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Montpellier Marketing Communications Group
December 13, 2011 | 
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10+ Tips to Creating Successful Packaging Design
TIP 1: Know Your Audience! This should be the ‘number one’ item on your list. Who is your customer? It is the key that all other tips shown below are based.
Do your homework and find out whom you are selling to. Is it a woman, 35+ age that likes to garden OR a man, 55+ that is a do-it-yourselfer? Knowing your core audience will make all other package design decisions easier.
TIP 2: Are Benefits Prominently Displayed? Many people focus on features to show how easy the product is to use or how good it tastes. Instead, focus on what it does for the customer. That’s where your real selling power lies.
TIP 3: Consider Multiple Designs. Don’t get stuck on one design. Look at a few designs, print them out and set them next to each other. What stands out? What catches your eye first? Get your family and friends involved – they are consumers too. The bottom line is don’t think that because you like it, your customer will too. Test, test, test.
TIP 4: Consider Your Price Point. The cost of your product should influence your packaging design. Don’t over design for a low price point product. Over design could mean higher packaging costs than necessary.
TIP 5: Consider The Competition. Did you do your due diligence and look at where your package will be displayed? Who’s package will set next to it? Is yours a small box and your competition is a large box with multiple pieces? Will you have a series of products? How will those be displayed next to each other? Take the time to shop the stores you would like to see your product in and learn what the competition is doing. Knowing the competition will help you rise above it.
TIP 6: How Unique Is Your Product? Will an interactive package help or hurt my chances in the aisle? Your package may be too unique or unusual that stores don’t like to display it because it doesn’t stand correctly, it can’t be stocked easily, etc. Consider how the store gets your product onto the shelf. Making it easier for them could translate into better sales for you.
TIP 7: Bag Or Box – Plastic Or Paper. What to put your package in – that is the question. This question is usually driven by price. It’s a balance to package your product to its best advantage without adding too much to the cost.
TIP 8: Family Appearance. Do you have more than 1 product? If so, your brand should be consistent across all. A consistent brand look will help you command more attention in the aisle. More than 1 product gives you additional billboard space and creates an attention grabbing visual area. More attention equals more sales.
TIP 9: Consider Shopper Experience - How will the shopper interact with your product? Can they touch it? Is your product completely sealed? Is the store willing or encouraged to display one of your products out of the package? If not, and your product’s selling point is a tactile feature, a die cut window would be appropriate.
TIP 10: Think Of Your Package As A Shelf Billboard. – Make sure you have enough room on your package to show its benefits. If your product is larger than a loaf of bread then good chances are you will have plenty of room to display features and benefits. But if your product is small, including an area like a header will give you room to add selling copy and/or photos.
TIP 11: Are You Starting A Brand? A good package design will plan for the future. Not only will multiple products make a more attractive offering to a store but they will also command more attention in the aisle assuming your brand is consistent.
TIP 12: Make It POP! Consider a color that will help your product get noticed. That could work into your brand as well. Many companies dominate a color to help them stand out and create their brand. Take a look next time you are in the hardware store. What color are the tools? Does the package match the tool? Once you’ve established a color, your competitors will have a hard time using it since it will look too much like your brand. That command of color takes time, but planning for it is the key.
TIP 13: Use Only The Words You Need To! That means, keep your copy succinct and to the point. Think of your text on your package like a Google adword Ad – Make the copy say the most with the least. Consider photos or illustrations to describe your product or how to use your product. A good picture is worth a thousand words.
TIP 14: Quality Printing Is Important. Take your design to a quality printer of packages. Don’t go to the corner printer unless you know they have experience printing packages. Just like package designers, there are printers that specialize as well. The quality of the printing will be a reflection of the quality of your product.
TIP 15: Perception, Perception, Perception! – It’s All About Perception. In the aisle, you only have 4 seconds to catch the shopper’s attention and convey the benefits of your product over the competition. In that short time, a shopper makes a decision about your product based on perception derived from what is presented – your package. All the tips listed above come into play when designing your package. Consider them wisely, but consider them all.
If you are not sure where to start, consider using a professional. You are in business and you need to invest wisely. Packaging is your first interaction with a customer – put your best foot forward.
Business Logos – A Sure Way to Boost Your Business
Having a logo design is one of the most important things to be considered while setting up a business. To give it a perfect touch for portraying your business ideals and concept, it should have all the right ingredients from a perfect design to color scheme to an ideal concept.
