A Sticky Decision… Which envelopes do you use?

A customer called the other day to order envelopes for their business. Once we determined which style of envelope best suited his needs, we discussed the merits of traditional sealing envelopes versus self-sealing envelopes. Because we wound up having a rather lengthy conversation on this topic I thought it might be worth sharing the points we discussed in the event that they are helpful to someone else faced with the same decision.

The first feature we discussed was cost. Not a shocking starting point considering that people are still being very diligent with their expenses. For the purposes of conversation, let’s work with an estimate of 1,000 double window style envelopes. A standard version of this envelope in this quantity is approximately $59.53 while the self-seal version is around $80.16. At first glance this seems like a big jump in cost and the knee jerk response would be to go with the traditional. Before making this decision, however, consider that with a quantity of 1,000 envelopes the cost difference equates to around $.02 per envelope.

With this $.02 per envelope realization in mind, you might want to consider how these envelopes are going to be used. More importantly, how many of them will you use on a daily basis? If you will only use a few at a time throughout the week, you may be better off sticking with the traditional envelopes and saving that $.02 per envelope. However, if you plan to use all 1,000 in a single project that requires a fast and timely completion, that extra $.02 could save you in the long run. Take a moment and consider how much time (and taste buds) might be wasted if you have to moisten each individual envelope during this project. Now consider how much faster the project could be completed if all you have to do is fold over the envelope flap and press it to the envelope to seal it. Take another minute and think about how impressive your skills will appear to your boss when you complete the project in less time than expected. Suddenly that $.02 extra per envelope does not seem like such an expensive upgrade after all…

Holiday Hours for 2010

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday!

Traffic Trends for the New Year

There have been quite a few articles and blog posts lately attempting to predict trends for 2011 related to building website links and what it means for online businesses. As with most things internet and technology related, just when you think you understand how it all works it changes! After sorting through a stack of reading on this topic, one article stood out to me above the rest as a succinct overview of the current speculations and what exactly they mean to those of us non-tech savvy individuals trying to build our business presence on the World Wide Web. Below is a brief recap of the points discussed by Kristi Hines, but I suggest you also can also check out the full article by clicking here.

Consideration #1 – Less keywords, more brand names

Due to recent adjustments in how sites are searched such as the Mayday changes the trend appears to be moving from keyword anchor text in favor of targeting brand and/or business names. One possible “pro” of this adjustment is that it could make management of your online business reputation easier.

Wondering what “Mayday Changes”  means? Click here to read more…

Consideration #2 – Quality over quantity

Following the social trends, searches appear to be moving to a quality preference rather than quantity. Think of it in Facebook terms – it’s not about who has 1000 friends, its about who has the highest quality of actively engaged friends. If the links to your site are low in number, but highly relevant you may still see better results than those sites with high numbers and less relevance. Choose your links wisely, my friends!

Consideration #3 – Authority over Rank

Ok. This one required me to do some terminology research, so let me see if I can recap in non-tech terms. The general rule of thumb has been to aim for a high PageRank to ensure that in a search your site comes up as close to the top of the list as possible. Various methods have been developed to achieve this and you could go through numerous cups of coffee trying to sort through all of them. The good news is that you don’t have to consume mass quantities of coffee understanding PageRank theories as the trends are moving toward page and domain authority to establish ranking. How is this different? Remember back in high school when your parents were concerned with the kind of kids you were hanging out with? Apply this parental concern to your website and the links attached to it. If the spammy crowd has adopted your site as its newest member, you will want to work on ditching them in favor of the class president type of links to establish your domain and page authority.

Wondering what “PageRank”  means? Click here to read more…

Wondering what “Authority”  means? Click here to read more…

Consideration #4 – Go beyond the home page

Whether you are sending traffic to your site from PPC or other sources, consider carefully where you are sending them. Your home page is a great place to start, but as we mentioned above the trends are moving toward quality over quantity and this applies to all scenarios. Getting customers to your site is a key objective. Putting them on a page full of relevant and useful product content is better! Investigate where your traffic is landing and see if you can tweak it to put them in more engaging area of your site based on what triggered their click interest in the first place.

Consideration #5 – Rank is cool, but conversions are better

For those of us still learning the ways of internet advertising and analytics, think of this as a sort of AP Course. Having high rankings for your site is great as it means more exposure to potential customers engaging in a shopping search. However, just being seen is not going to fill your bank account. Paying closer attention to the analytics details available from your traffic helps hone your efforts to convert a search into a sale. When you are placing your bids for keywords to boost your ability to be seen, keep in mind what terms customers are actually using in their searches. If you and the customer are calling the same product by different names, you are wasting your time, energy and money.

