Puzzled?

Have you noticed these odd jigsaw-puzzle squares lately? We're seeing them more frequently in the US, and once you start looking for them, you'll be surprised how many of them are found on everyday objects now!

What are they? They're actually a type of bar code, sometimes called a 2D Bar Code, but usually referred to as a "QR Code". "QR" stands for "quick response". So...quick response to what? And...what does any of it have to do with marketing? Well...here's a "what if" situation.

What if...you were driving around neighborhoods looking for a house? Let's say you notice an interesting house with a "For Sale" sign in the front yard. And...let's say there's a QR Code printed on the sign underneath the agent's name and phone number. So...now you take out your smart phone, and using the easy, free app you've already downloaded, you snap a picture of the QR Code. (Just google QR reader to find a free app - it's that easy!)

Now the magic begins! While you're looking at your phone, a video pops up that tours you through the house, showing you features right there on the spot! Or maybe the realtor's website pops up with a slide show and all the details like square footage and amenities. And...maybe there's an exclusive offer that you can only access via the QR Code.

Wouldn't you think that was pretty cool?

What if you were the real estate agent? Wouldn't you love to be able to get all those juicy details in front of your prospects like that? Or what if you sell cupcakes? How about being able to put a QR Code on the box that leads to a video or website describing your cookies, also - and maybe a coupon for a customer to use for their next purchase?! What about QR Codes by menu items to show you nutritional info, or on clothing hang tags to show you fabric care or companion accessories?

They add no cost whatsoever to your printed pieces. They cost nothing to create and nothing to read. That's right - nothing! The value they add, however, is priceless because it allows you to market and enhance your product information any place at any time, simply by having included it.

QR Codes allow quick response that goes both ways. If someone wants information about your product, they can get it immediately. If you want to know more about the prospect who's looking at your product, analytics can tell you what they're looking for. It's a win-win!

That's not so puzzling, is it?!

Mary Beth Smith

for The AG Marketing Companion

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We're always ready to help you put together a campaign using QR Codes and other cool new technologies. When you're ready, contact Sherry Perry at 214-363-1101 or sperry@alphagraphics.com

5 Rules for Marketing with Social Media

I've noticed that a lot of companies who are beginning to use social media networking as a marketing tool repeatedly urge new users to post regular entries to their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and/or Blogs. While that sounds like the right thing to do, I think there's something fundamentally more urgent: Developing a network! Frankly, if you don't have an audience, it doesn't MATTER if you post - No one is going to see it!!

If you're interested in spreading your message, you absolutely MUST develop an audience. Here are 5 ways to help you do that:

Start with people you know.
Invite your personal friends and customers to join your business network - not so you can use your network as a megaphone to shout sales pitches at them - just to be able to engage and stay up with things. Here's a hint about Facebook: Once you have 25 fans (likes) on your Fan Page, you can customize the URL, ie., facebook.com/AGMarketingCompanion. This makes it really easy to post links to it in other places. I really encourage you to set up a separate Facebook page for your business, rather than use your personal profile for business purposes.

Reach out to people you'd LIKE to know.
When you invite them, include a personal note about why you'd like to connect. Please, though...don't write someone a note saying "I want you to be my friend so I can sell you stuff." Just tell them something you appreciate or admire about them, and that you'd like to stay in touch. You'd be surprised how many people will respond to your sincerity. If you're on Twitter, find people who interest you and follow them. Many of them will follow you back.

Include your social media sites in your signature.
Whether it's your email, your business cards, websites, or brochures - Anywhere your name or company name appears, your social media sites need to appear also. If space allows, invite people to follow you. Perhaps you can make a special offer, such as exclusive discounts, free e-books or guides, etc., that are only available through your social media site.

Respond to Blogs and Discussion Groups.

Everytime you post a brilliant comment on someone's Blog, include your own social media URL. People who like what you say will want to follow you. The same premise applies to Discussion Groups on LinkedIn. When you participate and engage with discussion threads, you will find yourself networking with people who will either request to connect with you, or will respond to YOUR request to connect. Either way, you're building a network - an audience!

