to potential customers or business associates.

Marketing Kits
Brochures work well in combination with a media kit or promotional giveaway. Media kits are packets of company or product information sent to news media for use in developing reviews or feature stories on the business. The brochure gives a good overview of the company. You can also include brochures in giveaway packages, such as with a bag and T-shirt handed out at a trade show. Combining the brochure with tangible items of interest to the recipient may attract more attention to it.

Information
Brochures offer much more room for company and product information than other print items, such as a newspaper or magazine ad or direct mail letter or postcard. Even a simple trifold design allows for a colorful front page and five separate sections for product and service information. You can tell a story in a brochure over the course of the layout and end it with a call to action. Coupons with special deals and discounts are also commonly included, which may prompt immediate business.

Costs
The relatively low cost of producing brochures compared with other marketing options adds to their value for small businesses. A single brochure may cost as little as $1 to $3 to produce, depending on the design, color content and finish quality. And the more brochures you order, the less expensive each one is.

Come in today to discuss how we can get your business marketed through print services.

www.bouncemarketing.org | 386-734-9600

Business Cards Show that You Are a Professional!

1.  Business cards give people the ability to follow up

When you meet someone and develop that instant rapport you want to give them a chance to follow up with you instantly without having to reach for a pen or their phone.

If left with no other choice do not hesitate to hand over your phone to the other person and have him type in his contact details and vice versa.

Another option is to use phone apps that allow the gadgets to exchange contact information.

Although these options are available to many there will always be instances where you meet someone who may not have all of these technological things on them or isn’t comfortable using them.

This is why nothing can still replace the business card in encouraging people to follow up with you.

2.  Business cards show that you are a professional

The littlest things we do send out the biggest messages.

Something as simple as a business card is indicative that you took the time to actually put your information in a card. This immediately separates you from 99% of the other men out there who may be students like you or are out there seeking a job like yourself.

3.  Having a business card keeps one focused on the goal

In situations where one is trying to look for work it is not unusual to participate in a few networking events.

If you decide to go to events like these with a certain number of business cards on your person then you can immediately create a goal for yourself.

An example of a goal would be to make to distribute the 50 business cards that you brought along to the event. You can also create secondary goals such as collect at least 20 of others’ business cards or have at least 15 to 20 people express interest in following up with you.

If you decide to approach networking events in this manner then your business cards can serve as a reminder and keep you focused on the goal -which is to follow up with people regarding possible opportunities.

4.  Business cards can help make you referable

Business Card ExchangeA good business card will not only contain one’s name and contact details. It should also mention what that person’s skills are.

Having this extra detail can make all the difference because although the person that you initially give your business card may not know what to do with you and your skills, he may know someone in his network that has in need of someone like you.

It is good to remember that random encounters with different people happen all the time. And when they do, you always want to be prepared to take advantage of these meetings and the opportunities that could arise from them.

To me there is no such thing as luck.

Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

In saying that make sure that you always have your business cards with you so when opportunity comes you are already prepared and you too may get “lucky” and find success.

www.bouncemarketing.org | 386-734-9600

Print is an Effective Tool for Delivering Your Message to Your Audiences

As technology continues to develop—and change the way we do business—many have considered print a dead medium and online marketing the wave of the future. Nevertheless, the print industry is far from dead; in fact, print marketing has only continued to grow and evolve alongside the upsurge of new technology.

Direct mail continues to be used heavily, with a 43% share of total local retail advertising. And, according to a Pitney Bowes survey, 76% of small businesses say their ideal marketing strategy encompasses a combination of both print and digital communication.

There are many reasons why print is (and will remain) an effective tool for delivering your message to your audiences.

Variable Printing

Although variable printing is by no means a new process, consumers have been using it with more frequency as advancements in printing technology have lowered the cost. Variable printing allows you to uniquely customize each piece of media by changing certain elements from piece to piece, taking advantage of the power of complex personalization.

Social networking has become an integral part of the way entrepreneurs reach their customers, but the idea of networking has been around much longer than Facebook and Twitter. After all, what's a business card if not a social medium? When you hand a potential customer or business relation a business card, you're making a social connection with that person and giving them the means to do the same with you.

