Some other things that may be of interest.

 

Brochures, folders, newsletters, annual reports and flyers

The importance of having brochures, folders, leaflets, annual reports and flyers carrying through the look of one's advertising cannot be underestimated. Whilst they're form an integral function within the marketing mix, they often get relegated to the bottom of the heap by designers and ad agencies (in favour of the more "glamorous" media types) and as a result, get churned out as quickly as possible. Here, I give them the respect they deserve, and write and design them so that they work in the marketplace. It is an undeniable fact that a well-designed leaflet or brochure left on a potential customer's desk can bring him or her that much closer to picking up the phone or sending an email whilst a professional corporate folder can leave a lasting impression. Promotional and point-of-sale material comes in all shapes and forms and I can help you with all of them. Need them printed? I can see to that too, and work with quality printers who know their stuff (and meet my deadlines). Whilst on the point of PRINTING: if you're looking for quotes on anything, I'd be happy to oblige.

 

 

 

 

Promotional Gifts

Whilst as an agency, I like to stick close to my knitting and do what I’m good at (advertising), I’m often asked for ideas pertaining to corporate gifts. And whilst this is not an area I’m actively involved in, I have an informal working relationship with two women who go out of their way to source quality gift ideas that are different from the norm. So whilst they can help with the standard T-shirts, caps, pens and lanyards, they’re adept at putting different ideas on the table. Besides the sourcing and importing of products, they also provide a “finishing” service wherein if you had one gazillion items to be packaged, labelled and delivered, they could do this too. I’ll gladly put you in touch if you’re interested.

 

 

 

Company Watches

Corporate gifting plays an important part in marketing and is seen by companies as a way of thanking clients for business passed. Of course, there are many companies who like to reward their managers or staff for their efforts too. If you're looking to give something different from the norm (and you have the budget available), a company watch may well fit the bill. Now available is a range of QUALITY watches which can be designed to your requirements. More than just having your company logo printed, you can now have your own corporate timepieces designed to incorporate your corporate identity, with for example, the face and strap of your choice. (Note: Minimum quantities. Eight week turnaround). As a corporate gift, a corporate watch can play an important part in the marketing of your company. If you'd like to see samples, I could arrange these with pleasure.

 

 

 

Magnetised marketing products

Whilst not regarded as mainstream media, magnetised marketing products in the way of fridge magnets, magnetised fridge calendars and magnetised licence disc holders are always popular with marketers and can work extremely well in terms of keeping your brand uppermind. Informal research has shown that homeowners go to the fridge eight times a day. Not that they will necessarily look at the paraphernalia stuck to their fridge doors on every occasion, but if you consider that a fridge magnet (or calendar or notepad) might be glanced at say, every few days, the effectiveness of such a low-cost item over a year is there for all to see. The same applies to a magnetised licence disc holder; it’s low cost, and it’s visible to the motorist (and his or her pasengers) on a daily basis. I work with a reliable supplier whose quality and prices are unbeatable. If you’d like samples or a pricelist, please contact me.

 

 

Mimecast

Mimecast is an emailed-based product par excellence. If your company gets its business from other businesses, you should look at it - and in particular, at its Marketing Advantage module. The reason? It allows one to cross-sell and up-sell across one's products and services. Used correctly, Mimecast can help you gain more business from your existing clients, and bring your products and services to the attention of prospective clients. Mimecast will also be of interest to your IT department due to its anti-spam, anti-virus, message warehousing, statistical reporting and compliancy functionalities. If you'd like to have the product demonstrated to you, I could organise it with pleasure.

 

Street Pole Advertising

Street pole ads are everywhere, and there’s a reason for this. They work. By providing repetitive in-the-face exposure on high traffic volume routes, street pole advertisements can get your message across to motorists on a daily basis – whilst on their way to work in the mornings and on their return in the evenings. And not only motorists. Double-sided display panels allow for specific directional messaging to targeted commuter and pedestrian audiences too. If you’re considering outdoor advertising, don’t have the budget for large billboards and want to “own an area”, street pole ads are without doubt the way to go. The medium cries out for creativity, so the more creative you are, the better the result. If you’d like to ascertain street pole availability (on a national basis), I can get this to you with pleasure.

 

CEO Communicator

One of the designer/programmer/software developers I work with has designed a product that can help you take the hassle out of event management. The time and organisation typically incurred in inviting people to product launches, cocktail parties and golf days and confirming their attendance, shirt size, name of partner and culinary preferences are over. Through CEO (Complete RSVP and Invitation Management), he can design your invites, send them out, collate the RSVP's, communicate with those who have confirmed their attendance and let you know final figures, tee off times, shirt sizes, names of partners and all the other information you may be requiring. To the busy event management organiser, public relations company, marketing assistant or marketing manager, the tried and tested CEO Communicator is a winner and well worth looking into. If you're interested, I could set up a demo presentation.

SMS Marketing

Glamorous it isn’t, but as an advertising medium, sms marketing (or bulk sms as it is often called) is simply hard to beat. If you consider that there are in excess of forty three million cellphone users in this country, and that nearly all these cellphone numbers are on leading sms-provider databases, you’re looking at a medium with enormous potential: more powerful than TV advertising, more powerful than radio advertising, more powerful than outdoor advertising, newspaper advertising, magazine advertising or pretty much any other form of advertising you’d care to mention. And what’s important is that unless people have opted-out from receiving sms messages, you, as a marketer, are entitled to sms them. What’s more, bulk sms sends can now be demographically segmented so you can reach only those you’d like to. When you consider that a good 90% of sms messages received are opened and read, and that the average response rate is between 0.8% up to 14% (depending on the offer), you have an advertising medium that can really work for you. Whilst companies with large marketing budgets will look at sms sends of up to a million per month, smaller companies can test the waters with an initial send of perhaps twenty thousand - so it’s by no means something out of reach to those with limited advertising budgets. Want to know more? I can put you in touch with a leading sms marketing company, whose rates are amongst the cheapest in the industry.

Business Strategy

When times are tough and sales are down, companies sometimes feel that a new marketing strategy, backed by a substantial investment in advertising and promotion, will deliver a “silver bullet”. This is not always true. In many instances, the underlying cause of declining sales and profitability can be attributed to either operational inefficiencies or a business strategy that is no longer relevant. Getting one’s business back on track should always take precedence over marketing. If you feel you’re in a need of a business “health check”, I have an informal working relationship with a sharp business improvement consultancy whose directors have been in business a long time and are high powered in every respect. I’d be happy to put you in contact.