How to Identify Your Target Market

The best dart players hit bullseyes; the best marketers hit their target market. This seems simple, but in marketing, the target market can span the spectrum of small, to wide, to even (believe it or not) nothing at all! Before any campaign, it’s critical to examine who your target market is to achieve the results for which you are looking. Be prepared to hit your next campaign spot on. Here are 10 questions that can help you determine whether you have a target market and what it is: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226360.

Direct Mail Continues to Be an Effective Marketing Tool

Like the color black and a good pair of blue jeans, some things never go out of style, just like direct mail. In fact, despite the age of digital marketing and advanced technologies, the direct mail business is expected to grow 1.4% annually for the next five years to $13.8 billion, according to IBISWorld's “Direct Mail Advertising in the U.S.” October 2012 research report. Much of this growth is due to the continued merging of digital and physical advertising. For instance, with digital tools, direct mailers can be organized, personalized, delivered, and tracked better than ever.

While direct mailers may never go out of style, the digital landscape is changing some of the direct mail “rules” and strategies. Here are 10 good tips to keep your digital mail campaigns fresh and effective: http://www.dmnews.com/direct-mail-evolved/article/280361/#.

Product of the Month

We've all seen vehicles driving down the street with a promotion slapped on or wrapped around it, but have you ever thought to yourself "I should do that!"? You're already driving so you might as well turn your car into a moving advertisement for your business.  Here at Minuteman Press we are more than just your printer.  Yes, we are happy to print your business cards, but more importantly, we want to help you market your business effectively and we do that by offering you a variety of marketing solutions no matter what your budget.  

As you can see, this month, we're featuring our car magnets!  We invite you to come in and speak with us about your marketing needs so that we can determine what may be a good fit for your business. 

To take advantage of this amazing offer, please call 561.392.8626 and mention this blog post to receive the 25% off!  

Cutter & Buck: Hot Summer Savings!

Cutter & Buck, the upscale golf and sports apparel company, has a sale on many of its popular styles. Clique, Cutter & Bucks’ value priced line is also included in the sale. Stock is limited so place your order today! (Please note that these prices do not include decoration/logo embroidery).

For more information please contact Lynn Kelin at lynnk@minutemanpress.com or call 561.392.8626. Click here to view the entire catalog.  

Buy Local. Buy Chamber

Last week my wife Lise and I had the pleasure of receiving the Small Business Leaders of the Year Award from the Greater Boca RatonChamber of Commerce.  We love being involved in our community and were filled with emotion as our family, friends, clients and fellow business leaders congratulated us.

Being a business owner is not easy and there are many challenges along the way, but being in a position to create jobs and work with other business professional every day to help them build their business is one of the most rewarding experiences.

After receiving this great honor last week, I ended my speech with the simple words “Buy Local. Buy Chamber.”  We live in an amazing community and it is up to us to support and help each other grow our businesses so that our community continues to thrive.  I believe in buying local and in being involved in our community.

Did you know that:

• For every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $68 stays in the local economy compared to only $43 if spent at a national chain. 
• Small businesses are the largest employer in North America 
• Hometown entrepreneurs contribute up to 2.5 times as much to local nonprofits as chain stores.

For more fun facts, click here to check out this great article.

The bottom line is that we need to support each other.  I would like to thank each one of our clients for trusting us with their marketing efforts.  We love what we do and are grateful to be part of our community. 

10 Tips to Increase Your Small Business’s Visibility

As a small business in South Florida ourselves, we understand how challenging it can be to grow.  With limited marketing budgets, business owners need to decide how they can effectively increase their visibility in the marketplace to obtain new clients and customers. 

I recently read this great article, 10 Easy Small BusinessMarketing Tips for Increased Visibility and found it to be very interesting.  While all of the tips are valuable, I wanted to touch on the two that stood out most to me. 

The first happens to be #1: Be personal and authentic in your communication.  Whether you are working on a direct mail campaign or creating an effective social media strategy, your message needs to be simple, clear and authentic.  People do business with those that they know, like and trust and we like to be communicated with in a concise and casual way. 

The second tip I would highlight is #9: Partner with a charitable organization.  Being actively involved in your community is a great way to not only increase exposure, but also to make new friends and contacts.  We all know that word of mouth marketing is, and will always be the most effective type of marketing so choose a charity you love and get involved.

What do you think of this article?   Which of the ten tips do you like best?  Share below.  We’d love to get your thoughts. 

Product of the Month

This month's Product of the Month is 2'x3' poster board!  We're so excited about it, we're even giving one away at the end of the week!  To register to win all you have to do is "Like" us on Facebook.  Winner will be announced on Friday, May 17th so "Like" us today and stay tuned! 

Are you building a brand your customers love and share? Check out 7 secrets of successful brands...which do you like best?

Every entrepreneur wants to build a brand that people talk about, love and share with their friends.  As a business owner in South Florida, it's up to you to create the kind of business that makes a difference in your customers' lives.  One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."  Are you creating an experience for your customers and prospects that they will remember?  Entrepreneur magazine recently featured 7 brands that create that special "magic" (http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226094) and have done an unbelievable job in branding their business.  

While there is nothing cookie cutter about creating an unforgettable brand, there are definitely some key ingredients that you can find in most of the brands that you probably love as much as the rest of the world.  Check out this great article The 7 Secrets of Successful Brands http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226094 and find out how they have build successful businesses and created a brand worth sharing. 

Out of these seven secrets which do you like best?  Comment below and share your thoughts. 

Product of the Week: 8'x8' Step & Repeat Backwall

Ready for the spotlight to be on your business? Check out our product of the week! Order your custom step & repeat for your next event or showcase it in your office for all to enjoy!  It's great for special events, charity functions or even a conference.  

Adding a step & repeat to your event not only adds some fun "flare", but it also gives people the opportunity to take photos and post them onto their social sites and share their fun experience with their friends and colleagues.  Call today for additional information and to order your custom step & repeat today! 561. 392.8626. 

Creating a Clear Message and Brand

When someone thinks about your business, what is the first thing that pops into their head?  What words come to mind and how does it make them feel?  I work with business owners every day who are trying to get their message across in the most effective way and often times they don't realize it isn't as strong of a message as they think.   

I recently read an article on www.entrepreneur.com called The Secret to a Strong Branding Message? Focus.  It discusses how important it is for a businesses to create a clear message and brand and it shares four points to make sure your message will work when trying to connect with your audience.  The first is that your message needs to have an emotional and rational side.   

Click here to view the entire article and share your thoughts below.  Does your company have a clear message and brand?  How are you getting it out to your target audience on a regular basis? Comment below.