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Julie Kaye
President
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Printing from MS Word or Publisher
Most of my customers who use Word or Publisher to prepare files for offset printing aren't familiar with how to properly set up files for a printer. Although you can create documents that print well from your office printer, there are specifics to know when planning a job that will be sent to a commercial printer. You have to understand bleed, trim, image resolution, RGB versus CMYK, page layout and more. A common mistake is that you can spend hours designing a beautiful ad that simply cannot translate into a printed item.
Professional design programs, such as InDesign or Quark, were developed to allow the designer to create files for printing, even down to preparing the file for sheetfed, web and the kind of stock (uncoated stock will absorb more ink). Make sure that the designer you are working with is preparing files according to the printer's specifications. Many printers want documents laid out a certain way so it's always a good idea to get specifics from the printer before completing the design.
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In Our Next Issue |  | |
Look for these topics in the next issue:
Meet the Team at
Kaye Marketing
More on Social Networking
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Email Marketing Survey Results |
AWeber Communications surveyed more than 2,500 small businesses about email marketing and social media. They shared some interesting results.Some highlights from the survey...
Email marketing continues to bring significant value to businesses with more than 82% of respondents planning to increase their email marketing efforts over the next year. Almost 70% of small business marketers are employing some sort of social media tactics and a majority (77%) indicate that integrating email marketing and social media is either "very important" or "moderately important." The most popular tactics at the moment involve spreading content on additional mediums such as sharing email newsletters on Twitter (36%) and delivering blog posts via email (35%).54% of respondents indicate they intend to use Facebook as a tool to help build their email lists.Nearly 20% of respondents indicate that integrating email marketing and social media increased customer loyalty.Almost 12 times as many respondents said that email marketing ROI is more easily measures that social media ROI (61% versus 5%).
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Welcome!
Experience makes everything clearer: I now know what my clients need and I have positioned my business to meet those needs.
I have created affordable small business marketing packages that enable clients to grow their business. These packages, which include website updates, Constant Contact newsletters or email blasts, and Facebook postings, put companies in front of their clients on a regular basis, to keep them "top of mind" with past clients and potential customers. I also offer expanded packages which can include fliers, brochures, print advertising and more.
In this newsletter, I give you tips that will improve your print ad marketing design, and I share information about printing from Word or Publisher software to ensure that your designs are ready to be sent to the printer. I also tell you how to create your email marketing list, and give tips for promoting your Facebook page. The social media option is hot right now, and its power cannot be denied: there is truly no other format that gets your business in front of your clients for so little expense.
Whether you need just a little help joining the social media marketing world, or you need a complete overhaul of your marketing strategy, we are here to help.
Kaye Marketing Communications is a full service marketing communications agency for the small business or non-profit organization. Our services range from concept and copy through design and production for marketing, ads, brochures, email marketing, social media marketing, and public relations. We are focused on helping clients grow their businesses.
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The Details of Design:
Little Changes Make a Big Impact
Many small businesses handle their own marketing, using  simple design software. To make your ads stand out, remember these simple rules: Less is More, Professional is Important, and Balance Can be Boring.
When I say Less is More, I mean that is it better to create an ad that says little but is striking in what it does say. You have but a moment to grab someone's attention as your potential customer flips through a magazine or newspaper. If your ad is too wordy, it will get skipped over. Instead of paragraphs, use short bullets or a few sentences that are the core of your message. Today's connected clients want information on the web, so be sure that your web site address is prominently displayed and that your site is up-to-date and informative.
Next rule, Professional is Important. A clean design, clear photos (remember my talk about photo resolution in my last newsletter?) and a clear, consistent message about your company and services are the best tact. Don't be afraid of what designers call "white space" - an ad that is too crowded with text and photos is unpleasing to the eye and will not catch the reader's attention. Also, be careful of using too many different fonts. Fonts can be fun, but should be consistent with each other to be appealing. Especially in smaller ads, consider using the same font throughout but alter the size of the text to emphasize main points.
Finally, remember that Balance Can be Boring. Create an attractive design by using one large photo of your main idea, then use smaller photos to back it up. Try turning some photos at an angle to add interest.
Try these tips for your next ad to improve your company's image and grab your customers' attention.
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Developing Your Email Marketing List
There are many fun ways to develop or expand your email marketing list. One things is clear: creating some level of email marketing is the least expensive way to get your business in front of your existing clients, and to attract new clients. So get started using one of these tips:
If your business is in an office that sees clients:
Put out a seasonal jar or bowl to collect business cards or email addresses. Make it stand out and attract attention: for Autumn, use a double dish - one side holds Halloween Candy; one side is a drop for email address cards. Have a small pile of paper and a pen ready for people to share their email addresses.
If your business is one in which you visit customers at their office or home:
Add a section to your estimate sheets or create a small card and ask clients to share their email address with you.
In either of these methods, hold a contest giving away a monthly gift certificate to a popular lunch spot, or a free service from your business, in order to entice people to share their email address with you.
Get creative to collect email contact information and you will quickly grow your list.
Once you have the list, use it wisely. Send only news and offers related to your business. Send occasional sale offers, such as a 10% off coupon, and encourage your clients to share your emails with their friends.
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Year End: Time to Create a 2011 Marketing Strategy and Budget
 Watch the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves. This is an old saying that truly applies to the way in which you should think about your marketing spending. Many business owners react to what appear to be good marketing offers, rather than creating a solid marketing plan for the year, and sticking to that plan. If there is one main point I can share with you, it is that you should research your marketing options in late fall, set a marketing budget for the year, decide where and how often you will market within that budget, and stick to that plan for the full year.There are two parts to executing this strategy:Call the the magazines and newspapers in which you would like to see your ads and ask for: - the 2011 rate card (the rates they charge for ad space), and
- the editorial calendar, the calendar of their special issues that could highlight your business well
(Back to School, Home & Garden, etc).
Once you have gathered these rates and issues, you can decide where you want to spend your advertising dollars and plan ahead for ads to be ready for these deadlines.My experience shows that repeat exposure in a few targeted publications and a consistent advertising layout reaps a greater benefit than placing one ad in every publication available. For example, if most of your clients are from one or two towns, focus on the most widely read publications in which to advertise and use a consistent ad to establish a presence to those clients. |
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2010 continues to be a challenging year for small and large businesses alike, but by thinking clearly about your marketing budget, you can make the most of your dollars.
Sincerely,
Julie Kaye
Kaye Marketing Communications
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