A Better Business Card for Your Business

Business cards are often the first impression that customers get of your small business. Good designing and printing of a business card is therefore very important.

Blue Dog Marketing uses high quality printers for our clients’ business cards. We make sure that our printers use durable card stock and the proper coating. Some clients like a high gloss coating, while others want a matte finish. It’s a personal preference. We also accommodate our clients by offering a matte side, which you can write on, and a high gloss side, which not only looks nice but strengthens the card so it won’t bend in your pocket.

A good business card should provide enough details to customers so they will remember who you are and what you do.

Important features of a business card

Aside from your name, title, company name, phone number and email address, your business card should have the following:

Your Website

This enables customers to reach and find additional information, which is not provided in the business card. Make sure your website is regularly updated to provide current information and new services or products that are available.

Business Logo

Businesses have different logos. It is therefore important that you include your business logo to identify your business.

Print on both sides

Don’t leave one side of your business card blank. That’s like passing a blank billboard on the highway.

The side of your card that usually is blank can contain a listing of your offered services, a place for writing an appointment date/time, or even just your mission statement.

Your Picture (optional)

Some clients want their picture on their business card. If you want this option, have a professional photo taken specifically for your business card.

Blue Dog Marketing designs creative business cards for our clients. Need a new card, give us a call! 

Most Popular Social Media Sites

There are many social media choices for a small business to use to promote its products or services. Which one, or ones, you use depends on your business. Here are the five most popular social media sites.

Facebook:  Share posts on your personal and business pages.

Twitter: Schedule your posts on Twitter 2-3 times a day.

Pinterest: Create a board specifically for your business. Post pictures several times a week.

LinkedIn: Share your blogs on your personal LinkedIn profile, your company LinkedIn page and in groups you belong to. Just get permission from the group owner.

Google+: Share your posts with your circles and publicly on Google+ for added SEO benefits. 

Social Marketing

What is "Social Marketing"? Simply put, it is marketing your goods and/or services through social media. Today, social media is the fastest growing platform for business marketing. Facebook is the largest and most popular. 

Your customers and potential customers are communicating to each other, and the entire world, through social media. Why not join them?

Facebook is a very strong marketing medium. This is a great place to start by creating a page designed for your business or niche.

Another social site that is really gaining in popularity is Google+. Like Facebook, Google+ also gives you the ability to setup "pages" with unique headers and profile images. You can setup as many as you want and they are all separate and unique with their own circles.

LinkedIn is the social media site that really is designed for business. This site shares your business profile information and connects you with others who are either like-minded or looking for your type of business

When you start marketing on social networks, be sure to read the terms of service agreements of each site you intend to market on and be sure you follow the terms. This way you will not get blocked or banned.

Remember, it’s social media, so be social. Interact with your followers. Respond to posts and engage your followers in a social conversation. Social media helps you build trusting relationships with your customers and potential customers.

The Do’s of PowerPoint Presentations

In our last blog post, we told you the “don’ts” of PowerPoint presentations. Now, let’s take a look at the “do’s”.

Here are some tips for an effective PowerPoint presentation:

Use legible font size

36 to 40 points for titles is good. Body copy, which is properly bulleted, should be at least 24 points.

Be concise

Be concise with your content. A good rule of thumb in this regard is to cut the paragraphs down to sentences, sentences into phrases and phrases into concise keywords. Keywords help your audience focus on your message. Use these keywords as bullet points on slides.

Maximum readability

Don't stuff your presentation with paragraphs (see above). Use normal case and punctuate sparingly. Do not use "ALL CAPS" which seems awkward.

Make every word and visual count

Every word and visual in your PowerPoint presentations should help you convey your intended message in the strongest possible way.

Limit the number of slides

A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute.

Follow these tips and you’ll have a successful presentation!

Remember, PowerPoint is a tool to enhance your presentation. Don't let your presentation slides overwhelm you and your message.

The Don'ts of PowerPoint Presentations

Blue Dog Marketing attends many meetings and conferences. We see all types of PowerPoint presentations. Some awesome….and some awful!

What type of PowerPoint presentations do you create? Do you excite, motivate and educate your audience? Or do you put them to sleep?

Now, we don’t want you making these mistakes.

Don't overuse visuals and effects

Use sound, animation, and other visual effects to emphasize key points, but don't let them become distracting. Before using a visual in your presentation you should be convinced of its utility.

Don't use more than 5 words per line or 5 lines per slide

Don't use unnecessary words

Don’t use too many words

Do not use too many words or include non-essential information in your presentations.

Avoid hard-to-read color combinations

Color combinations like red/green, brown/green, blue/black and blue/purple are hard to read. Use high contrast between the backgrounds and the text.

Proofread, proofread, proofread!

