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What chance does your business stand in a competitive market if you are not pushing your product or service? One of the most crucial ways to increase your sales is through advertising. Success or failure of most advertisements reverts back to one thing – the ad itself.

One of the most important aspects of advertising, apart from having the graphics, logos and images look professional, is the way it is written. The main objective is to make the reader want to purchase the product or service. It sounds hard, but there is a simple formula to follow.

1. Use words that will attract attention. (Words like free, new, last chance, bargain, discount)
2. Make it interesting
3. Create a desire for the product or service
4. Elicit immediate action

The one basic rule of writing copy for advertisements is: If the ad does not grab the attention of the reader, it will be quickly forgotten. The most successful advertising copywriters always adhere to the above method.
If writing is not your forte, then it’s best to outsource your work to a professional copywriter. It may sound expensive, but it’s better to get it right the first time than to spend hundreds of dollars on advertising and have little or no results.

There are a multitude of theories and formulas you can try when it comes to direct mail campaigns but the most successful campaigns have four essential elements in common.

1. Your Offer
Every good direct mail campaign has an offer. People love freebies. Instant giveaways are an incentive to purchase and far surpass the motivation to purchase for a single entry in a prize draw. Ensure you research your giveaway and keep it straightforward without hundreds of terms and conditions. If the reward is likely to be attractive (e.g.: IPod, Flash drive, Vouchers) make it the feature of your campaign.

2. Your Presentation
Professional results are imperative. You won’t get a good response if your company comes across as looking dodgy with sub-standard images, logos, design and copywriting.
Not a trained graphic designer? Don’t have the gift of writing clear, concise copy? Then outsource the work to someone who knows what they are doing.

3. Your Customer Database
Businesses close down and senior staff change jobs so customer databases can quickly become outdated. Ensure your database is kept accurate. There is no point sending a flier to someone who has moved or has asked to be removed from the system.
A good database will include as much information about your customers as possible. Look for patterns with their information to group them into smaller, more manageable groups. By doing this, you can target individuals more likely to take up your offer.

4. Fine Tune it
Critique your own work. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Be critical, if you received this direct mail campaign would you respond immediately or simply delete it?
Does it read well? Is it eye-catching? Tweak it until your 100% satisfied it couldn’t be better.

“The internet is the future of advertising,” and “If your company doesn’t have a website you’re missing out on valuable customers. You’ve heard it a hundred times. If you’re one of those people who have never branched out into having a business website or you think once you have a web page, you’re on the road to a future where the roads are paved with gold – think again!

When launching into age of digital age of advertising, it’s important to know what to expect and what it will take to turn your website into a money-spinner. Simply having a professionally designed website is not enough. You’ve probably invested a lot of time, money, maybe even blood, sweat and tears to get your business off the ground. Online marketing allows you to take what you’ve built and helps it evolve.

Without online marketing, your website is like having a digital business card. If you forget to hand your business card out, you’re not exactly going to generate new leads. And that’s precisely how it works online too.
You can’t sell something that’s a secret.

On the internet superhighway, there isn’t any drive-by traffic. Traffic refers to people who land on your home page. People interested in what you services or goods you have to offer often tell other people be it face to face, via Facebook, blog or forum. The more people that hear about your website, the more probable it will be these people will also visit your website. In turn this will lead to interested individuals making a purchase.

To gain maximum exposure for your website, online marketing is a must. So how do you go about marketing your website or ensuring it’s not the world’s best kept secret? First step is to talk to a graphic designer with web experience. The second step is to ensure your all your text is search engine optimised, in other words, written specifically for search engines like Google. And last but not least is develop an online marketing strategy.

If words like online marketing, professionally designed websites and search engine optimisation make your head spin, talk to a proven professional. They will be able to assist you with making sure your website looks snazzy, is easy to navigate, the text is optimised for search engine, explain pay per click advertising and help you design online marketing strategies to take your business to the next level.

Most business cards are nothing extraordinary and get shoved into a wallet or purse where they quickly forgotten and never see the light of day again. And because of that you lose business. A prospective client will never get to know about your extended opening hours, your outstanding customer service or bonuses for repeat customers.

Business cards can say a truckload about your business. A card printed on inferior paper on your home printer or is riddled spelling mistakes it reflects on the way people think you will conduct business. It doesn’t matter if you have won thousands of awards for customer service or your products have been voted the best in Australia. If your business cards look cheap and nasty, you might as well kiss customers goodbye.An innovative and professionally printed and well-designed card sends a good first impression which will remain long after your initial meeting.

But what most people forget is a business card, no matter how attractive it is, if it doesn’t have a marketing strategy tagline, you are just throwing your money down the drain.

You need to give clients a reason to contact you- something more than just promising no appointment is necessary or that you’re located in the centre of town. You need to let people know why you are the person they should contact. Can you provide a free 15 minute hair consultation or will you offer a complimentary facial with any 30 minute massage?

What can you offer? You need to make this clear on your business card. It can be one of the most effective, portable marketing tools next to a printed brochure if done properly.
To ensure the job is done correctly, it may help to enlist the help of a graphic design studio who can give your business card the flair to grab attention and help you come up with a catchy tagline.
It will be the difference between whether your business card is stuck to the fridge or relegated to the back of a wallet.

We’ve all heard the expression outsourcing, but what exactly does it mean? Basically, it’s when one company hires another business to perform work on their behalf.

So instead of having a graphics department or using a marketing agency where promotions may run behind schedule and cost exceed your budget, your organisation might decide to outsource its art work to another company specialising in graphic design. For example; if you wanted to design flyer and posters for your next promotion, you would outsource, rather than employ a full-time designer or expensive agency.

Outsourcing is a smart, invaluable resource. So what are the benefits of outsourcing your graphic design needs?

Cost-Effective.

It’s not the only reason, but it’s certainly one of the major factors. At first the initial cost of outsourcing might seem to be expensive, but you have to look at the whole picture. For what it would cost you to set up top quality computers; graphic, web design and virus software plus upgrades. If you are currently using a marketing or advertising agency, be sure to shop around. independent graphic designer will be able to offer you a much more competitive price.

Time-Efficient.

Good outsourcing companies have resources to start jobs immediately. Their staff specialise in their niche so the quality end product is delivered to you much more quickly than if it were handled it in-house . By the time you advertised, interviewed, hired and trained the right person, with right graphic designer, the job would already be completed and on your desk.

Less Stress

Focus on what you specialise in. If your business offers services from automotive to zoo keeping, outsourcing your graphic design needs can allow you to concentrate on what you excel at. Instead of slaving in front of a computer attempting to design a flyer, write a catchy headline or crop an image, you could reduce your stress by leaving the design aspect to a professional graphic designer.

Competitive Pricing. Companies who try do everything themselves end up spending more on improvements, advertising, and distribution, all of which are passed on to clients. Designating your print or web design project to a skilled designer will enable you to lower your overheads, therefore allowing you to offer a more competitive price to your customers and increase profit.

Improve Quality.

Outsourcing your design projects to professionals who specialise in their field will guarantee a professional result. Not to mention, familiarity with market trends and can help you refine your ideas to get the message across to your target audience.

Decrease risks.

Every business venture has some level of risk – market fluctuations, competitors, government regulations, economic conditions, and forever changing technology. Outsourcing companies handle this risk for you, and given they are experts in their area, are able to decide best how to avoid these risks.