Social media can also be fully integrated with any print marketing strategy or campaign. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a business card from a serious entrepreneur without his or her Facebook address, Twitter address, or other social networking URL printed on it. (Slightly over half of respondents to a Nielsen survey said they used a social media advertising campaign in conjunction with print media.)

You still need to develop an effective print strategy that will put your brand in the spotlight and excite your audience. If you use the same, boring print materials as everyone else, you will have a hard time making your mark.

Get creative, put some real thought and effort into your print marketing collateral, and make use of all the tools and technologies available to you.

www.bouncemarketing.org | 386-734-9600

Bounce Marketing shares when to say 'no'

We are all busy.  Actually busy has become the new status symbol and that isn’t just at work.  We spend our time prioritizing – sorting out the urgent, important and the things that can be left for later.

As a business owner or manager, it would be wonderful if you could dedicate the time needed to all staff; however, this is often not the case.  It is necessary to prioritize competing demands.  It is important that you don’t get caught up and engrossed in the trivial just because it seems urgent at the time from the person making the demand be it a staff member or a customer.

There is an empowering word in our language that is not used enough and that is the word “no”.

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 Whether you are a manager or a parent, using the word ‘no’ allows you to:

• Set boundaries
• Have more control
• Improve your time management
• Have some free time
• Less stress and pressure
• Increased energy
• More clarity around what is important

When you can’t say no, you may feel:

• Overworked
• Stressed
• Not in control
• Resentful

There is an art to saying ‘no’ and not actually saying ‘no’.  Some examples include:

• Can I get back to you later today?
• I can’t see you now, how about 2 pm in your office?
• I wish I could help you but …
• I wish I could do that but …
• I know someone who would do a great job with that …

When as a business owner or manager you are using your time wisely, that means you can be focused on what you are meant to be focused on, which is usually building the business and achieving goals and objectives.

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BounceMarketing.org talks about Mentoring and Coaching!!

Coaching and mentoring are two forms of training that provide employees with:

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Attitudes

This enables employees to perform their job to the best of their abilities.  The aim is to develop people for future jobs within the organisation.  Training was known as a long-term investment in human capital; however, in today’s work environment, continuous learning is imperative.

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Training has the following benefits:

• Improves quality
• Boots productivity
• Helps the organisation to be competitive
• Strengthens employee commitment
• Responds to customer needs
• Assisting in meeting individual and organisational goals

Training and mentoring are indispensable in your organisation; this can include:

• Informal
• On-the-job training
• Classroom training
• Electronic training
• Experiential training
• Mentoring
• Coaching

Needs Analysis

The first step in the process is to identify any training gaps or areas for improvement either for the individual or the organisation as a whole.

Once you have identified the training needs, it is about finding the training that suits the individual.

Just keep in mind, the more you invest in your staff and their training, the more they will reward you with improved work practices and generally getting more done in less time.  This, in turn, will impact on your bottom line.  That is one reason why it is well worth investing in training, coaching and mentoring.

Learn More about this subject at BounceMarketing.org

SEO Tipswhen it comes to Keywords!

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques related to keywords, and how they can help your business get found online.

Keywords are words and phrases people type into the search engine (i.e. Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.), to find what they’re looking for. This is the verbiage that drives the web; triggering advertising and marketing initiatives. Effective use of keywords means inserting them into appropriate website content, which search engines use to “find” content online and index it according to specific search terms.

This process works exactly the way traditional book indexing does, in that the system identifies the location of words of interest and enables users searching for the words to know where to go to find them. The only difference is that the medium is digital instead of print, and the words are accessed by clicking “search,” as opposed to looking them up in an alphabetical list

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Researching Keywords 

All this only works if the keywords used in your content are the right ones. There’s no point, for example, in using keywords relating to your brand, unless people are likely to use your brand name to search. For example, if users search for “facial tissues” and your keyword is “Kleenex,” they aren’t going to find you, so you need to know which specific terms they are using when they search. “Tissues,” “facial tissues” and even“soft facial tissues” might do it, but if what they are really searching for is “extra thick soft facial tissues,” some research using Google’s keyword tool will demonstrate this fact. 

