DAY Communications LLC Design & Function for Web & Print

Top Marketing Concept #3

shopper

"A bridge over troubled waters is better than burning your bridges after you've crossed them."

Companies tend to stop advertising in times of economic downturn or at a point when it just doesn't seem like the program is working. The troubled waters could be a recession or they could represent a time of year when people don't buy as much of what you sell. But at those times, what will happen if you drop your advertising? Will people forget you? Will someone steal your customers? Possibly.

Picture this: You have built a bridge, that is, a communication link to your customers. You have built up a certain amount of awareness. If you stop advertising, that will be lost. You will lose your investment. As one marketing guru has put it, "The bond of communication is too precious to break capriciously." Remember, it does take time for a program to show results. So be consistent in your efforts; regard them as an investment and be committed.

You need one bridge or program to reach, retain and cross-sell customers, and another to reach prospects. Often, people think of advertising only as a way to reach prospects, and that is unwise. In today's marketplace, retaining your customer base is a key to survival. To retain customers, do simple things like reinforcing purchase decisions with a "thank you" or with an elaborate brochure that celebrates the benefits of the purchase.

We usually court the customer with a brilliant website and gorgeous printed materials to sell the product, but once it's sold, we think all is well. However, that may be the very time when the customer begins to doubt his decision especially on large ticket items. At this point he needs a congratulations or other positive reinforcement. That will assure positive word-of-mouth advertising.

To get new customers, you need a creative advertising program which features a simple message touting customer benefits, not product attributes. Remember, a benefit is what a product or service attribute does for the customer. Make that clear to capture their attention and awareness. Then repeat the strategic yet simple message with as much frequency as your budget will allow.

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Color Talks

Color talks

Your company colors communicate. Ideally, they add suggestive and symbolic connotations to your name and logo, accentuate them, and make them more perceptible, easier to identify. Ideally, they evoke a positive response and feeling in your customers and prospects. How are your colors performing?

We all instinctively recognize that colors symbolize concepts, and even the least artistically inclined among us would know not to use bright red on a nursing home letterhead or light blue for a trial attorney. But how does one determine the right colors for a new company or for a firm seeking to update its image? How will you determine the best selection of colors for your firm brochure? Consult with us. We'll help you be original without straying from the ground rules of good taste.

Times change. Architectural styles evolve, fashions are updated, and so are the colors of business. Rapid technological change and the trend of our society toward a service economy have made fresh colors and new color combinations the rule rather than the exception, because they have the power to tell the story.

Also, colors can help you achieve various communications objectives. For example, dull colors help to reduce tension. Add gray to a vivid color to get a dull one. Or, keep that vivid color if you want people to pay attention.

Want to show you are unique? Use an eccentric color like fuchsia, or introduce an unusual color combination such as burgundy with peach rather than gray or navy as is usually seen.

The ink companies always keep pace with the times by creating new colors for graphic designers. The Internet boasts thousands of colors! We're sure there’s a new color especially for your firm.

Of course, changing colors will affect nearly all the items which identify your firm to its publics. However, as with all professional advertising, it is a justifiable operating expense, and an investment which may spur new inquiries and growth. Contact us to profit by new colors.