Business Cards are Not an All-Access Pass

Contrary to popular (or at least common) belief, networking events, conferences, expos, etc. are not a business card collecting free-for-all aimed at building your marketing distribution list and boosting your online network.

In order to not turn connections – and potential clients – off, build a relationship first before you add them to your mass marketing distribution list. Or, upon taking their business card, simply ask if they would like to be added to your monthly newsletter list and be sure to give them several solid reasons as to why your newsletter would be of benefit to them.

Why should you be concerned about this? Obviously, you don’t want to annoy the people who you would like to turn into clients with unwanted emails. But, more importantly, do this and your email marketing efforts could garner spam complaints creating a big headache for you in the future.

Get Connected in Your Community!

For small businesses owners, successful marketing strategies extend beyond effective SEO, social media dominance and expertly crafted ad messages. To gain credibility among your immediate target market – your local audience – it is imperative you cultivate a strong presence in your community. While you may know of many community groups, organizations and associations, it is wise to ensure they know you!

Lisa Barone recently blogged about the importance of building awareness in your local neighborhood through community involvement. Here are some easy ways Lisa has suggested to become an active member of your community.

Offer to host a class – Does your business provide a unique service that can be incorporated into a learning opportunity and, thus, a networking opportunity? Offer to host a class. A client of ProMoter specializes in helping people own their own business through franchising. To build their network of contacts and turn prospects into customers, the company hosts free monthly seminars with expert speakers and topics of interest to their customer base.

Join your Chamber of Commerce and other area groups – Local Chamber of Commerce meetings are a great way – an emphasis on great! – to meet and network with other business owners. ProMoter is an active member of a variety of local city organizations including Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI), One Southern Indiana and the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, ProMoter staff members are active members of the Louisville chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the Young Professional Association of Louisville (YPAL). Joining local affiliates of nationally recognized organizations can do a lot for your business reputation.

Donate your services – Huh? And, how is this supposed to bring in revenue? Well, sometimes smart business decisions don’t necessarily do a lot for your bottom line – in the short run. But, profits can be found if you are patient. Check out this example – a local Louisville photographer is often called upon to donate or drastically markdown her services for major group events. However, because she is known as this group’s unofficial photographer, many members call upon her services at full price creating quite the customer base. It is all about exposure – no pun intended!

Go local – As a local business you should be supporting other local businesses. Use them whenever you can. Next time you stop in at a local shop, ask to speak to the owner or manager. Brainstorm ways each business could benefit from the other’s services.

Click here to check out the complete article by Lisa: http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/06/build-awareness-in-your-community.html.

Are you well connected in the community but missing out on other marketing opportunities? ProMoter Inc. can help you unleash your business’s potential! Contact us at 502-562-1969 or email us at promoter@promoterinc.com.

Control those fonts!

Let’s face it. When money’s tight, you may find it necessary to rely on your own graphic design skills to communicate with your customers. Whether you are creating fliers for your business or listing items online to sell, there are a few guidelines to maximize the visual impact of your message.

Nix Those Fancy Fonts
Tempted to use Comic Sans or a cursive font to add flare and draw attention to your piece? Don’t fall victim to this typographical trap! Overuse of fancy fonts can make your piece look like the work of an amateur. Sure these types of fonts are fun but when everyone uses them, they get pretty old, and get old fast. It also can be hard on the eyes of your readers. Besides, you want the viewer to pay attention to the most important part of your piece - the message!

Stick to normal serif and sans-serif fonts for headlines and body copy. If you absolutely must use a fancy font, use it sparingly throughout the piece. Reserve it for special information that should stand out.

Beware of Too Many Chefs...
Control the desire to use a variety of fonts. Using too many different fonts in one piece breaks the visual cohesion. The viewer may be unsure what information is most important as the fonts compete against one another for attention.

Your safe bet is to limit fonts to two or three. Note that using bold or italic in a particular font is not included in this limitation. In fact, using bold or italic can help to create a visual hierarchy of information. Just be sure not to bold every sentence or the emphasis will get lost.

Serif or Sans Serif?
As you probably can guess, readability is very important. If you are posting a blog online, sans serif fonts are easiest on the reader’s eye. But, for text you’re printing out, serif fonts are best to read. Of course, this rule isn’t set in stone. But, it’s important to be mindful of it when you have a lot of text in your piece.

Take the CAPS lock off!
RESIST THE URGE TO MAKE EVERY WORD ALL CAPITALS. It may be effective for headlines, but use proper capitalization for paragraphs of text. An entire paragraph of all caps can be difficult to read, especially for readers who are skimming the text. Also, AvOiD sTrAnGe AnD fUnKy CaPiTaLiZaTiOn To DrAw In ReAdErS. You may appear more like a 15-year-old girl on MySpace than a professional company.

Think of these tips not as definitive rules but mere guidelines to assist you in producing professional, easy-to-read messages geared towards reaching your customers.

Need help with graphic design but wary of the high cost of hiring a professional? ProMoter Inc. specializes in finding cost effective marketing solutions for clients, while delivery quality results. Contact ProMoter Inc. at 502-562-1969 or email us at promoter@promoterinc.com.