Why You Should Serve, Not Sell

Social media is an increasingly dominant medium for modern communication.

According to facts from the Pew Research Center and the Hootsuite Social Media Barometer Report 2018:

• There are now 3.196 billion people using social media (up 13% from last year)
  
• 11 new people start using social media each second, which is about one million people every day
  
• 88 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say they use social media
  
• The total number of mobile phone users is 5.14 billion (up 4% from last year), which means people are increasing in their social media accessibility
  

As you look to grow your digital reach in conjuction with your print campaigns, social media is an obvious choice to feature ads, products, and (let's be honest), to feature yourself!

But, how well does this go over with consumers? Not swimmingly.

Take a quick scan through the business posts you see online. How would you best summarize these? Does the content bring an encouraging word to you, the reader? Or do the majority of these posts seem narcissistic?

Bruce Kasanoff, author of "How to Self-Promote without Being a Jerk," summarizes it like this:

"Two-thirds or more of the business posts I see on social media can be summarized in one word: Me. They are all about the person or company that shared the post: what they are selling, what they want, what they did. Yawn. Pause. Where's the unfollow button?"

Instead, Kasanoff coaches entrepreneurs to embrace this mantra: serve, don't sell. Intrinsically, people respond to those who approach them in a friendly, helpful manner. Social media is no different. When you take a self-centered or pushy tone it is a turnoff, whether you're sharing online or in person. In contrast, everything you share on social media should offer a benefit to those on the receiving end. Kasanoff gives this example:

"Imagine that you are delivering a webinar in Chicago, and you share this news via social media. Don't just say, 'Come to my seminar.' There are a ton of people who don't live in Chicago or will be busy that day, so they can't come. Instead, offer a lesson related to your seminar, and then say, 'By the way, if you're going to be in Chicago next Tuesday, I'll be talking about this and related lessons.' Thus, members of your network benefit even if they can't do what you want them to do."

Grow Influence Through "You-Centered" Communication

Living in the information age, people have grown increasingly resistant to interruption marketing, or "in-your-face," one-way communication.

Instead, they crave engagement marketing: brand-consumer relationships built on trust and mutual respect. The foundation of this trust is thoughtful communication specifically tailored to the consumer's needs. Effective communicators make the audience believe that the most important person in their correspondence - in their business relationship - is "you," the consumer.

The key to successful communication is to make the reader feel – in every memo, letter, printed piece, or social media post – that the most important person is the reader.

Consider this contrast:

Option A: "Pixie Dust Cleaners brings a dazzling deep clean, offering eco-friendly products at the best possible price."

Option B: "Looking for freedom from chaos? Pixie Dust Cleaners gives you a dazzling deep clean, with eco-friendly products that allow you to take a deep breath and enjoy every minute at home. Your peace of mind is worth every penny!

Before you communicate, ask yourself what your audience needs, wants, or values. Consider what is most important to them and try to personalize your correspondence or social media posts to these felt needs. As you produce more customer-centered communication, you will grow sales, enrich your reputation, and enhance the well-being of your business.

How to Use Customization to Gain Customers

Coca-Cola is a brand built on scenes of enjoying life together.

Coke has worked tirelessly to promote not only its product, but the message behind it: that sharing, or gathering family and friends together, brings happiness. "Enjoying a coke" is the message in every ad, every culture, and every medium Coke communicates through.

The company's 2014 "Share a Coke" campaign was one of its memorable marketing initiatives in history. That summer, Coca-Cola removed its iconic logo on 20-ounce bottles and replaced them with 250 of the country's most popular names. Consumers were encouraged to find bottles with names that held personal meaning and to share them with others or post photos online with the hashtag #ShareaCoke. Within the first year, more than 500,000 photos were posted. Consumers ordered over six million virtual Coke bottles, and Coca-Cola gained roughly 25 million Facebook followers.

A Distinctly Personal Experience

What did Coke tap into that prompted this momentous reaction?

In part, it was the desire for a personal experience. For teens and millennials, personalization is not just a fad, but a way of life. Today's consumers place a high value on self-expression, individual storytelling, and staying connected. Coke powerfully aligned playfulness, fun handheld products, and customization in a campaign for the ages.

