Creating a Newsletter That Inspires Customer Loyalty

A newsletter gives you a direct communication link to your customers, whether you choose to write a weekly, monthly or quarterly newsletter. If you follow these simple tips, your customers will not only look forward to reading your newsletter, but you’ll likely discover the benefit of customer loyalty.

Here’s what to include in your next newsletter:

• A greeting from the owner – A short greeting from the president or CEO to begin your newsletter will resonate with customers, especially if a headshot is included. Customers like to feel important, and reading a message from the owner will help personalize the company and create customer loyalty.

• Spin a story – Give each newsletter a specific theme and include a related anecdote or at least write the articles in an engaging manner so that they feel like stories instead of product advertisements. A creative writer can help highlight product points in a lively way that engages readers instead of turning them off.

• Invite customer participation – In the same way that spinning a story makes your newsletter more personable, including real stories from actual customers will also enhance your business. A photo of the happy customer will go a long way towards inspiring other customers to come forward with their positive experiences and help your business grow.

• Let a professional handle the newsletter – A freelance or professional writer can make a world of difference by ensuring your newsletter is well-written, creative and error-free. A professional writer will also see your business objectively and be able to create a newsletter that keeps your customers coming back for more.

• Brighten your newsletter with graphics – A newsletter is designed to both inform and entertain, but it’s not a report and shouldn’t read or present like one. A colorful newsletter that balances written content with relevant graphics will keep readers engrossed without overwhelming them with too many words! Make sure the graphics look professional and so your newsletter retains its professional feel.

Your newsletter should inspire customer loyalty by letting your customers get to know your business better and thus improving the relationship. A professionally written and edited newsletter will only increase the perception that your business is well-run and deserves the loyalty of its readers.

4 Strategies for Creating Brochures that Sell

A great brochure is one of the most versatile marketing tools available, winning old and new customers alike.  A printed brochure can be used for direct mail marketing, given to inquiring customers, handed out at events, and even posted on bulletin boards.  If you want to reach your customers effectively with brochures, then read on to find out how you can make your brochures stand out.

Print Photos and Images

Your brochure printing job should contain clear, colorful images that promote your product or service without being distracting.  Photos should be produced by a professional and have the following qualities:

• Lighting – Images should be well lit from all angles and sides.
• Close on subject – Stay away from wide shots.  Use close-up images that show detail.
• Crop – Photos and images should be cropped and sized for the best effect and use of space.

Use Clear, Brief Descriptions

Brochure printing generally uses only 2 sides of a standard 8-1/2′ x 11″ paper.  If you have a lot to say about your business (and what business owner doesn’t?), you need to carve your copy and use brief descriptions that offer clear word pictures.  A brochure is not the place to write novel-length product descriptions.  Save that for a catalog printing.  Use the brochure to get a customer’s attention and call for more information.

Utilize Lists

A brochure’s real estate is limited.  Part of a great brochure printing design is the use of white space, or blank space, behind and beside text.  That is why lists make a great pairing with brochures.  Use bullet lists, numbered lists, or any type of list that provide easy-to-read benefits to your potential customers.

Highlight with Font

The use of font in a brochure is vital.  Font style should match your business.  For instance, a financial services business would not use a script font, but a jewelry designer might.  Font size is also important.  Use large font for headings and subheadings.  Grab the reader’s attention with catchy headings.  Utilize bold and italics for emphasis on lists or other important details in your brochure copy.

Good brochure printing choices can turn an unmemorable brochure into a customer catching marketing masterpiece.  Take some time to develop your brochure.  Better yet, hire a professional copywriter and graphic designer who know how to use these techniques to create a winning brochure.

How to Make Your Newsletter Valuable

An important marketing document is the newsletter.  Newsletters can be a great way to stay in touch with your customers, keeping your company at the forefront of their minds.

If you want to send out a newsletter to your customers, here are some valuable tips to help you achieve the most out of your newsletter printing.

• A short message from the leader – A brief introduction from the CEO, president or owner of your business keeps them in touch with your customer base.  If customers feel that the business leader is approachable, it is likely they will come back.

• Know the difference between providing information and writing a story – People want to read stories.  A newsletter that contains a lot of product information and descriptions is not likely to be read in its entirety.  Format your newsletter articles with stories that have an angle on a product or creatively describes how a particular service benefits other customers.  An article reveals the secrets of a product – not just its two-dimensional description.

