Not Sure What to Do?

Business growth. Business growth through marketing is what we want to see as the final outcome for any and every client we work with. We want our clients to make money, succeed in their industry, and lead a fulfilled professional and personal life. This weeks blog is geared towards new entrepreneurs, or those thinking of stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. Though, existing business owners can also benefit from this blog too.

Everybody in business knows that in order to succeed, you simply MUST market your business. Everybody! It’s a simple fact. Sometimes it can be a pain in the ass, but it’s true. Your business will go nowhere without getting its message out to potential and existing customers. Every business must dedicate a certain percentage towards marketing. There are limitless ways to market your business and we’ll cover just a few here.   

When starting out, nobody knows who you are, what your business does, any of your rates, what you specialize in, or how your service or product can help. This is where we come in. Or…you can try to tackle these things on your own. In fact, we’d much rather see a new business owner attempting to market themselves on their own than do nothing at all. Hell, we give free advice to entrepreneurs that we know or newbies that we meet on a daily basis to better help their business, even if they don’t use us. It does not matter if your business is a small 1 person operation cutting grass or a 1000 employee manufacturing plant. Marketing your business is essential!

Here are some very simple and affordable ways to market your business. Some will get you great results, while others will be a waste of time and money so be sure to track how your customers found you.

*Networking-networking and building other professional relationships can be a fantastic way to reach more people. At 77, we network several times per week because it has provided us with solid referrals, advice from others in different fields (legal, accounting, insurance, etc.) and has built us strong long lasting relationships with other business owners. Do it!

*Signage-yard signs are very inexpensive and many in fields such as landscaping use yard signs often to get their message in front of people. Billboards can attract attention to passersby. Signage in general can direct people to your location or how to reach you.

*Direct Mail-direct mail gets you into peoples homes. It can vary on price and range but if done right, your offer on a direct mail piece can get that phone ringing or buzzing with emails.

*Business Cards-this goes without saying but we’ll mention it anyhow. You absolutely have to have business cards. If they are unique in design they will be less likely to get thrown away and may sit on a desk for a while. This can drive people to make that call to you eventually.

Other marketing tactics that may cost you a bit more but are more effective:

*Website-Every business should have one. A website isn’t just a marketing piece, it is the online face of your business. The site should look GREAT not just good and offer enough info that attract customers to your business. Too much info will make it look cluttered so keep it vague but informative. Great photographs or designs will make it stand out. Also, make it SEO friendly, which is an entirely different topic. 

* Paid Ads-Online paid ads help your web presence and direct potential customers to your website and any offers you have. They vary in price based on a wide range of variables. Some businesses we know use paid ads exclusively to attract customers.

* Social Media-Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, these are just a few social media outlets that can drive a huge portion of business your way. It has to be consistent posting and not just randomness unrelated to your brands’ personality or message. Posts can be informative, they can have call to action discounts, or just be plain humorous, depending on the persona you want for your business. Having a company manage your page(s) can be costly but rewarding if the pages and posts are done right. Every business should also have social media outlets in todays market.  

*Geofencing-Ever have specific ads pop up in your news feeds related to something you like or have shopped for? An example of this is if you purchased a pair of shoes online and then ads for similar products show up after that. Geofencing uses locations, and info recorded from the internet to then target specific people or customers. It may seem creepy, yes, but it is a heavily successful way of marketing.  

Regardless of the size, income, or industry of your business…you should be marketing! Every successful professional will tell you the same. Give us a call with any questions or to bounce marketing ideas off of. We’re here to help!

Analyze. Create. Achieve. 

 

 

    

A Day Off Goes A Long Way

We aren’t always about business marketing. Occasionally we get a day off to enjoy the finer things in life! On Saturday, we had a chance to take the ladies to a wine tour at Narcisi Winery in Gibsonia, PA. The tour was a late Christmas present to them. Although, we’ll admit, we were excited for it as well. The wines were fantastic, and the tour was very informative. If you enjoy great locally made wines we highly recommend.

This week we’ll just share a few images from our Saturday day off. A day off goes a long way.


Analyze. Create. Achieve.

Об азартном клубе Вавада Казино

Азартный клуб Вавада – одно из лучших новых названий в индустрии азартных игр!