Business logos are meant to represent business companies or organization by fostering recognition in customers with their unique style and the message they convey.
Business logos can be called design patterns specially created to represent a business. It might be a computer logo, a decorator’s logo or a music logo representing the industry and the profession.
They can be regard as the visual illustration of a business that represents a company on public as well as corporate front and ensure a professional and serious image. A Brand image is considered a sure way to boost you business and make it succeed.
Business logos serve a very important and crucial purpose for any organization or setup. They actually help a business grow from the scratch if the logo is chosen carefully and thoughtfully keeping the business image in mind.
Business logos are considered very important as they are used in all business dealings and represent a company wherever they are used, such as websites, letterheads, cards, envelopes, brochures and any other advertising campaign that brigs more clients.
It is a fact that only industries that use proper business logos have made it to the top by selling their products and services to the best of customers.
It is important to understand the significance of a strong and descriptive logo to represent a business. The best business logo would be one that combines the right colors, the right image, and font as well as portrays your business ethics and uniquely represents it to the world bringing you success and glory in the business market.
A business logo is not just a logo that can be used to promote your business. It is also a brand name that helps your company achieve success by giving its best services to the customers. This business logo or brand becomes the embodiment of a business organization thus, acting as a silent representative and attracting a larger clientèle.
Keeping this in mind, it is important that your logo suit your company business. If your business is related to a particular profession in a specific industry, the logo should match up to that industry or profession. This will help in instant recognition of your company. Use your knowledge and insight of your business as well as your goals to select the best logo for your business.
Along with logo, a tagline or a catchphrase is very helpful to give insight into your business. The best business logo would be one that not only comprises of these above mentioned qualities but incorporates them making your business logo unique, memorable and attractive. This is a sure way to boost your business.
Another very important thing regarding your business logo is that it should only represent your business. It means that only you should hold the copyright for your logo.
If one logo is used by more than one business, it loses credibility and people begin to doubt it as some fraud company. Thus, copyright issues are very crucial and should be discussed with the logo design firm before your buy a pre-made logo, a logo template or order a custom logo to ensure that your logo remains unique and one of its kind.
Business Strategies For Small Business
The following business strategies for small business will help you grow your business, get more clients, retain your current clients and make you more sales.
First of all business owners need to understand that any business strategy needs to be implemented to be of any value. Knowing what to do and how to do it means nothing if you don’t put it into action.
Here a some simple business strategies for small business that will help you if you implement them.Database Marketing.
Database Marketing is a business strategy that most small businesses do not use to its potential.
It is a simple strategy that involves creating a Database of all your current clients and prospects. Enter their names and contact details in to a program, management system or even a Xcel Spreadsheet.
Group the Database in to Categories relevant to your industry. Categorize by geographical location, age, sex, previous purchase history, product needs or whatever category suits your business.
Once you have your Database categorized, you can then begin regular communication with your clients and prospects. Your communication should always be providing value to them. Deliver quality information that is of interest to the category you are addressing.
The information can be hints, tips and strategies or you can even discuss a new product giving an independent review of its benefits and setbacks. Always be sure to inform them how the product will be of value to them either personally or to their business.
Give your Database Special Offers that apply only to them. Make them feel special that they are your quality or Premium Client. Have a special link in the communication so that you can track and measure the success of your campaigns.
Time your communication to an average of one every 10 days or so. This will keep your business in their minds. You should be the first one they think of when they need your product or service.
Making use of your current list of clients and prospects will help improve your conversions from Prospect to Client. It will also help improve your client retention.
Internet Stats show that an average of 7 contacts with your Database will result in a conversion to Prospect or Lead.
Referral Marketing.
Asking your Clients and Prospects for a referral is definitely a business strategy that brings great results for small business.
This strategy is reliant on you providing the best quality service, best quality products and outstanding customer service to your clients.
Showing your clients that you are the best in what you do will have them raving about your service and products to their family and friends. Now that you have satisfied clients, you need to ask the question. “Who else do you know that will benefit from our service?” Let them know that your business succeeds because of referrals from current clients.
You can offer incentives to your clients for every referral they make that becomes a new client. Consider a small gift of value, a free treatment or discount on a treatment. Send a Thank You card, free movie tickets or what ever you feel comfortable with.
Let all new clients know that your business has a referral system and they you expect at least three referrals from them if they are happy with your products and services. Every new client bringing in 3 new referrals will grow your business if you are the best at what you do.
