Market your sales with postcards!

Do you have a great Father’s Day deal to offer your Sonoma County customers this year? Great! How do you usually market your sales or offers? If you have never tried spreading the word with postcards, this might be the perfect time to try.

Postcards are excellent marketing materials. They are eye-catching little pieces of paper that almost effortlessly find their way into your customers’ hands. The hardest part is probably designing the card (and dealing with the line of customers afterward!), but don’t worry, we can help you out with that.

Whether you are offering 20% off ties or having a storewide sale for Dad to go nuts in, postcards will lead new clients and customers right to your door this Father’s Day.

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Brochures: the key to big business!

A well-designed business brochure not only informs, but addresses your Sonoma County client’s wants and needs.

Whether you are a dentist in Santa Rosa or a auto repair shop in Healdsburg, providing your customers with an informational brochure is sure to keep them coming back for more!

Our digital and full-color printing technology can produce small or large quantities for an attractive price. Bring your brochure to us before April 30th and we’ll take 10% off your printing charge.

Order now! Offer expires today, 4/30/12

Is your website as efficient as you think it is?

While having an attractive, easy-to-navigate site is important to your Sonoma County small business website, there are a multitude of things “behind the scenes” on your pages to insure your prospects find you.

Let Ajalon evaluation your current business website to determine how to rank higher on search engines.

Offer expires 4/30/12

10 Ways to Keep Business Flowing in 2012: Part 2

Last week we went over five ways to keep your small business on track in 2012. Here are five more:

Know the How-to

Employees are bound to procrastinate if they are assigned a priority that they do not know how to do. Be sure you equip your employees with the tools, resources and support needed to complete their tasks.

Build Accountability

Making employees accountable for the work that they do will definitely boost productivity in 2012. If you employ people who do not do what they are paid for, it’s time to reinvent your workforce.

Celebrate

Take time to celebrate a completed goal or job well done.

Reward Employees

“A paycheck is not a reward.” This is one of your 2012 mantras! “A reward is something given in recognition of service, effort or achievement,” says Mitch Evans in Quick Printing magazine. Reward your employees for the good work they do. This will build accountability, workflow and improve attitudes.

Communicate

In order to set goals and follow through with priorities, communicate with employees to keep goal completions on track!

Attract Customers All Year with 2012 Calendars

One of the easiest and most effective ways to get 12 months of marketing in one print job is by creating a company calendar. Hung on walls in plain sight for anyone to see, an eye catching calendar that promotes your small business will work wonders to attract new and returning customers.

If you are an animal shelter, clients will love to take home your calendar featuring adorable, adoptable pets! Or restaurant patrons just might have to stop by your burger joint for February’s Bacon Cheeseburger after staring at it all day at work. The options are endless.

image via MyZeroWaste

Holiday newsletters keep customers connected to you!

Keeping in touch with your customers is a great way to build a community around your local business. Constant communication will keep your customers returning for your goods and services, and increase your authenticity as a brand. Sending out a monthly or quarterly newsletter is an excellent way to do all of these things and more.

Whether you have been sending out newsletters to your Sonoma County clients for years or are just seeing the benefits of this marketing tool now, there is no better time to send out a newsletter than during the holiday season!

There are several things you can do to create the perfect holiday newsletter:

• send warm greetings and well wishes to your valued customers

• tell customers about your updated holiday hours and/or vacations

• market holiday deals and specials

• tell customers what your local business has in store for the New Year

No matter what kind of information you are trying to spread, we have trouble thinking of a better way to do so than within a newsletter. Don’t forget to work with your graphic designer to work a little holiday cheer into your newsletter design!

Great business logos make lasting impressions…

What’s the first thing you think of when you think about the electronic retailer Best Buy? For most, it is a giant yellow price tag that features the words “Best Buy” in bold black letters. A successful logo should represent your brand and give customers something to remember without knowing anything about your business.

How frequently should I update my business blog?

Your blog is one of the most important aspects of your business’ online persona. Business blogging is an excellent marketing tool that establishes you as an expert in your field. It gives you a chance to show off your knowledge as well as your character, attracting new customers to you and your business.

You may be an excellent writer, but how are your blogging skills? In general, blog readers are not looking for a single large article written three years ago (no matter how informational it is); they are searching for an interesting and relevant set of posts that will continue to enlighten them into the future.

This being the case, you should be sure to blog on a consistent basis. Depending on your business, you may want to blog once—or seven days–a week. Readers like their routines, and will be let down when they can’t read your thoughts over their morning cups of coffee. ; )

How can you improve your business website?

If your business website has been gathering dust at the bottom of the search engine results, consider a free website evaluation by Ajalon! There are several simple ways to clean up and improve your website, ensuring you attract customers, communicate with clients and get found on search engines.

In your complimentary evaluation we’ll cover the basics, as well as elements of your webpage that will bring your business to the top.

Design
Ajalon will evaluate your business website’s design, including graphics, navigation and content.

SEO
Your search engine optimization is critical for your business website. Ajalon will determine how your keywords, tags, descriptions and content can be improved upon.

Social Media
Ajalon will evaluate the share-ability of your website’s pages, ensuring your goods and services can be shared on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Request your free website evaluation by Aug 31, 2011!

Your Customers Love Quality Business Newsletters

Even in this digital age, newsletters are an essential part of your business marketing. Newsletters can both inform and excite prospective customers about your business, while current clients truly appreciate your news and updates.

There are many ways to create an engaging and informative newsletter. Here are a few of those strategies:

Frequency

How often are you sending out your newsletters? Customers can get overwhelmed by too many updates in given amount of time, so focus on creating a single monthly newsletter that engages your audience and draws new clients to your business.

If you are sending out newsletters too infrequently, your clients are bound to forget that your business exists. Be consistent, but don’t overwhelm.

Themes

Creating your newsletter around a certain subject or theme is guaranteed to boost readership. An organized newsletter is definitely easier for consumers to digest as opposed to cluttered information.

Readability

You are writing to clients, but are you communicating with them? Readers are sure to enjoy your newsletter content when it is written in a way they can relate to. Don’t be so serious, have some fun!

Graphics and Photos

Including graphics or photos in your newsletter is a definite way to keep your readers interested. Most individuals are visually stimulated, and your clients will appreciate that they are not drowning in text.

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Your business newsletter is bound to bring in new and returning customers with these simple tips. Are there other ways you have spruced up a dull newsletter in the past?