Азартный портал Вавада — это, естественно, сокровища и богатства казино отрасли, которые ждут когда игрок зайдёт. Азартное учреждение поддерживается группой аналитиков в онлайн-казино и опытных игроков отрасли, в этой связи на этой площадке собрано лучшее с обеих сторон индустрии. Лицензии в Ваваде получены Кюрасао и UKGC, по правилам которых Vavada предлагает свои услуги, что также означает, что на портале приветствуются пользователи с разных стран мира.

Софт для интернет-казино Вавада

Азартный клуб Вавада казино работает на созданных продуктах основных игроков в сфере iGaming. К ним, между иным относятся:

– NetEnt,

– Microgaming,

– PlayTech,

– Amatic,

– IgroSoft.

Пользователям не стоит ничего скачивать, так как игровое заведение работает на платформе мгновенной игры. Это даёт возможность вам играть как на настольных компьютерах, так и на смартфонах, позволяя игрокам входить в систему и играть в свои любимые игры из отличного выбора практически в любом месте.

Азартное учреждение имеет игровые продукты многих крутых европейских провайдеров. Основатели игрового клуба собрали подборку видеослотов для самых разных игроков. Охват азартных развлечений обширен:

– обновлённые 3D-игры,

– прогрессивные игры,

– тематические слоты,

– игры с 3 и 5 барабанами,

– стандартные слоты.

Список настольных азартных аппаратов и других востребованных развлечений казино также весьма разнообразен, предлагая различные виды рулетки, блэкджека, буры, покера и похожих игр. Отметим, на стороне живого казино существует несколько столов, где вы можете играть в лучшие видеослоты от Evolution Gaming.

Лучший гемблинг онлайн доступен на сайте Вавада Казино

Маркетинговые сюрпризы онлайн-казино Вавада

Пользователи, которые подбирают акции, могут быть довольны тем, что может предложить Вавада. Его приветственный бонус похож с другими казино, то есть бонус на первые три депозита. Новые игроки также получат бесплатные вращения при регистрации. Со временем Вавада продолжит быть щедрым, так как игроки могут улучшать баланс своих счетов при помощи определённых предложений. Однако, прежде чем присоединиться к рекламным акциям, вам нужно ознакомиться с инструкциями, чтобы понять их аспекты, которые могут включать условия по утилизации и другие условия.

Игровое заведение принимает национальные валюты из определённых разных регионов. Клиенты могут активировать EUR, доллары США, шведские кроны, австралийские и канадские доллары. Пополнить счет легко, так как предлагается несколько определённых вариантов оплаты, таких как:

– Visa,

– MasterCard,

– Maestro,

– Jeton Wallet,

– NETELLER,

– Apple Pay,

– WebMoney,

– банковские переводы.

Все это безопасные варианты, в которых используются новейшие технологии шифрования, исходя из этого их есть шанс использовать без опасений.

Если из-за чего-то вам потребуется помощь службы поддержки, казино Вавада сформировало исчерпывающий блок часто задаваемых вопросов, в котором размещены ответы на самые известные вопросы. Если это не поможет, пользователи могут связаться с представителем службы поддержки, кликнув кнопку «Живой чат» или заполнив контактную форму. С казино предусмотрена возможность связаться в любое время каждый день, а администраторы приветливы, компетентны и смогут найти ответ на любой вопрос очень быстро.

Следовательно, любой, кто решит ставить в веб-казино Вавада попадает в захватывающее королевство азартных интриг, крутых раундов и премиальных бонусных начислений! Азартное учреждение имеет множество великолепным игр, безукоризненно запускается на ваших смартфонах и предоставляет возможность совершать платежи с помощью различных вариантов оплат. Веб-сайт в целом комфортен и прост в использовании, и вы сможете пользоваться VIP-привилегиями, где бы вы ни находились! Готовы ли вы осознать, что может предложить азартное заведение Вавада с точки зрения новых функций и веселья? Тогда быстрее создавайте аккаунт, и не забудьте забрать ваш бонусный пакет, который состоит из 3 блоков!

“Do Today What Others Won’t So I Can Accomplish What Others Can’t.”