This business strategy is the way of the future for small business going in to 2011. Consumers have certainly changed their behaviour in how they look for local services and products.
Historically, consumers went to the Yellow Pages, Newspaper Ads, Radio Ads and so on. Today, 85% of consumers search on the internet for a local service and products. If you fail to market your small business online you are going to miss a huge portion of market share that could be yours.
Your Website needs to be simple and it needs to be able to get your visitors to do what you want them to do. You have around 7 seconds to keep your visitor interested and to stay on your site. The content on your site needs to be good enough to show them you have integrity, you provide value and that you are the one they should be doing business with.
Big Flash Websites don’t really do much for your business. You need to have a website that is designed from a Marketing perspective to achieve the best results.
Once you have your Business Marketing Website, you need to have that Website on the Front Page of Google under the search phrases that are relevant to your industry. It is vital to be on the Front Page because that is where your prospects are looking. Rarely do people look beyond the first page and a large majority never go past Page three.
Get Your Company Staff To Write On Company Blog
Blogging is every web site owner’s best friend. After all, it is practically the most important way of promoting a web site. Correspondingly, a web site must represent a particular product, idea, individual, or services among others. Thus, blogs are basically important promotional tools for products, services, and even companies.
Blogging is not really something new. In fact, everywhere you look, you can see personal blogs, corporate, blogs, and theme blogs to name a few. The emergence of blogging only means that it is an effective promotional tool. As such, it is not surprising why small and large companies are starting to have their own company blogs nowadays.
Having a company blog can be beneficial to your company. First and foremost, it can talk about your products, expertise, and services. Second, you can get other people to know about your company most especially if it comes out in search engines like Google and Yahoo. Finally, company blogs is probably the cheapest way of promoting your company. Thus, blogging is beyond doubt useful and beneficial to any company.
However, this brings in the question of who will be writing at your company blog. You can actually get your company staff to write at your company blog. By doing this, you are not only assured that blogs are written well, you can also easily monitor the contents of the blog.
One of the most common ways of writing company blogs is by asking simple questions about the company and providing the answers as well. In other words, it is just like a question and answer thing. This manner of doing a company blog will certainly increase the potential of getting clients because their questions are answered right then and there at your blog.
Indeed there are a lot of benefits that you can derive from a company blog. Aside from creating an archive of information for your own staff, you can also establish public relations.
Furthermore, you can also establish credibility in your industry because more people will now know about your company. In addition, it increases the chance of getting potential clients and leads. To top it all, blogs are inexpensive. You don’t really have to spend much on blogs, most especially if you get your company staff to do it themselves.
However you do it though, what is most important if for people to read your blogs. The last thing that you want is to launch one that does not have any content at all. When this happens, no one
will come to visit your blog and it will just be useless.
Thus, in order to make sure that people visit your company blog, you should focus on quality rather than quantity. You can always build an editorial team from your staff. Surely, a number of your staff would want to participate in this endeavor. You can then evaluate each member based on their expertise, writing experiences, and other responsibilities. By doing this, you are assured of great blog content all the time.
Optimize Your Blog
There is a question come to my mind quite often. Though the answer isn’t exactly sweet, it is the honest one for sure.
Question: What is the difference between quality blog and successful blog?
Answer: Number of visitors.
It is the most obvious in-the-face answer most of us don’t like, some of us don’t want to face and some of us don’t know what to do about. We are going to tackle the how-to part for those who are willing to work it out.
Firstly, I am not trying to imply that it is the only difference. I am sure that the blogger with more visitors had to tackle few more challenges like maintaining the number visitors through content, commercializing the flow of visitors correctly and many more. Yet those challenges are never really been faced by the people who don’t have the large number of visitors.
Secondly, if you are willing to work it out, I hope these ideas help you out.
1. Change the look:
On-site changes are must. You must make your blog stand out on the internet. More you go for the default or typical settings, more it is shouting me-too or an-also-ran blog. It is screaming to the visitors to run away.
No one wants the information that would be easily available on other accounts as well. You want the information that would stand out. This is going to attract visitors and keep’em. Change the theme, layout and arrangement of the tools. Add sophistication. Add uniqueness. Don’t remind your visitors of any other blog.
2. Interact with the commentators on your blog:
This is actually a very unique tool as it involves many profitable dimensions. I am going to explain the advantages or responding to comments and communicating with the peer blogging with an example.