In today's global economy, consumers are more aware of product options and of what other people are buying. Subsequently, they've become more demanding about the products they purchase. Deloitte Global found that 36 percent of consumers expressed interest in purchasing personalized products or services and one in five were willing to pay 20 percent more for these options. Customization gives companies an edge in cosmetics, clothing, food prep, and toys, to name a few. 

Personalized offerings add costs to the manufacturer but frequently result in higher profits because of:

• A price premium associated with the benefits
  
• More loyal, satisfied customers
  
• Greater word of mouth because of the increased satisfaction and the "surprise factor" associated with an unexpected range of options
  
• Enhanced customer experience via creativity and individual expression
  
• Precise taste matching and less need to compromise
  

How About You?

Do your customers value experience and self-expression? How could you offer this more in your products or services?

It may be as simple as engraving someone's name in a glasses case or upgrading products with matching accessories. French cosmetics brand Guerlain started offering customizable lipsticks by allowing clients to choose their own combination of case and lipstick color. Customization allows brands to grow consumer engagement and solidify brand loyalty, which is especially powerful in younger markets.

Forbes offers several talking points for firms considering customization:

• What are the incremental costs associated with the customization options and how will they impact profitability?
  
• How many options are necessary and what's the incremental benefit as the number increases? What price premium will consumers be willing to pay?
  
• Which customization options will be the most incremental to maximize sales? A research tool called a TURF (Test of Unduplicated Reach & Frequency) Analysis can help you assess.
  
• What level of logistical, operational, and labor complexity will this involve? How often should customization options be updated?
  

Charlie Gu, CEO and co-founder of marketing agency Kollective Influence, says one budget-friendly customization strategy is the "module" approach. Instead of creating a product from scratch, businesses can offer several component options that can be mass-produced and easily assembled:

"Give customers choices, and then let them choose—customization within a framework," he advises. "It doesn't actually require any customization of the actual product. The consumers are essentially just picking their own color, but to them, it feels totally customized."

How to Use a Clear Call to Action to Convert Customers

"The maxim 'Nothing avails but perfection' may be spelt shorter: 'Paralysis.'"

(Winston Churchill)

Have you ever wondered how lion tamers keep wild cats nearly three times their size at bay?

While methods have evolved over the years, traditionally lions were subdued by three tools: a whip, a stool, and a handful of tasty snacks. While the whip or snacks make sense, perhaps you wonder why a stool was used (instead of a sword or a flame, for example)?

How can a small piece of furniture intimidate the king of all cats?

The truth is, the lion is not afraid of the chair, he's confused by the multiple points on its legs. Cats are single-minded creatures, and the bobbing points of the chair legs confuse the lion into a less focused state. When the lion loses its train of thought, it is distracted from the instinct to pounce on a weaker opponent. 

Muddled Communication Can Paralyze Your Prospects

Ever try to rush your kids through breakfast and get stuck at the cereal cupboard?

As they browse a shelf of eight boxes, they slump and groan: "There's nothing to eat!" What started as a hurry-up turns into a traffic jam. You vow that next time, you'll only offer toast and Cheerios.

When we don't give customers a simple, singular call to action, they may also fall into decision fatigue.

Does your website or your print materials overwhelm customers with possibilities?

Psychologist Sheena Iyengar, a professor at Columbia Business School, co-authored a study that showed significantly more conversions happened when shoppers had fewer options. In her example, shoppers had to choose from a display with six different flavors of jam versus a display with 24 different flavors of jam. How did they compare? The conversion rate for the six-flavor table was 30%, while the 24-flavor table was only 3%.

Analysis can lead to paralysis!

What about your method for calling prospects to action? Does your advertisement ask them to commit to a 30-day trial AND use a customer discount code DURING a selected 14-day window? Does your podcast ask people to share with a friend, AND subscribe, AND download previous episodes (all in one breath)?

Perhaps you need to take a step back and use these three evaluation tools:

1. Know Your Main Goal

When you ask people to do several tasks at once (like visiting your website and joining your e-mail list), you've probably overshadowed your main goal with several smaller goals.

