Author Archive
Cheer Up…yeah, that's the spirit!
Posted by: | CommentsThe spirit wear market is sizzling! And why not. Those agile, high energy gals who can jump, cartwheel, flip and back handspring are out-front and leading the crowd are of a special character and acumen. The statement-making outfits they wear are special, too. After all, they are in charge of lifting the spirits of spectators and stirring excitement for everyone rooting on their team. The cheerleading market has changed dramatically over the past few years according to experts.
PERFORMANCE FABRICS NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE AND DURABLE
The most dramatic influence is the use of performance fabrics like microfibers with moisture management and soil resistance. Because both the cheer and dance segments of the market incorporate a lot of movement into their routines, the apparel needs to be made of stretch materials and performance fabrics that allow total flexibility and durability. One of the hottest products is “Hot Shorts” that are built for comfort with increased leg room and a stretch waist that is ultra-soft. Besides the shorts, in-stock uniforms are also hot. Uniforms generally need to be ordered immediately and embellished in a short timeframe. What’s more, the uniforms need to provide variety in color and designs as well as top quality at reasonable costs.
THINK HEAD-TO TOE
You also need to think head-to-toe. So when outfitting your team, also consider warm-ups, practice gear, outerwear and accessories such as poms, megaphones, schedule and ribbon magnets, pennants, pep towels, thunderstix, water bottles and the like. Fashion and comfort are equals when it comes to spirit wear. The team needs to look and feel great. And, spirit wear is not just for practice or the game. Invariably, this lightweight, breathable apparel can translate and transition well into personal time for an active lifestyle at the gym, running errands or even shopping at the local mall, which may also increase and extend school identity and loyalty.
DECORATE YOUR UNIFORMS WITH STYLE AND PIZZAZZ
Screen printing and embroidery tend to remain the most popular and practical decorating applications with tackle-twill lettering a common mainstay on uniforms. The newest wrinkle is the look of rhinestone appliques which can add pizzazz and engender a more custom look. Whatever the means of distinction, the cheer and spirit markets thrive on creativity and uniqueness, just like the teams they’re cheering for. For spirit wear ideas, we highly recommend visiting our supplier partners including: Boxercraft at www.boxercraft.com; Pizzazz Performance Wear at www.pizzazzwear.com; Pepco Poms Sports at www.pepcopoms.com and Teamwork Athletic Apparel at www.teamworkathletic.com
So cheer up… and go team go!
Small Business Marketing Principles For Success
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By Karen Scharf
It seems as if most of the entrepreneurs I’ve encountered lately are looking for the “get rich quick” version of small business marketing. Unfortunately, such a thing doesn’t really exist, but if you’re looking for some tried-and-true marketing principles that can accelerate your success, I’ve got a few to share with you:
Pull Marketing Works Better Than Push Marketing
I’m not sure who coined the terms pull marketing and push marketing, but the idea behind them is simple. With push marketing, the small business pushes its advertising towards its prospects who may or may not be interested. With pull marketing, the small business attracts (pulls) its prospects with interesting content and materials which aren’t strictly advertising based.
Push marketing can be hard. It involves cold calls and advertising and in-your-face and spending lots and lots of money. And yet your prospects are often turned off and tuned out.
On the other hand, pull marketing is fun. It involves sharing your knowledge and creating partnerships and developing relationships. Pull marketing creates prospects who are truly interested in your services and who truly believe you are the best person for the job. Read More→
Michael Neil Kaufman Judges 2010 Awards of Excellence for CBRA of New Jersey
Posted by: | CommentsReal Estate marketing veteran, Michael Neil Kaufman, was a judge at the recent 2010 Awards of Excellence for the Community Builders & Remodelers Association of New Jersey/Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern New Jersey. “It was an honor and pleasure to serve as a judge this year, explains Kaufman. And even though I had the privilege to judge several years ago, it was nonetheless another great experience and chance to network with other industry professionals.”
In the past, Michael has judged similar awards for the Builder’s League of South Jersey. In addition, Kaufman Advertising and Wear It’s At has provided marketing support materials such as development of entry forms, direct mail, newspaper ads, ad books and publicity as well as the actual award trophies/plaques presented by Home Builders of Bucks and Montgomery Counties and Chester and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania at their “Pinnacle Award” and “Pyramid Award” presentations, respectively.
