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| We've Reached 19! | |
Quinter Design recently celebrated its 19th anniversary in our uniquely distinctive way! Lots of enjoyable years of design, publicity and large-format printing work have given Robyn and John the experience and expertise to enhance your company's profile.
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January Vanished
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January 2012 will be known as "The Lost Month" for us. A very nasty virus took up residence with both of us and did not move out for weeks. Add some family issues to the mix, and we were out of the loop. Our sincere apologies to clients, friends and colleagues whose projects were delayed and whose emails and requests fell through the cracks. Thankfully, we're just about back to full speed and are catching up.
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Sign Up
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Are you reading On Target because it was forwarded to you by a thoughtful colleague? Sign up for your own copy today! You'll find back issues of On Target, filled with marketing tips and insights, in our website's E-newsletter archives. http://www.quinterdesign.com
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Clients of the Week
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Recent shout-outs went to several Quinter Design clients on our company Facebook page: Chesapeake Public Strategies, Sandy Spring Friends School, BNI Maryland, DC Divas and Campbell's Cleaning Service.
"Like" Quinter Design's company page on Facebook to see who's our next Client of the Week and to keep tabs on our latest news and sparkling commentary.
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Author, Author!
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Quinter Design is honored to be asked to participate in the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce's collection of Best Business Tips and Practices, a book to be published later this year. We'll be contributing advice on "Building Brand Awareness."
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Cheers and Congratulations
|  Robyn was recently re-elected President of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health. MCF serves as the statewide family voice for children's behavioral health and is involved in federal, state and local programs. Robyn is shown here with MD First Lady Katie O'Malley at the kick-off to the 2011 Children's Mental Health Awareness Week.
Happy birthday wishes to our design assistant, Lisa Allenza, who this year actually gets to celebrate her Feb. 29 birthday! |
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"I Just Want to Testify
What Your Love Can Do for Me!"
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We all enjoy when someone gives a little love to our professional efforts. It's nice to be complimented for a job well done. Don't let those warm fuzzies fade, testimonials are assets to your marketing.
Strong, sharply honed comments about your work help your reader/visitor/potential client understand the scope of your offerings. They inject energy and enthusiasm into your brochure, website, ad and other collateral. Here are tips for making testimonials work for you.
Vary the focus of the testimonials. Several comments of "Quinter Design did a great job" or "We're so pleased by the great work completed by Robyn and John" dilute the value of the message. General testimonials have more limited use in projects that reach readers once or twice, such as ads, mailers or home pages, such as this example.
Avoid vague, generic statements and narrow each testimonial's focus. One compliments Quinter Design's creativity, another talks about its stellar customer service and a third shares some specific, positive results generated by the project. This approach allows you to provide additional substance to your products and services.
Use your testimonials carefully. Many websites include a page of testimonials. IMHO, it's a waste of space! Of course, the testimonials are going to be complimentary; why should I invest time reading them?
A more effective approach is to sprinkle the comments throughout the website or document, placing each near a relevant service or product. In Quinter Design's collateral, clients' testimonials about the success of our publicity services are next to the overview of those services. Compliments for our creative graphic design appear near samples of those projects, and feedback about successful trade show displays is right next to photos of those units.
Sometimes your client's excitement when a job is completed yields a colorful verbal quote. Use it! A testimonial doesn't have to be a formal written letter, capture the delight of the moment by using his/her personal quote.
A KISS is part of this love, too. KISS, as in keep it short and simple. Stay away from boring jargon and heavy, bureaucratic language. Edit the word-for-word testimonials into a vibrant, easy-to-read sentence or two.
Your clients may be raving fans but the compliments aren't forthcoming? Don't be afraid to ask. Or offer to write the testimonial and send it to your client for his/her review. Minor changes might be made, but it's likely the gist of your statement will remain. This also allows you to concentrate on one aspect of your services and products, as mentioned above.
Freely give testimonials. Everyone likes to be on the receiving end of the love. Surprise someone with a testimonial on his/her LinkedIn or Facebook page. Write a thank-you note with colorful compliments that could be used on someone's website or in a brochure. By sharing the love, you and your company benefit from the attribution, and you'll bring a smile to someone's day.
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We're Just Exhibitionists...
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Quinter Design looks forward to the upcoming Grow Your Business Seminar and Expo, where we are a table sponsor. The event is set for 7:30A, Tuesday, March 6 at the Crowne Plaza Rockville. This is the fifth annual marketing event coordinated by the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber, and Quinter Design's display table will be set up to attract colleagues and potential clients and to generate lively discussion.
Feb. 19-25 is Build a Better Trade Show Image Week, an annual time to evaluate and improve trade show strategies for the upcoming springtime. Trade shows, exhibitions, community gatherings and informal presentations provide opportunities for you to visually promote your company's products and services. Does your exhibit generate the maximum return for you? Does it attract attention? Is it outdated or need repair?
Quinter Design is uniquely positioned to guide you to the components that give pizaazz and shine to your display. We have in-house capabilites to quickly produce retractable banners, posters, banners, tabletop displays, table drapes and more. We also offer discounted prices on the units. And, of course, design of collateral materials for handing out is another of our specialties..
Contact us now to be ready for the spring shows.
Here are details about two of our [Promotional] Bundles of Joy, geared for companies interested in top-notch, reasonably priced display components.
The Strut Your Stuff Bundle is crafted to ensure memorable event participation with a retractable banner stand and custom-designed banner, table drape, enewsletter template, postcards for advance mailing and rack cards for handout, plus creation and online circulation of a news release.
The Show Stopper Bundle is created to make your company unforgettable with a deluxe tabletop display unit with custom-designed panels, table drape, enewsletter template, postcards for advance mailing and rack cards for handout, plus creation and online circulation of a news release.
All packages include marketing consultation with Quinter Design.
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| Buzz Alert | |
Connect your business to an upcoming event and reap the benefits of the publicity generated. If you need help drafting that news release or identifying a suitable promotion, contact us. We love to toot your horn for you!
Feb. 17: World Human Spirit Day
Feb. 19: Natl. Chocolate Mint Day
Feb. 22: Natl. Margarita Day (Robyn's personal fav)
Feb. 23: Anniversary of Patent for Diesel Engine
Feb, 24: Natl. Chili Day
Feb, 25: Anniversary of 1st Bank Chartered by Congress
Feb. 28: Floral Design Day
March: Natl. Umbrella Month, Internatl. Ideas Month
Mar. 1: Refired, Not Retired Day
Mar. 2: Read Across America Day
Mar. 3: Natl. Anthem Day
Mar. 4: Natl. Day of Unplugging
Mar. 5-11: Natl. Read an Ebook Week
Mar. 7: Anniversary of Monopoly game
Mar. 8: Organize Your Home Office Day, Nametag Day, Internatl. Pancake Day
Mar. 12: 100th Anniversary of Girls Scouts
Mar. 13: Natl. Check Your Batteries Day
Mar. 14: Anniversary of FBI's 10 Most Wanted List
Mar. 17: Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
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Your feedback to our e-newsletter, On Target, is appreciated, and your questions and comments are always welcomed. Our next edition will be circulated on March.15, 2012.
John & Robyn Quinter
Quinter Design www.quinterdesign.com
info@quinterdesign.com
(301) 924-4654
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