• Include customer testimonials – In each newsletter, you should highlight a customer who is willing to provide a stellar testimonial.  Include photos if possible.  A positive testimonial in a newsletter gives your customers the idea that you provide a valuable service or product and they can benefit just the same.

• Hire professional writers and editors – A newsletter that is poorly written and edited does not gather a lot of attention from customers.  You can add that extra edge to your newsletter by hiring a professional writer, or even various contributing freelancers, as well as an editor, who are able to pen fantastic, clean copy free of errors and keeps the reader’s attention.

• Use graphics – A newsletter full of words looks like a daunting task to readers.  Don’t just fill your newsletter with words and headlines, but add photos and graphics that help emphasis your message.  Try to avoid using cheesy clipart images that are simply cute but have no meaning to an article, and avoid too many graphics that detract from the message.  At least one graphic per page is a good standard.

Your newsletter can be an important communication tool with your current and past customers and clients.  However, don’t produce a newsletter for the sake of a newsletter; make your newsletter printing shine and promote your company in the best light.

4 Ideas for Catalog Printing Layouts

How can you design your catalog printing layout so that customers will most easily see your products and their details?   If you want your products to shine and translate into more sales, here are four important ideas for your catalog printing layout.

1. Column Layout

The most easily read catalog printings are symmetrical and evenly spaced between products.  The column format is very organized and simply places a photo or illustration of your product with a description below it.  Column layout for catalog printing is especially effective for products that require more detailed descriptions, product specifications, and bullet lists of features.

2. Row Layout

The row layout for catalog printing is another popular organized design.  This style uses table rows to display your product and provide a written description beside it.  Catalog printing sizes generally have a longer page height than width, allowing for more rows on each page.  This gives you more space to include more products per page.

3. Magazine Layout

Catalog printing using a magazine layout takes up more space, but is better used when you want to include multiple photos of a product and have more space for text copy.  This style resembles a magazine article where you may find photos aligned left, right, and center in the midst of text.  This catalog printing style may be best used for high end products where you can include a close-up photo and multiple other photos with the product in use.  Magazine style layout may require both a professional writer for great copy, as well as a graphic designer for the best possible layout design.

4. Open Combination Layout

The open combination catalog printing layout allows the use of a variety of layout designs.  You may include both row and column product layouts on the same page.  Or you could include a table grid of products within a magazine page layout overview.  Although there is more freedom with this style, it should definitely be taken on by a professional layout designer.

Your catalog printing layout is an important design element for your promotional marketing document.  Take the time to consider how you want to list and highlight your products so that customers are compelled to buy.

How Well Does Your Business Stationery Represent Your Brand?

Your brand is your business identity.  Do you communicate your business brand with your letterhead and envelopes?  Business stationery printing is an important process in keeping your brand on a proverbial pedestal.

Your brand is not just a business name or logo.  It is the reputation associated with your business and should be reflected in the name, logo, or slogan.  That is why business stationery is important part of your branding strategy and should contain the names and logos that are associated with your brand.  Here are some questions to ask yourself when considering branding as part of your business stationery printing:

Is my business logo too big or small?

Business logos are one of the main identifiers of a business.  Think of the Golden Arches of McDonalds or a BMW circular logo.  These logos absorb much of the identity of these successful businesses.  Your letterhead and envelopes should always have your logo printed clearly at the top or the side and not look to small or too large on the page.

Do I use effective colors on letterhead?

Business stationery printing should be somewhat conservative and not look too busy to a reader.  Letterhead and envelope paper should be white or off-white, and any colors you use with your business name, logo, or slogan should offer good contrast to the page.  For instance, if your logo is yellow, it may not appear well on top of white paper.  Perhaps putting the yellow logo against a contrasting square of color, such as black or gray, might help your logo pop out better on the page.

Do I have a useful slogan?

Business letterhead and envelopes are a great place to put a slogan.  A slogan should be under or away from your business name and logo, and be short and succinct.  A clever slogan on letterhead can promote your business branding well.

Does my business name and logo set me apart?

Effective business branding requires that your business be set apart from your competition.  Be sure your name and logo does this and is clearly and proudly presented on your business letterhead and envelopes.

Effective business stationery printing can last for years if designed and presented properly.  Consider your business brand on your letterhead and envelopes and make them work for you.