Marketing sometimes requires going above and beyond to ensure your customers’ success.
Do today what others won’t so I can accomplish what others can’t.
I want to open this weeks blog with that statement. It’s a paraphrased quote by the NFL great Wide Receiver, Jerry Rice. Sounds like self help Mumbo jumbo…
Maybe it is…
Maybe we all need more of it, and just maybe we need to look at how we think.
Earlier this week I was at my daughters’ elementary school band concert trying to rein comfortable during a two hour elementary school band concert in a blue velour auditorium chair, with something reminding me of cine-a-muck sticking to the bottom of my shoes. Two notes in and three clarinet squeaks later my phone gives off its startling ANSWER ME NOW buzz buzz buzz in my pocket, and scores me a dirty look from Sally Sue’s mom next to me who is holding a single stem rose for her daughter’s broadway performance in the 4th grade band concert. I ignore the buzz, Sally Sue’s mom, and actually almost forget about the call until intermission. It’s almost 7pm on a Tuesday, so I’m not thinking customer call…
During intermission I remember to check my voicemail. The call was from a good client of ours explaining that they just were picked up by a large distributor and need to have two brand new products photographed, edited, and prepared for a 2019 catalog…with a deadline only two weeks away! While I’m excited about the call and them putting additional trust in us to market their products – Two weeks?!
My head: BUT WE’RE DAYS AWAY FROM CHRISTMAS AND WE HAVE A FULL PRODUCTION SCHEDULE THAT TAKES US CLEAR INTO 2019!
I immediately call Bobby who is at Kung-Fu with his son. I explain the voicemail and he responds back to me:
“WE’RE DAYS AWAY FROM CHRISTMAS AND WE HAVE A FULL SCHEDULE THAT TAKES US INTO 2019!”
We then put our heads together, figure out a game plan, and change some appointments on our schedules to accommodate our customer. We arrange for the shots to be done that coming Thursday, the only possible time and date we could make it work.
We communicate back to the client and explain that we’ll be there 9am on Thursday. I brought the coffee, lights, backdrop and Bobby brought the camera and talent. We got it done, and more importantly we got it done right.
We could’ve said, “I’m sorry. We have a full schedule.” Or, “Christmas is right around the corner” as we are both planning for some time off. Even another response could have been, “We don’t have the man power right now.” Or… we could’ve charged double.
We didn’t do any of those things. In fact, we charged the very lowest base for our time, which may have actually been the most inexpensive job we’ve ever done. We coordinated, reviewed priorities, changed plans, and got it done – with Christmas coming and all. Our customer now has the images they need for a catalog that could be a HUGE account win for them!
I realize that we didn’t do anything that special here, but we didn’t put ourselves first. Perhaps, especially this time of year, we can all do something that could help others. We are committed to helping our customers grow their business. So many marketing firms and other companies would have said “No.  our schedule is full.” Or “no, that’s additional and not part of our contract.” But that’s not part of our culture.
Our culture is to help others succeed. We want to see growth, prosperity, long term success, and relationships vs no’s and additional fees.
So the next time you’re faced with a what to do situation –  think of this:
Do today what others won’t so I can accomplish what others can’t.”
Ask yourself “what will I do today that others won’t” and then go one step more. It will bring you great satisfaction and a far greater reward than you could imagine. Merry Christmas!
Written by- Rob Hoffman.
Analyze. Create. Achieve.

 

77 Design Co-Out on the Town

As a small business marketing agency, sometimes we tend to spend way too much time behind the computer building logos, doing invoicing, helping to create brands, websites, editing photos, or doing other graphic design work. Anyone who’s an entrepreneur knows how much there is to do behind the scenes, and it’s not always glamorous stuff. Every now and again though, we do get out and about. This was one of those weeks.

We started this past week off by attending the SCORE Westmoreland County, PA Christmas luncheon at the Fred Rogers Center in Latrobe, PA. As new SCORE members ourselves, it was great to meet all of the local mentors, clients, and others affiliated with SCORE. For those that don’t know, SCORE is a national organization that helps to guide and assist current and prospective business owners towards success. If you’ve got an idea to start a business, this is one of the first organizations to get ahold of. The mentors selflessly volunteer their time, resources, and experiences to help improve, or get your business off the ground…at no charge! We love being a part of this organization and appreciated the invitation to the luncheon.

