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Showing posts from June, 2018

Change Your Scenery, Change Your Outlook

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On the sixth floor of a Boston office building, a sprawling Art Deco lounge gives way to a row of small, glass-walled offices. While the offices seem identical, the residents are not. As you stroll down the hall, you’ll encounter data scientists developing smart-home technology, tech rooms packed with drones and virtual reality headsets, a venture capital start-up, or even employees of Amazon, General Electric, or Liberty Mutual insurance. What do they have in common? A desire to change scenery and synergy through shared office space. “Moving out of the corporate office empowered us to think and work differently ,” said Adam L’Italien, Liberty Mutual’s director of innovation. While Liberty wasn’t short on space, three years ago the company moved its Boston-based innovation center to a rent-by-the-month office space called “WeWork.” WeWork is one player in a co-working explosion in Boston. Since the start of 2017, co-working operators have leased 1.3 million square feet of office sp

Printed Reminders Keep Sales on Track

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Remembering to go to the doctor or dentist's office was much simpler back in the day when nearly everyone had a printed calendar. You would go home after a visit and immediately add your next visit to your calendar. The complexities of life today means that it can be tough to keep track of everything, even if you're putting follow-up visits in your smartphone. The cost of a missed office visit can really add up over time, causing professionals to lose thousands of dollars per year. The tiny cost of creating a simple printed reminder that can be saved to your patients' fridge provides an extra touch point for busy individuals. Improved Experiences Improving the experience of patients in today's competitive environment may mean the difference between a growing and robust practice and one that dwindles away over the years. One physician's office saw the benefits firsthand when Dr. Marcus L. decided to implement small printed reminders for his patients. As a family

How to Bring in Trade Show Traffic

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Picture this: it's three weeks before your next trade show, and you're no closer to formulating a plan of attack. Last year, the public milling about your booth was polite but lackluster. Your IT business may not be the most exciting one at the trade show, but you know you can do better. The good news is that you can. Here are some unique things you can combine with your print marketing efforts for maximum trade show results:  Look for Ways to Be Different A company in Los Angeles called Finders Key Purse found they got the notice they wanted at trade shows by thinking slightly outside the box. Their product was aimed to make it easier for women to find their keys in their overflowing purses. Because they wanted to market their product primarily to college women, they decided to dress up as cheerleaders to make their booth both themed and identifiable.  The tactic had nothing to do with looking like a group of sorority sisters. The actual staff of the company was mostly c

Coupons that Count

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Persuasive Promotions Can Transform Browsers to Buyers Are you the child of a parent who meticulously clipped coupons to pinch pennies? As the pace of life has accelerated, the frequency of in-store couponing has decreased, in part because online coupon codes and apps have blossomed. But coupon promotions are not a thing of the past! According to the 2017 Holiday Shopper Report , 92 percent of consumers say promotions influence their holiday purchasing decisions. And coupons can be the catalyst that converts people from browsing to buying. So which types of promotions do your clients want, and how can you use them most effectively? Here are a few tips to sharpen your focus. Keep it Simple and Straightforward Have you ever tried to use a coupon only to find the fine print disqualifies almost every purchase? This “fake sale” frustration can turn off clients from your company for good. Keep your coupons and discounts simple – avoid the fine print and honor the effort consume

How Building Effective Teams Can Supercharge Your Business

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Team building can be an overused cliche in business circles, but there is something truly magical about what a cohesive team can create together. Individuals working alone are able to contribute specific tasks towards a goal, but a team working together adds energy and power to push their achievements higher. This is one of the reasons there are so many books and manuals focused on building effective teams. If you have never seen this in action you may not believe the synergy that can be attained -- it is almost like a force of nature. See how building effective teams will maximize employee productivity and happiness as well as helping you retain your hardest workers.  Effective Teams Bring Their "A" Game A Gallup article from a few years ago stated that up to  70% of employees are showing up to work disengaged , costing the American economy billions of dollars every year in lost productivity. When you find ways for these individuals to connect to one another, they become

Get Proactive With These Summer Marketing Ideas for Outdoor Events

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With school ending and summer starting, adults and children alike will be spending as much time as possible outdoors at home and community events. In most locations, summer weekends are chock full of local and regional events that attract a wide array of people. Some events attract local residents of a community or region, while larger events can bring tourists into an area for a few hours, day or an entire weekend. Summertime creates both opportunities and challenges for marketing to clients. While you may have more opportunities to provide products and materials for events, getting customers to walk in your front door is more difficult. Customers who like to participate in summer activities spend as much time as possible out of doors including taking vacations, days off and leaving early. So how do you take advantage of summertime doings instead of having them take advantage of you? Opportunities Let's start with the opportunities. Since people are out and about during summ

Branding Equity: What It Is and How to Build It

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Carl is a business owner who is experiencing firsthand just how much the internet has revolutionized the consumer buying process. It used to be that a simple look at your products' features was enough to sway consumers to make a purchase. But now, it's all about the brand. In fact, Carl's brand has become his most valuable asset. That is why he is doing all that he can to build his brand equity and distinguish himself from his competition.  What is brand equity? Brand equity is what your business is worth without its inventory. Or, more simply stated, it's about how valuable your brand is in the eyes of consumers and the relationships that you have with your customers.  To build brand equity, you must leave a lasting, positive impression regarding your brand in the minds of consumers. Your products and services and their demand and usefulness, of course, play a role in how well you can satisfy your customers, but they alone do not generate brand equity.  Top Tip

Every Extrovert Can Learn to Listen

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The Courage to Connect When research professor BrenĂ© Brown opened up to a TedxHouston audience about shame, vulnerability, and courage, she had no idea her message would become one of the most wildly popular TEDx talks of all time (with over 24 million views). Brown has spent the last ten years studying the power of authenticity and empathy, and poses wonderful questions like these: How do we embrace vulnerabilities and imperfections so we can live from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How can we engage people in a way that makes them feel worthwhile, brave, and willing to commit to something bigger than just a project or deadline? How can we choose courage over comfort, stretching our team to connect in ways that powerfully motivate everyone? Every Extrovert Can Learn to Listen Brown’s work hits home in the hearts of many who long for authentic relationships and want to see this come alive in their workplace. While there are many hindrances to open communication,

Everyone Is Looking to Save a Dollar: How Discounts can Improve Your Sales Revenue

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Many businesses look at offering discounts as a method for losing money. But, what they don't realize is discounts actually generate revenue and improve their brand equity. Let's take a closer look at how discounts increase sales and can put you a step ahead of your competitors.  Improve Sales Revenue First and foremost, discounts, whether they come in the form of online codes or paper coupons, will draw the attention of consumers to your business. They increase traffic and, most times, lead to a sale. Even better is that while customers are using their discounts codes on your website or in your store, they tend to look around at other products and services you have for sale, which can further boost your sales.  Spread Brand Awareness By offering discounts, you are putting your company's brand name into the minds of consumers. Even if consumers don't come to your store to use a discount, your brand name will at least be implanted into their minds. Also, if they