Employing the 2010 theme, “United We Stand”, the CBRA, based in Whipanny, NJ, held it’s 26th Annual Awards of Excellence. The presentation dinner was held at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey. Builder and Associate members (those who support the builders from varied industries and professions) submitted entries in an array of sales, marketing and design categories including: Best Black & White Ad to Best Kitchen Design to Best Single Family Home to Best Mixed Commercial Building.
According to Sharon Barkauskas, Adminstrative Assistant and Awards of Excellence Coordinator, “This year’s crop of judges, including the contributions of such an industry expert as Michael Kaufman of Kaufman Advertising was especially appreciated given the wide ranging knowledge and experience of the group and their ability to analyze, and yes, be constructively critical of the entries and quickly dispense of any disagreements with utmost insight and professionalism. They are all invited back to judge next year’s awards, without hesitation or exception!
KAUFMAN ADVERTISING CREATES NEW MAILER FOR ABINGTON MORTGAGE CORP.
Posted by: | CommentsThe continuing state of low/excellent mortgage rates prompted Horsham-based Abington Mortgage Corp. to contact Kaufman Advertising to create a new mailer. After some discussion of what would be most effective to mail, the recommendation was a jumbo postcard which would stand out and separate itself from the other mail a prospect might receive.
The resulting 6 x 11” postcard features a gradiated background on the front mailing side with a check being cut accompanied by the teaser line, “Reduce your mortgage rate… AND SAVE!”
The back emphasizes the fact that AMC can show you how to put more money in your pocket, whether you’re purchasing a new home or just refinancing. Printed in full vibrant color on a heavyweight coated paper with UV coating, this AMC mailer generated increased attention and new business from a target audience anxious to lower their payments.
DUFFY LANDSCAPING TAPS WEAR IT’S AT FOR STAFF T-SHIRTS
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“Building company identity and a cohesive look is very important to us. That’s why we came to Wear It’s At for t-shirts for our crew members,” says Joe Duffy.
Duffy contracted a local illustrator to create a unique, colorful pond scene highlighted by water plant life, a frog and fish. The design was produced in full process color on the left chest and full back of both short and long-sleeved Gildan brand t-shirts in an earthy natural shade.
Duffy Brothers Landscaping is a Glenside, Montgomery County, PA full service landscaping firm offering a full range of residential and commercial landscaping services to customers in the Philadelphia suburban areas. They provide the latest innovations, trends and designs in softscaping including native trees, plants and shrubs and hardscaping including natural ponds. Duffy also offers overall maintenance including cleanup of debris, such as tree limbs, leaves and dead plants, trimming and pruning, mulching, edging and weeding. “Working with Michael Kaufman is a real pleasure. He always understands exactly what we want and makes recommendations based on our need for a sharp, quality look at a budget-considerate cost. His service and delivery also are impeccable,” emphasis Matt Duffy.
TOTE BAGS, LIKE WALKING BILLBOARDS
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever thought of a tote bag as a walking billboard for your company or organization? Truly, this is one of the best forms of advertising ever invented.
You screen print, direct print or embroider your logo and message and voila there’s a continually used, indispensable commodity. Tote bags can be used for a range of purposes including as a great convention, conference and tradeshow giveaway, customer appreciation gift to create goodwill, event incentive or even a new product or service introduction. Bags are an excellent marketing tool that can engender continuous brand awareness and form lasting relationships with your target market. They invariably find their way to parks, pools, beaches, little and big league games and city streets for an extended life feature. In fact, my wife never leaves the house without a tote bag in tow for short trips or extended journeys. It may hold a light jacket or sweater, glasses, reading material, and other travel essentials And, generally it has a logo or other branded idea, prominently displayed.
Industries such as automotive, real estate, health care, hospitality, travel and tourism as well as non-profits has employed bags as successful promotional vehicles. There are numerous case studies which attest to the versatility and practical nature of a tote bag.
Tote bags, as I’m sure aware, come in many sizes and materials. Briefly, two of the most popular categories are: Sturdy Non-Woven Polypropylene with stitched seams, side and bottom gussets, reinforced sewn handles, and hemmed opening and Cotton Canvas, open or zippered, with or without front, top and side pockets for additional and handy storage of pens, notepads, cell phones and other electronic devices. The latest wrinkle is, of course, Eco-Friendly collections which make for environmentally responsible gifts which let you make an impression and a statement that helping our planet is important and vital. Included are bags made from recycled, recyclable and natural materials like non-woven jute and “PET”, perfect as a carry-all or for grocery shopping and organic cotton where farming techniques maintain soil fertility and reduce toxic pesticides and insecticides that pollute our air and water.