Focus on one main goal for customer conversion, and use customer loyalty programs down the road to call customers to greater steps of engagement or loyalty.

2. Test Action Statements in Advance

If your communication is a mist in the office, it's probably a fog on the streets. To determine which CTAs are crystal clear, run some A/B tests with sample customers and find out which ones are generating momentum.

3. Pack Some Punch

Start call to action statements with a strong command verb, like buy, shop, order, subscribe, or win.

Use concise phrases that build enthusiasm. Which of these CTA statements excites you more?

"Consider many of our 200 exciting destination possibilities," or

 "Plan your dream vacation today!"

Keep things sweet, simple, and customer-focused. Once they take the bait you can always present them with more!

Featured Promotional Product: Sunglasses

Promo items can be blah, but they don't have to be! We have a bright idea that will help keep your clients and customers cool this summer: sunglasses. Not just any pair of sunglasses. These glasses are designed to have your logo printed on the sides, and even the lenses!  Can you think of a better way to have all eyes on your business? 

This is the perfect promotional item for events that are outdoors, such as craft fairs, art festivals, music festivals, sporting events, charity events, marathons and many more. Think of how cool your company will look with hundreds of people wearing these sunglasses with your logo. 

Call us at Minuteman Press Boca Raton (561) 325-8052 today to jump start your summer marketing items with these new shades.

Promotional Product Ideas for Your Business

Last week we were in Orlando for the ASI Show, the ad specialty's #1 meeting place, learning about all of the latest and greatest promotional products on the market for 2014. One of the fun things about our work at Minuteman Press Boca Raton is that we are always learning and staying up-to-date with the newest trends and promotional items. We do this so that you don't have to; you can trust us to do this for you.

There were hundreds of vendors showing off promotional products.  There was every color imaginable for USB drives, tote bags, glass ware , electronic gadgets, pens, bottles of water, shirts, hats, etc.   Every one of our clients could benefit from what we saw there.  Whether it be you and your staff wearing shirts with your logo, or having an item to hand out to prospective clients, and gifts for your current clients.  We have vendor guides to help you choose what is best for your business.

We have brought back so many new ideas to support your marketing campaigns, and we can't wait to talk to you about which ones fit your business goals for the New Year. Call us today to check out some of the cool new promotional items from the conference that are now available to you.

One of the highlights of the event was having the opportunity to see two of the sharks from ABC's hit show Shark Tank. That's right, we watched Barbara Corcoran and Kevin O'Leary give there feedback to four of our fellow entrepreneurs as they pitched their new products.  It was extremely exciting and they were just as straight forward and brutal as they are during the actual show.  

We are still pumped about such an awesome event and can't wait to help you so give us a call at (561) 325-8052 today to discuss your business goals and promotional item needs for 2014!

Time Management in 2014: Get More Done

There is never enough time in a day. This stands true for all of us trying to balance work, life, and the growing list of personal commitments that fill our to-do lists. One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to simply "get more done;" however, this isn't so simple. For time management - and balance - in 2014, here's a really simple tip that will help you prioritize all of your commitments.

Instead of keeping separate to-do lists - one at work, the other at home - create one list.  Combine everything that you need to get done in both places and rank your master list in order of priority. Work, family, friends, personal time: it's all your time that can't necessarily be compartmentalized.  You'll be less frazzled and more productive chipping away at your master priority list, one at a time.

Minuteman Press Boca Raton wishes you a wonderful and prosperous New Year! Get ready for 2014 by calling us at 561-392-8626 to discuss your business goals today.

Click here to read a great article from Forbes.com called If Your New Year's Resolution Is 'To Get More Done, Here's The Best Way To Do. 