 

Next, we had the honor of instructing a local Catholic church’s staff with our own proprietary Social Media Training program. We sat with the Monsignor and his team for a few hours and taught them best practices, why, how, and when to make posts so that they can hopefully increase their parishes social media engagement. This was a great training and a few in the room were already pretty familiar with social media, so it made our training much more effective. Everyone in attendance asked great questions and had fantastic input throughout the training. We had a lot of fun explaining the benefits and practices of social media to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2019 is going to be a HUGE year for 77 Design Co as there are already many big projects on the books. We look forward to the challenges of helping local businesses and organizations prosper and grow!

 

Analyze. Create. Achieve.

4 Magnetic Way$ to Make More Money by Marketing in 2019

Entrepreneurs-It’s that time of the year again, and some business owners may be planning their marketing efforts for 2019. Top business owners know their goals, and more often than not one of those goals is to increase sales and reach more customers. If this isn’t in your plans, you potentially risk your business slowly fading into oblivion. Even if you are really busy, there should always be future plans for when the business decelerates because at some point…it will. Peter Drucker once said, “Business has only two functions-marketing and innovation.”

 

One of your best ways to reach new customers is by implementing an effective and solid marketing plan. This could be through 1 or 2 specific tactics or utilizing dozens of separate marketing and advertising outlets. Ultimately, it’s up to you (or your staff) to decide what works best with your budget and what produces the best results. We’ll add that these 4 plans are just the tip of the iceberg on what all you can do for your business when it comes to marketing. There are a host of other advertising and marketing actions you can take to get the most bang for your buck. Really, there’s almost limitless possibilities to what you can do for your business. The following are pretty popular though. Let’s take a look at some ways you can make more money by marketing your company better.

1- Social Media.

Yep, social media, deal with it! Whether you like it or not, social media is a huge marketable platform and it looks like it’s here to stay for the foreseeable future. The trick is to take advantage of it, separate yourself, and stay ahead of your competition by creating an attractive and wide social media presence. How do you do this? Consistency.

Consistently posting to one or more of your social media outlets will ensure that you are ever changing. You can keep customers and potential customers up to date with industry news, products or services you offer, and engage them with what you do. Show your audience what makes your business different by consistently posting great photos and videos, articles, blogs, or even creating humorous posts. There are a few outlets that you can direct your time, energy, or money to and that could be Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter. You will have to work a little to see which attracts the most interest best for your business. Inconsistency or substandard posting will actually hurt your presence.    

2- Website.

The company website should be constantly updated. Whether that is by adding images/videos, blogs, new content, offers, or just updating information about the business. It’s not really a marketing tool per say but it does give you that online presence that is almost certainly required in todays world of business. Google will drop the business listing for sites that sit stagnant and you always want to try and reach the pinnacle of page 1, if possible, so your business is more easily found. Besides, you owe it to your customers and the colleagues that you work with to keep your online presence fresh and professional looking. You don’t want that site looking and feeling like it’s from the 1990’s.

3- Direct Mail.

A direct mail campaign can be extremely beneficial to touching new customers and getting in front of past customers again. It can also be a horrid waste of money. It all depends on the look and feel of the mail piece, and the sale or call to action that is offered. Statistics show millennials actually enjoy direct mail when it is directly addressed to them. If this is a demographic you are trying to reach, you may want to set a budget aside and look into creating a fantastic mailer campaign that could seriously boost sales. Again, make sure the mailers are designed properly, have some eye-popping photographs, and present your offer in the best possible manner. Here’s a Forbes article by Steven Pulcinella from Forbes Communications Council and some stats from the United States Postal Service that discuss this.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/09/14/direct-marketing-is-thriving-in-millennial-mailboxes-heres-how-to-make-the-most-of-it/#2fc029286238

 

https://www.uspsdelivers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Still_Relevant-A_Look_At_How_Millennials_Respond_To_Direct_Mail.pdf

 

4- Strategy.

This is more of an all-encompassing plan. Where are you going to put your hard-earned monies? How much are you going to budget? What sources will you use (billboards, mailers, social media, hand out flyers, networking etc) when you coordinate your marketing efforts? How is every printed piece or digital version going to look overall? We highly suggest contacting a reputable marketing firm when planning such a process. If they are good they will be able to help brand you correctly and implement creative ideas when strategizing.

  

If you need any help planning for 2019, drop  77 Design Co a line. We’ll be happy to help with a free marketing analysis.

 

Analyze. Create. Achieve.