Some time back, I commented on other blogs with my name and link to my blog. I also paid close attention to the replies and the comments they made. I used the comments like a form of interaction with other visitors and peer bloggers interested in the same subject.
I got a guest posts, won few contests on their blog and created a healthy relationship with my peers as we promoted the important announcements, contests and activities for each other. This all happened through interaction with the commentators.
Value it and use it. You won’t be disappointed.
3. Off-site link building:
I know that there are various ways to achieve that. The list is actually endless. From buying links to directories, from swapping links to blog commenting about your recent post, all the techniques are pretty good.
How to Create Your Own Product Reviews Blogs Quickly
Do you know that one of the most if not the best method of selling affiliate products is by setting up a review-based sites?
You can simply set up a website or a blog to review products that you are affiliated with.
So today, I will show you what are the basic things that you need to have to set up your own product review sites.
Typically, after learning this tips you will be able to build your very own website easily.
First and foremost you must select a product that you intend to promote. You can do this with ClickBank, Commission Junction, Amazon or Market Health. These are the most popular affiliate network that you can work with.After the product selection, you need to purchase a domain name and a web hosting. Simply go to any registrars such as Namecheap.com.
When choosing a domain name you would want them to be as closed as possible to your niche or product. The main reason that you want it to be that way is because of search engine ranking purposes. We will try to get your review site to be ranked high on the search engine for the targeted keyword. You also want to show your potential visitors what your sites are all about.
For instance you would want to choose domain name that is something like CureAcneToday.com or HowToBlog.com. With keyword phrase like “cure acne today” and ” how to blog”.
Another point to consider is to ensure that the domain names are easy to spell and remember so that your visitors can return to your site if the need arises. This way you will not lose a potential customer.
The other thing that is very important is buying web hosting. There are literally hundreds of web hosting provider that you can choose to host your review sites. I personally prefer BlueHost for their effective support although HostGator is equally good.
Basically, these are the two most important elements that you MUST have in order to have a personal product reviews blog or website. Yes,there are some people who built their websites using free blogs like Blogger.com or WordPress.org and succeed.
But I personally don’t favor this. It is because the blog or website which are built on free platform does not belong to you which means that at anytime all of your hard work will disappear if the service provider chose to shut it down.
However to build an effective blog or website based on product reviews, you need more than the above. What is being taught are only basics of blog building. You need to know how and where to position your website contents, what to actually write and how to make your blog or website convert your visitors to sales.
Avoiding Common Mistakes With Your Blog
These days it seems that there are blogs for just about any subject you can think of. They are a fantastic tool for sharing ideas, interests, and thoughts about the given subject of the blog.
Having and maintaining your own blog is one of the best ways to reach your target audience for your area of interest. But there are some things to keep in mind for your blog to keep your readers interested.
Having fresh and updated content is the number one rule for having an effective blog. Most people start out very motivated to keep their content current, however this enthusiasm can deteriorate and what you left with is something akin to last week’s newspaper, irrelevant and outdated.
Having a serious professional blog requires that you update it regularly. You are working to have a relationship with your readers and they will expect you to provide insights to your area of expertise.
Just having fresh content is not enough. Junk content will immediately turn away potential subscribers. You should be delivering useful information and you may even offer your opinions on certain subject manner, but using too much jargon, slang, or obscure references is sure way to get people to look elsewhere for the information you say you are providing.
Whatever your niche market or audience is keep the comments and content on – point. This is a must in order to grow your readership.
And just what is your niche, or target audience? In order to be successful blogging you must specialize in a particular field of interest. This is paramount to being successful.
Identifying your niche will help find your audience. If your target is internet marketing and someone goes to your blog for information, they do not want to read about what you had for breakfast and read your ramblings about how the cook did not make the eggs the way you ordered them.
Be prepared to get comments on your blog posts. Whenever one of your readers takes the time to write a comment it is only right to respond to that person. You are, after all, working to establish relationships with your readers. Be sure to respond in a professional manner without insults.
Keeping your blog updated is not difficult. By keeping yourself informed, you can easily include news and data into your posts and draw similarities to your market. There will be other blogs related to your market, check those out as well, this will help you spot trends in your target audience and help keep you abreast of what is going on around you.
Multi Level Marketing Advertising Strategy – 3 Hot Ideas to Add to Your Overall Strategy Today
If you’re like most people you want to succeed with your MLM home business, and therefore are looking for a multi level marketing advertising strategy that brings in leads.