Consideration #6 – The relevance of Social Media

As mentioned earlier, things change quickly in the online world and social media now holds importance on many levels. There are the marketing bonuses of reaching and interacting with customers in a forum comfortable to them. Advertising options now exist in these media entities to reach new potential customers, as well. Adding to the bonus of these connections and advertising options, an active business presence in social media also counts as a positive sentiment for your company and/or brand. If you have not already investigated the use of sites such as Facebook and Twitter for your business, now might be the time to do so.

Of course, my usual disclaimer applies. This is information to consider and you should always take into account your business goals and needs before making major changes.

Easy Does It Marketing

I have recently encountered a number of people striking out on their own to make a living. As they begin their entrepreneurial journey, I have seen a number of approaches to making it work and thought that it might be helpful to share a few of the choices that seem to be helpful to these business newcomers. Please keep in mind, though, that these suggestions are based on a broad brush approach. Each type of business has different needs to address on the road to success. What a retail business needs to gain dedicated customers is very different that what a new plumber needs to get going. As you scroll through these suggestions, please keep in mind the kind of business you are building and whether these things REALLY fit your business model. As has been stated before, every penny counts when you are getting started. Spend the money on the things that are most likely to give you a return on investment. As your business starts to boom, you can add more wish list items to your expenses list and watch your dreams come to life!

Develop a company logo. It does not have to be flashy and you don’t have to spend a ton of money on it, but creating a logo for your company will help convey to potential customers what services you offer, as well as set you on the right track to develop marketing efforts. This logo can and probably should be used on as many pieces of company correspondence as possible to build continuity for you business. Think about it this way – if you are searching for a company to fulfill a shopping need, are you more drawn to those with logos or those without? My guess is that like most people, the presence of a logo helps to lend some perceived solidarity to the company you are checking out making you feel more comfortable that they are legitimate and safe for you to do business with. (If I am wrong, please leave a comment below and let me know how and why!) One last thing to note – if you are hiring someone to create a logo for you, have them make several versions in various sizes. The logo size needed for business cards and checks is going to be different than that required for advertising and other larger scale items.

Logo applications you should consider include business cards, letterhead, envelopes, business checks, websites, social media outlets and advertising. Before you get overwhelmed by all the places you need to stick a logo, take a deep breath and review which ones are REALLY going to be used in getting your company up and running. If company does not write a ton of checks or send loads of letters, you might be able to hold off on logo imprinting for these items at first. I would strongly suggest adding it later, though, as it will help to create visual continuity for your branding efforts. Is your company primarily web based? If so, your concerns with logo application should consider the needs for a website, blog, social media and PPC advertising efforts. For businesses on the go requiring a lot of driving to customers, you may want to investigate the magnetic signs. Yes, I know they are a bit old school, but until your company can afford those super cool vehicle wraps, this item can offer some basic mobile advertising without busting your start up budget.

One item that I would suggest for ALL business initiatives regardless of their direct or indirect contact with customers is the business card. You never know where you may meet your next big account and not having something as simple as a business card to hand out could cost you loads of potential revenue. They don’t have to be super fancy, just an efficient way of communicating your business and contact information so that they can check you out. Of course it goes without saying that you will want to get their card, too!

Again, keep in mind what your business goals are right now and spend your marketing money accordingly. As your company grows you can upgrade your efforts and add from your marketing wish list to maintain your business momentum. There is a reason that some small businesses last and others do not – those who stick around longest usually started with the basics and waited to get fancy until they had money rolling into their coffers.

That's A Wrap!

I have been running across articles and sites focused on the use of video for business marketing and thought that I would share some of the information I have found. As with most things, a wide range of options exist when it comes to the style you want to create and the money you have to spend. If you have the budget to put something together that is Hollywood style, by all means go for it and let me know when you wrap it up so I can grab some popcorn to enjoy the video screening! For those of us working with a slightly tighter budget, there are some options allowing you to achieve your video goals without breaking the bank.

Perhaps the most important factor you need to consider before embarking on your video journey is how the video will be used. Is this something for your Social Media adventures or YouTube? Is it being added as a helpful feature to your website? For these uses, there are budget friendly options to consider. If you are intending to use your video for television spots or as a promotional video for your company, I would suggest speaking with a professional to ensure that you get the appropriate quality level. Do not, however, let someone talk you into hiring the full scale production team for a simple video to post on your blog or other such internet equivalents without really investigating your need. This is one area where you can get talked out of your budget VERY quickly if you have not done your research!