November Promo

Flyers are a quick, inexpensive way to promote your business, and this month Minuteman Press Boca Raton has a flyer special that shouldn't be missed:  * 1,000 full color 8.5" x 11" two sided flyers for just $249! Or... * 2,500 for $299 Or... * 5,000 for $399 Printed flyers can be the first opportunity to spark interest and curiosity about your business. You can hand them out at business events, post them at local community bulletin boards, your local Chamber of Commerce, or utilize them for direct mail campaigns.  Here are attention-grabbing tips to get your flyers noticed.  1. Define Your Goal- What do you want your flyer to accomplish? Determine this upfront to define your messaging. 2. Write a Short, Attention-Grabbing Headline- Keep. It. Simple. Make   your headline short, simple and sprinkled with "power words:" Easy, Free, Revealed, Secret, Discover, Proven, Limited Time. Use all capital letters in a sans serif font, centered at the top of the page. Make the headline large and bold. 3. Keep Copy To The Point- Don't drown your audience in too much copy. Think fast; write copy so that it can be scanned quickly, and write from the reader's perspective using "you" and "your. 4. A Picture's Worth 1,000 Words- Bigger is better; it's more effective to use one big picture than many small pictures, making the large picture the focal point of your flyer.  5. Describe Your Photo- People are drawn to photos. They will likely look at this first, so capture the photo with a testimonial or buzz words about your business. 6. Include Your Contact Information- Where can you be found? Make your phone number, address, email address, and website very visible. 7. Lights, Camera, Action- Clearly tell people what you want them to do. Offer a special price or a limited time sale, tell them to call, use a coupon, etc. 8. Take a Good Look- Hang your flyer up and look at it from a distance. Does it grab your attention? Is it clear? Do you immediately know what it is about? 9. Edit - Double check spelling, contact information, websites, etc. to make sure it is perfect. 10. Print!- Call Minuteman Press Boca Raton to take advantage of the November special! Call Minuteman Press Boca Raton today 561-325-8052, don't let this November flyer special slip away!

Everyone Always Seems to Need a...

Pen!! Even in today's digital works where everyone is Facebooking, Tweeting, texting and emailing, people are still in meetings and at networking events always searching their pockets and purses for a pen to make a quick note.  Since everyone always seems to need a pen, why not give them what they want and as a bonus, customize it to showcase your business!  Now that is what we call a win/win situation!   With so many different options, we are here to help you pick the perfect pen. Shape, color, grip and material, we have thought of it all and depending on your needs, there is a pen that is perfect for your clients and prospects.  Call us today 561-325-8052 to place your order so that when you are out at your next networking event you can give someone more than just a business card.  Starting as low as $.39 each when you purchase 500 pens, you can't go wrong with this popular promotional item.  Attending a trade show?  Pens are a give-away that everyone loves, won't throw away and can't get enough of. If you have a retail location or office, leave them out for your clients and prospects as your special gift to them.  Once a pen leaves your office, you never know who's hands it may make it into so be sure to customize it with your logo, website and phone number.  We can't wait to help you customize your pen so give us a call today 561-325-8052 and let's get started!

October Promo

Businesses are always trying to get their message across to their prospects and customers.  We are here to help make it easy for you to showcase your products and/or services which is why we are excited to announce our October Promo: Mounted Poster Board!  

This is a great way to teach your clients more about your services.  Post them in your lobby, display them at your next trade show or bring them with you during a potential customer presentation.  Having a clear and consistent message is important for every business and we can help you find your voice and create an effective poster board that you will be proud to display.

  

Now through October 31, get a 24" x 36" mounted poster board for only $60.00. Give us a call today 561-325-8052 or come visit us in the store to place your order and/or get more information on this awesome promo!  As always, we are here to help you every step of the way from design to delivering your final product. 

Can You Handle It?

Looking for the perfect surprise to leave behind for a prospect or client? Check out these awesome glasses in different shapes and sizes.  Why are they the perfect gift? We could go on and on, but we'll share just five of the many reasons to consider. 

1.  No matter what tasty beverage someone enjoys throughout the day, you can be the one that gave them that cool glass they love to use.  Plus, the holidays are just around the corner and this is a great gift idea.    

2.  As if the mug wasn't enough, you can also fill them with candy so your clients and prospects can enjoy a sweet treat.  

3.  It may just become the cup that everyone in the office fights to use which means your business is always staying top of mind. 

4.  There are lots of colors to choose from so it is sure to match your logo and really pop! 

5.  It's different, memorable and something your clients and prospects will actually use and enjoy. 

So what are you waiting for?  Call us today to place your order 561-325-8052.