Proofreading is very important and mustn't be skipped. You don’t want misspelled words or incorrect grammar.

Business in the Spotlight: The Bistro at Towpath Café in Fairport

Are you looking for a great place to have dinner that has an outdoor deck by water and evening entertainment on the weekends?  The Bistro at Towpath Café, located at 6 North Main Street, Fairport, in the Box Factory building is the place for you! Their deck is a wonderful outdoor dining experience.

The Bistro at Towpath Café offers great food and awesome service accompanied by a perfect view of the Erie Canal and one of the most unique lift bridges in the world.

Neil Clark opened the Towpath Café in January 2009 as a coffee shop. In May 2011, Neil expanded the café to include a dining room and large deck. The Towpath Café hosts open mic night on Thursday evenings and live local musicians on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Towpath just has launched a sake bar to deliver a unique year-round drinking experience to their customers. They are creating all of your favorite drinks using sake and they taste awesome, according to their customers. They are offering frozen, blended daiquiris, such as the popular green apple, Pina Colada, mago, strawberry, raspberry and mixed berry, chocolate martinis, mojitos, Bloody Marys and a perfect Cosmopolitan. On a hot summer night, what could be more refreshing than a cucumber cooler martini!

In the cool seasons, the dining room of the Towpath Café is warm, inviting place to have dinner or book a party.

Check out their website at www.towpathcafe.com and “like” them on Facebook.

3 Tips for Creating Your Website

Most small businesses today have a website. Some pay large sums of money to have their website designed by professional companies. Others use one of many companies where you can create your own website.

When creating your site, it is important to focus on three areas: your business philosophy, your niche and your goals and objectives.

Your Business Philosophy

What is a first time visitor to your website’s first impression of you? What does your site say to them? Is your philosophy stated in a clear and meaningful manner? Does your website clearly state your main message?

Studies show that people browsing the web spend on average 3-5 minutes before determining whether to remain on the site. Your home page must “speak” to your viewers and attract them to stay on your site.

Your Niche

Can visitors tell how you are different from your competition? Have you indicated and identified your niche? Do you tell your readers what the advantages are for them to use you?

On your home page, you must speak to your customers’ problems and let them know you have a solution.

Your Goals and Objectives

Do you have goals and objectives? What are you trying to say about what you do, how you do it and why you do it better than others?

Do you communicate your goals and objectives effectively and clearly so that potential customers can see that your business is the one they should choose?

By emphasizing who you are, what you do, and why you are outstanding, your website will work for you by increasing your leads and growing your business.

5 Blogging Tips

Blogging can boost your current marketing efforts. It’s easy to set up a blog (go to www.blogger.com), but what do you do after you’ve created a blog.

Here are some basic but relevant tips that will help you get the most marketing bang from your blogging efforts.

1. Commit to a Schedule

It takes time to build a blog to the point where it draws regular readers. The first, and most important, thing you need to do is commit to a regular posting schedule. You can update your blog daily, weekly, twice a week or monthly, the choice is really yours. I recommend you choose a frequency that you can stick to, because your readers will come back to your blog, expecting to see new material. Once you are in a routine, it will be easy and your visitors will be coming back for more.

2. Stay Informed on the Latest Happenings in Your Industry

The best way to make sure you have something to write about is to keep informed about your industry or 'area of expertise'. By doing so, you will avoid the common blogger's dilemma of not having enough to write about. Take time to read other blogs, industry websites and other publications focusing on your industry.

3. Give Value to Your Readers

Blogging can help you establish trust and rapport with your readers. It allows you to show yourself as an expert in your industry. To be the expert, your blog posts must answer the common questions your readers have that relate to your field.

5. Promote Your Blog

Once you have your blog up and running, be sure to promote it through your email signature, your social networking profiles (Facebook and Twitter) and any marketing material you distribute in your business, such as your newsletters and brochures. You can also promote your blog by participating on other blogs as a guest blogger.

This post was just too cute not to share! Enjoy your holiday!

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/hilarious-out-of-office-email-auto-replies?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=13379703http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/hilarious-out-of-office-email-auto-replies?utm_campaign=blog-rss-emails&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=13379703

Happy 4th of July!

Blue Dog Marketing wishes everyone a safe and happy 4th of July weekend! Enjoy!

How to Tell Great Stories

You need to tell a compelling story – about yourself, your business or your customers.

Telling a good story is everything. Why do we tell stories? We tell stories to capture people's attention. A good story stops whatever that person is doing and forces them to listen to what you have to say.

A story about yourself, your business or how you helped a customer is what you want to write about. Just don’t make it a hard sell.  People like to buy, but don't like getting sold to.

How do you write that compelling story? Start by getting your reader to relate to you. You can do this with an experience you or your customer had. And keep your story positive.

You want your reader to stay interested and wanting more information about your or your products.