Long-Tail Keywords

The more specific the keywords are that you use, the fewer the results will be and the better your chances of appearing in them. So, while millions of people search for “tissues,” only a small percentage may be looking for your product. However, if you sell only extra thick soft facial tissues in pink, you want to use keywords that say just that. This is called a long-tail keyword, and it’s far more targeted and specific, so only users who type in the full phrase will arrive at your search result. However, given that those who do are more likely to buy your product than, say – someone searching for green tissues, it’s a worthwhile effort to make. 

Keyword Density

Gone are the days when you could publish content jam-packed with keywords. At one time, a keyword density of 7 % was considered optimal. That means using the keyword seven times in every 100 words, and it was called keyword stuffing at one time.

Now, that might be doable if you’re using a generic term like “marketing,” but for a long-tail keyword like “extra thick pink facial tissues,” it’s a little more difficult.

When Google realized that too many websites contained text that read like gibberish, just for the sake of getting keywords in the text, and/or used a higher density than 2% or 3%, their Panda and Penguin algorithm updates of 2011 and 2012 penalized those sites. Now sites are also checked for quality grammar and spelling, as well as duplicate content. Today, keyword density is down to between 0.5% and 1.5% tops! 

Keyword Ranking

This is the effective use of keywords everyone wants to achieve – high keyword ranking on their main keywords. “High” ranking means your website is ranked in the top 100 sites for use of a specific keyword. After 100, they stop counting. The level of difficulty of the keyword, as determined by its competitiveness, also has bearing on this, because it helps to balance the equation. For example, the lower the number of searches on a keyword, the less competitive it is, and the more likely you are to be in the top 10 or 100 with that keyword. So it might be easy to rank highly for “extra thick soft pink facial tissues” because nobody else is using it, than it is for simply “tissues,” which might have 100,000 monthly searches, but is also being used on countless unrelated websites.

Understanding the effective use of keywords is a critical “get found” online marketing strategy. Using it to your advantage can be a difference maker in your online marketing success.

Are you ready to schedule an appointment for: web. print. training. IT or to learn more about one of our community improvement programs?  Call us at 386-734-9600 or visit at bouncemarketing.org.

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Are you in the right career or not?

All the professional development programs, time management techniques and goal setting won’t assist and support you if you are not engaged at work.

Ask yourself, “Am I in the right job?”

• Do I look forward to work?
• Can I attach personal importance to the work I do?
• Can I see myself in this profession in the medium to long term?
• Is this job a short-term step to a greater long-term plan?
• Are you making a good living wage?

There are many stories of people who have worked in a particular industry or location for a long time and eventually realize that it’s no longer for them. Bounce!., can help you!

Signs that you could watch out for which can let you know that you might be disengaged at work:

• Frequent colds
• Headaches
• Forgetfulness
• Tiredness
• Poor sleep
• Loss of sense of humor
• Bad tempered with family, work colleagues and friends
• Drinking
• Job Hunting online or in the newspaper

Of course there are a lot more signs but these are just a few.

If you are disengaging at work, ask yourself why are you there?  Some people find themselves in a particular profession because:

• Your parents wanted you to
• Your partner wanted you to
• You made a mistake
• You had financial pressures and this was an option at that time
• The work was attractive but it has now changed
• You thought you could grow in the job
• It was the easy option
• It was the first option

You may have disengaged from work not because of the actual job; it may be because of the environment.  We spend a lot of time at work and the environment is important.

It is time you started to ask yourself some questions.  We spend a lot of time at work, so it is important to be engaged and enjoy what you do.

• Think about what aspects of your work you enjoy.
• Think about what aspects of your work you don’t enjoy.
• What could you do differently at your current workplace?
• Are you still at the same workplace because of the pay?
• Are you at the same workplace because of the benefits – sick leave, long service leave, easy job?
• Do you see yourself in this industry for many years or not?

When you have taken time to evaluate and answer these and other questions honestly, then you can either make some changes to your current work position and profession or change?  It’s always your choice!

Bounce Marketing Institute is available with training courses to help you!

Visit us at bouncemarketing.org