One article I read discussed the necessary ingredients for making a business appropriate video and suggested the emphasis should be on sound and lights rather than the super high definition camera to record your acting debut. A well made point in the article asked the question of how many people use high definition monitors currently – probably not very many. This thought alone should help you talk your way out of that high definition camera the sales person at the gadget store is insisting you need. Get yourself a good quality camera at a fair price, a great microphone and some real studio style lights. Spend some time testing the set up and lighting before making your final take and most of all – have a little fun! There are loads of home style videos floating around the web which seems to indicate that content may carry a bit more weight than style in the demonstration/education video arena. Dry and boring delivery, however, cannot be overlooked as easily as a lack of stylish setting. Smile for the camera and get your 15 minutes of fame!

If your budget is so tight that purchasing new equipment is simply not an option at the moment, you can still put together a product video for basic use. There is an option beyond the PowerPoint slide show – I promise! My most recent discovery is a service called animoto. This service allows you to take product photos and turn them into a video clip. The videos produced are DVD quality, free of service branding and can include music that is already licensed for commercial use. The final product can be used to create DVD’s for your customers, to enhance your website, spruce up your blog content, uploaded to YouTube and more. The cost is very reasonable considering that you do not have to purchase, house, set up or learn to use production equipment. 

For some additional how to assistance, check out this site - they have some great instructional videos! 

The Simple Approach

I have heard rumblings for a while now that as the economy continues to cut people loose from their usual jobs more are considering the path of entrepreneurship. While I am in full support of small business and striking out on your own I have also seen people get so wrapped up in the excitement of the idea that they overlook the effort required to make it work. From my vantage point, the people who have taken the simple approach while steadily working to achieve their business goals are the ones who tend to stick around the longest. Those who spend the majority of their time concerned about the style of the stationary rather than the number of customers tends to experience a shorter version of entrepreneurship.

With that said, for someone just getting started there are so many things to consider and many more pieces of paper to fill out, file and organize. Trying to also juggle the details of marketing pieces like logo design, business products and accounting can make the process a bit overwhelming. How can you make this process simpler? The first thought that comes to my mind is – delegate! Be aware of your budget constraints, but also remember that no one is an expert at everything. If graphic design is not your thing, find someone who can design your logo and letter head for you. The time you save wrestling with the software and cursing your non-artistic genes will allow you to focus on other areas and focus on the making money part of things. Of course, this theory also holds true for accounting and marketing efforts.A big part of entrepreneurship is wearing a lot of different hats, but no one ever said you have to wear the expert version of each hat. As things begin to come together for your business venture, consider where your talents lie and where you could best use someone else’s talents to keep your company growing. Leverage your time with the skills you can afford to outsource and then reach for the stars!

With respect to office supplies – I might suggest starting simple and upgrading later when you have the funds and the need. If accounting makes you a bit uncomfortable, consider a one-write system to help you keep track of your check writing. When your needs outgrow this tool you can upgrade to a software program or an employee to handle the new level of need. In the time between you will keep money in the company coffers while still meeting your immediate needs. When purchasing business checks and envelopes, look for a supplier that offers inclusive pricing – and perhaps free shipping! If adding your logo is an additional cost and you don’t absolutely need it for credibility, save the money and get the basic version to get you started. Your forms will still look professional and you can upgrade later when the money is flowing a bit more freely.

Advertising and marketing is always a tricky thing when you are getting started. You need to allocate funds to address both needs, but working on a tight budget you can be forced to get a bit creative. Check out networking sites like Biznik and LinkedIn that allow you a free sign up and access to connecting with other people experiencing similar situations. Make those connections and gather some sage advice to get you started. You can also check out sites like Merchant Circle that allow you to establish an on line presence for your company at little or no charge. They also offer opportunities for advertising and, in some cases, allow for a single ad to be run at no cost just for setting up your account. The other thing to consider is the Social Media craze. I won’t get into the full scope of pro’s and con’s, but investigate it to see if it might be a good fit for your business. Twitter and Facebook are free to use and both offer a chance to get your company name out to the general public in another way. When you have more money to spend on advertising, you can run ads through Facebook and other spots like Google, Bing, Business.com, etc.

There is a lot to consider when striking out on your own. It can be immensely rewarding, but a lot of hard work. If you stick with it and use as many of the free tools available to build your presence it can be a little less expensive!