Post links to all your social sites on other social sites.
Here's how this works: (1) You post an interesting article on your Facebook page. (2) You announce it on Twitter, including your customized Facebook URL in 140 characters or less! (3) Now, go over to LinkedIn, and announce it on your update status, along with the URL. (4) While you're on LinkedIn, visit one of your discussion groups. Start a news discussion about your Facebook page, and include...you guessed it...the link! LI will allow you to add your other discussion groups to the distribution list, and within moments, you can be in front of thousands of people. Seriously!

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OK - that's enough for now! There are other tactics you can use, but if you just start with the first two listed above, you'll be making a great start! THEN you can feel good about posting your updates, because people will actually SEE them!

Advanced networking can be time consuming, so just start with what you CAN do and don't fret about what you can't handle immediately. This is a process, not a deadline. If, on the other hand, you want to ramp up your social network marketing, you can certainly hire people to handle it for you. If that's something you're interested in, you can always contact Sherry Perry at our Park Cities location (214-363-1101 or sperry@alphagraphics.com) and she'll be happy to discuss it with you!

Let me know if any of this is helplful - I like hearing from you! Tell me what you'd like to know more about, and I'll include it in a blog entry for everyone.

Mary Beth Smith

The AG Marketing Companion

http://www.linkedin.com/in/printwithmarybethsmith

Repeat After Me

Repetition is an impressively powerful tool for your marketing. Look at this great advertising piece on the left. It would be hard to forget it simply because of the way it looks.

Repetition has a lot to do with your reputation. Did you ever notice that what gets repeated the most is perceived as not only important, but permanent, even though it may be neither.

Repetition also has a lot to do with education. "Repeat after me" is a common opening to learning something. We sing jingles over and over and find that we have memorized them without even trying. We practice certain techniques repeatedly until they seem natural. Do you even think about it when you tie your shoes now? Of course not! You repeated the action until it became so natural that you do it perfectly without even paying attention.

It only stands to reason that repetition plays an incredibly strong role in marketing your business. However, it not just the content of your message that must be repeated. The look of your message needs to be consistently repeated in every form. Do your business cards, letterhead, and envelopes repeat the same colors, logos and typeface? Are they all on the same paper? What about labels, gift bags, pens, magnets, signs, presentation folders?

When you repeat something, you reinforce it. Your message repeated becomes memorable. By repeating your look as well, you are bonding it with your communications. You have increased the impact by involving multiple senses.

The challenge comes with integrating all the parts and pieces of your product, your message, your medium and your frequency. Look at the poster at the top of this article. Would it have been as effective if they had repeated the image of something other than the apples? The artist did an engaging job of creating interest and memory by using an image that supported the message.

I'll practice what I preach by repeating an earlier statement:

"When you repeat something, you reinforce it."

Mary Beth Smith

The AG Marketing Companion

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The AG Marketing Companion is sponsored by AlphaGraphics of Park Cities and North Dallas. We are always ready to support you in your marketing efforts with consulting, planning, budgeting and production. If you would like to schedule an appointment to learn more about our services, please call Sherry Perry at 214-363-1101.

How Big is Big?

If you're an elephant, a skyscraper is big. If you're a mouse, a dog is big. Any way you look at it, big is relative. What does that have to do with marketing a business? Well...it may be that instead of deciding what "big" means, it would be better to focus on "bigger" instead.

If your company employs 100 people, adding 20 more at one time would make them bigger, but not so much that it would shake up everything the company does. On the other hand, if your company employs 8 people and adds 20 more at one time, you're going to see a lot of changes in everything that goes on. For most companies, this would be extremely disruptive, even though it seems like a good thing to be growing enough to hire more people.

When it comes to marketing a business, the planning needs to account for the current size of the company, and the style and pace of the marketing. You want to get bigger, but you want to keep it manageable without turning your company completely upside down!

ALL companies, whether smaller or bigger, can benefit greatly from appropriate marketing. Not every company needs a full-blown agency approach OR budget. Most companies are small enough that they can work with a knowledgeable marketing support services provider at a much lower cost, and drive growth at a level that allows them to become bigger - but not so big that they implode in the process.

Mary Beth Smith

The AG Marketing Companion

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AlphaGraphics of Park Cities, North Dallas and SMU can support your marketing needs, and welcomes the opportunity to talk with you any time. Call Sherry at 214-363-1101, and mention this blog post to receive a $200 consultation at no charge. If you'd rather email her, that's even easier: sperry@alphagraphics.com.

Be sure and reference the blog post to get your special offer - $200 is pretty big!