No matter your purpose, there is a tote bags to fulfill your marketing and promotional objectives and meet your budget requirements. Three of my favorite companies for style, selection and dependability in the promotional products fields are: Acrobag at www.acrobag.com; Bagmakers at www.bagmakersinc.com amd Leed’s at www.leedsword.com.
Don't go nuts with e-mail marketing
Posted by: | CommentsI get a ton of e-mails each and every day, as most companies do. Much of it is unwanted. Like the $100,000 the Central Bank of Nigeria wants to transfer to my bank account. Or the 750,000 Euros I won in the Swiss Lotto. The use of e-mail marketing is ever increasing and could be a viable lead generation vehicle if used properly and prudently. But, don’t go crazy by blasting it out to anyone and everyone. Here are two pointers:
Use a qualified e-mail list
To make sure your blast message gets out, send it to the appropriate contacts.
It’s very tempting to buy a 5,000 name list and just blast it out. But, how many of those “strangers” will actually open it. More and more, people are afraid of viruses and they’re reluctant to click on an e-mail from a name they don’t recognize or that looks suspicious. Your best bet is to do all the e-mailing yourself. Compile your list from people you may have met at a networking or chamber event or that you know from the social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. Target specific clients or your own prospects. That way, at least you have a fighting chance of someone opening and responding to your offer or message. A good clue is look at your own inbox and considers what you’d be willing to open without repercussion. If it’s someone you’ve worked with in the past, there’s a good chance that your e-mail will be opened.
Create a sense of value
You might want to include a special offer, such a free consultation, discount, gift or giveaway for responding. Even if it’s not exactly what a client or prospect wants, it may engender a conversation. Sharing information may get a strong response; you don’t always have to be selling anything. Something like, “what do you think of this” or “I ‘d like your opinion about…” should boost your open rate.
E-mail marketing is here to stay and its impact will be felt for years to come.
Best of all, you can measure success directly with web service sites like www.bit.ly which creates trackable URL’s. Used in conjunction with your website,
traditional direct mail and other advertising media, it’s a great means of attracting attention to your products and services.
WHY PENS WITH LOGOS ARE GREAT PROMOTIONS/TRADE SHOW GIVEAWAYS
Posted by: | CommentsThe tried and true, indispensable pen. It can be a great marketing vehicle. Simply imprint your company name and web address and you’ve gone a long way in promoting your product or service and enjoying on-going benefits. Say, for example, you’re a title company and after you’ve signed all the paperwork, you hand the pen or several pens to the client. Your name will be remembered long and the closing. Then, there’s the pass along value. You can harness additional marketing with no additional cost.
Of course, trade shows are a natural for pens. When I have a booth at show, I always have plenty of pens on hand with my ad agency and promotional products company logos. And even when people gobble and grab them up like their gold,
I hope someone will remember my name or like the pen enough to order some for themselves.
Three of my favorite pen suppliers to the promotional products industry are: Bic Graphic USA at www.bicgraphic.com, Bullet Line at www.bulletline.com and Hub Pen Company at www.hubpen.com. Other recognizable name brand writing instruments can be procured from companies like Cross and Mont Blanc, which generally speaking, have a more upscale image and appeal.
Pens, as you can well imagine, come in many varieties, thick and thin styles in plastic, metal and wood and a wide range of price points. Popular styles include everything from stick pens to retractables with rubber grips to neat floating pens with icons or company logos floating in liquid to the newest rage of scented pens that smell like bubble gum, cinnamon, black licorice, lemons or flowers. Many pens today are green, composed of biodegradable materials that are truly environmentally friendly. There’s an endless variety, so I always suggest that clients get samples of pens to judge their writing smoothness, hand comfort/tactile feel and overall use/image to be conveyed.
Remarkably, there are pens to fit every budget and purpose from less than a $1.00 to $50.00 and up. Despite the emerging growth of laptops, I-pads, PDA’s/ interactive, touch screen phones and the like, people still carry a pen or two when they travel, are at work or at home. They’re handy and always dependable (except when you run out of ink). Adding your logo/brand and contact information can increase ROI and company and/or product/service loyalty and recognition.
Visit kaufmanadvertising.com and click on the Wear It’s At link for details and ordering information.