Many people are trying things that don’t seem to be working, and getting frustrated.
When you’re frustrated in this industry, you usually lose a lot of momentum and sometimes end up quitting prematurely.
Effective Multi Level Marketing Advertising Strategy
What’s crucial to remember is that your advertising strategies have one end goal in mind, which is to get ultra targeted prospects to your sales funnel.
This means you want people who are actively seeking an opportunity to join.
Your multi level marketing advertising strategy must push their hot buttons, that are going to get them to want to join YOU. You must do this by making them understand that you know what you’re talking about. You want to let them know that by partnering up with you that they’re chances of succeeding are going to be increased.
So here are 3 ways to get people to want to join you…
1) Article Marketing… One of the greatest way to make people see that you’re an expert in the home business…or more mainly the multi level marketing niche is to write articles. There are a few reasons for this. First, people are used to equating that when they see something in print, whether it’s in a book, in a newspaper or magazine, or nowadays just as powerful the internet…they equate that as the writer being an expert in the niche.
Second, writing articles gets you tons of exposure and lends to your credibility. People reading can see right then and there that you know your stuff, and can make up their mind whether or not they want to learn more about you. Article marketing is a great multi level marketing advertising strategy.
2) Get Your Downline Crankin… Your downline is your greatest asset in MLM. They are your sales force, and one thing that people don’t do enough is utilize them as so. It’s not only benefiting you when you motivate and train your downline. Just think of all the lives that you’re changing when you teach people to take their income to the next level.
And for that you get paid a commission, just like any other sales manager in the world.
3) Pick up the Phone… So many people who are struggling in network marketing are afraid to pick up the phone. But it’s those who are using this in their multi level marketing advertising strategy who are killing it. They’re raking it in and growing a huge downline because nobody else seems to want to pick up the phone.
And frankly, your prospects are looking for someone who is going to call them up. They’re looking for actual humans on the other line.
If you’ve got lead capture pages, and you’re not asking for the phone number now’s a good time to start.
So there you have three techniques to add to your multi level marketing advertising strategy that should begin to quickly take your business to the next level if you’ll put them to use.
Video, Internet, and Network Marketing
Internet marketing and network marketing have blurred lines these days as the two pretty much exist in tandem.
Internet marketing covers a lot of types of selling, whether it is directly from a website, via social media, blogs, forums, or Squidoo lenses.
Network marketing is the means of not only selling, but recruiting others to sell for you, and this can be achieved by using any of the methods above also.
Through the internet we can expose our businesses and products to millions of people.
Gone are the days of hassling friends and relatives to join our network or purchase our product!
Video, Internet and Network Marketing
The most popular platform in both “internet and network marketing” is video and a trip around YouTube will show you just how many people are promoting their products, and many of them are making thousands of dollars monthly just by using YouTube.
There is not one successful network or internet marketing guru that doesn’t use video these days. You may not like what these gurus are selling, but learn from them and watch how they use video especially to promote their products.
They send them in emails, they send them through blogs, they are used in promotions and on their websites. People love videos too, we all like to do two things at once these days, and while we are listening or watching a video we can actually do something else, because it’s easy.
We also recognize the same faces and if we like what we hear and the face we are looking at, then we have fallen for attraction marketing – which is one of the most powerful ways to fuse the internet and network marketing together for out of this world, profitable results.
Lights! Action!
Scared to death of a camera? It probably ranks right behind public speaking on the fear factor scam. But if you are going to be successful combining the internet and network marketing you will just have to get over it! Terrified of the technicalities?
There’s no need to be if you have a camera and a microphone and the right software there are many excellent companies on the internet that can help you produce good videos. The equipment is ridiculously cheap these days, so that’s no excuse. Get tongue-tied? Rehearse and write a script. I’m sorry if you hate the way you look, there’s not much that can be done.
If your first couple of videos are shaky, even funny, post them anyway, this is all part of attraction marketing and if people see you are just like them, they will warm to you. It won’t take long before you are making perfect little videos every day, but please keep them short. Everyone’s in a hurry these days don’t take an hour to say what could be said in 5 minutes or you’ll bore people to death.
You are broadcasting to potentially millions but being watched by one at a time. Remember that and treat that person (everyone) like they are your friend, smile and be positive and learn to use positive language too, like using the word “will” instead of “could”. Using video as a selling tool is only a tiny part of internet and network marketing because you have to learn how to get your new video to rank on the search engines in order to create traffic, leads and sales.