Ways to Make Your Brochures Powerful and Attractive
Posted by: | CommentsBrochures are one of the most effective forms of sales promotion and have been successfully accomplishing the marketing goals of the business entities. Whether you require them to create awareness about a new product, inform your target customers about the new development in the existing products or desire to enhance the sales, brochure printing is the ideal way to achieve your desired results. But, there are times when resorting to the online printing of brochures, people find them confused about how to go on with the printing of the marketing collateral. So, here are a few tips which will help you to easily get along with your brochure printing:
Incorporate a background or theme: This presents a powerful way of arousing the excitement and interest of your targeted customers. You can easily discover that the people are largely moved by the brochures which promote any lifestyle or theme. For instance, if you choose your brochures which are eco friendly and motivate awareness towards the environment as well as passing on your business message, they will be highly appreciated by your potential customers and preferred over the other ordinary ones. So, if you really desire to touch the heart of your targeted customers, all you need to do is to plan and incubate a theme or background which can hold the interest of your customers.
Lay stress on a particular or innovative key factor: While moving on with your brochure printing, you must highlight one key factor which is creative as well as innovative and which can prove to be highly beneficial for your customers. Instead of confusing your customers with lots of unwanted content, highlight and bold a unique factor of your products or services which can upraise the way of living of your customers and help them to accentuate their lifestyle.
Use attractive models: When online printing your brochures, you can consider using attractive models. A plain brochure is never noticed by the people whereas those images or pictures which are pleasing to the eye are often acknowledged by people in the first glance itself.
Always highlight the monetary benefits: People are always attracted towards those products and services which offer them monetary benefits. By highlighting the monetary benefits in your brochures you can easily enjoy the instant response of your customers. For instance, while offering a price reduction in your cosmetic products, you must bold or highlight the amount of money which can be saved by purchasing the product.
Rose is an article author who brings the information about online printing & brochures through article, news, press release and blogs. For more details on brochures & online printing visit our website. http://www.utharaprint.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rose_Wilson
If you handle your own advertising, do you have a fool for a client?
Posted by: | CommentsThese days it’s easier to create your own ads, newsletters, brochures and direct mail than ever. With the advent of all kinds of computer software and templates (and who doesn’t have a desktop or laptop at their disposal in their office or home) you can purchase on-line or at any local office products store, it’s a snap to produce your own materials or is it? Are you doing yourself a disservice by trying to write, design and publish/print your advertisements, stationary and business cards, e-mail blasts and marketing collateral yourself? As an advertising professional for over 35 years (I started my professional career as a copywriter in a local department store in 1974), I can certainly understand the temptation to save money and have pride of authorship. It may sound self-serving or that I have an axe to grind (of course, I do!). But hiring an outside ad agency and outsourcing the responsibilities affords you the time to concentrate on what you do best and can save lots of mental anguish and frustration.
Consider the fact that we’ve invested copious time and capital in top-notch desktop publishing applications such as Quark, In-Design, Illustrator and Photoshop. Also, outsourcing gives you an objective sounding board for research, idea generation and brainstorming, not to mention a plethora of professional writers, graphic designers and media specialists whose education and skills are specifically in the marketing/communications field.
I know. I know. You might say who knows my products and services better than
me, and you’re probably right. And maybe, just maybe, you were a marketing or communications major in college and you happen to be running the company or organization. By all means, if you have the time, inclination and talent, go for it. If not, consider making the investment in a competent, experienced agency who
may or may not have exact expertise in your field, but with a bit of education and guidance, can help you reach your goals and objectives by employing fresh creative coupled with proven concepts and the latest techniques.
Now here comes the shameless plug. We are a full service, award-winning advertising agency, and our focus is on helping small (er) business. Hopefully, we, and other agencies of our persuasion, offer an alternative to grappling with software that doesn’t yield the right file formats (i.e. Publisher) which can be sent to a printer or used for other forms of sharp, truly professionally-looking reproduction. Add to that the many forms of available media. How do you navigate through, evaluate and determine which of the mind-boggling mediums will work best in your situation? Wouldn’t it be better to have a filter with which to discuss your media options so you don’t waste your resources on something that may be hit or miss?
Of course, I’ll be the first to tell you that all media and forms of advertising need to be tested and continually tweaked, especially in our constantly changing 21st century business environment. In my experience, those who choose to handle their own advertising and marketing may be headed for disaster. Should you decide to hire an ad agency make sure they’re just your size and blend into your company culture and can work within your means. If you don’t have an established budget, general rule is to allocate 5% of total sales to your marketing efforts. By the way, Kaufman Advertising always offers a one time, no cost consultation at your office or ours.
