Posts Tagged ‘Healdsburg’

The Number One Question to Ask Every Web Designer

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

The Pain of a Website That Isn’t Working for You

What can a business in Sonoma County do when their website is not up and working for them?

I have been talking to business owners about their websites and I have been hearing some common themes.  Most of them painful to hear, and certainly not helpful for the local businesses here in Santa Rosa or anywhere.

I was talking to a local winery from Alexander Valley, near Healdsburg.  They paid an experienced web designer a big down payment to create a new web site for them in December.  It is now 4 months later and not a single page of the new web site is up.  There has been much frustration and broken promises.

Whenever you are thinking of working with a web designer, a very important question to ask is, “By when?”  Some designers are very upfront with you and will tell you they can’t get to your project for weeks or months.  Others are eager to take your downpayment or deposit, because they have cash flow problems, and then move on to the next victim, whoops, I mean client, and get another deposit to tide them over.

We have learned how to do business with most people, but it seems to me that web design has led business people to neglect the normal best practices they would follow with other vendors.  Most business owners would not give money to a vendor before a job was started without have a very clear, written commitment and production schedule.

For some business owners, websites are this fuzzy area that they don’t know very much about and aren’t even sure what questions to ask.  As a consequence they look to the professional that a friend recommends and don’t ask many questions because they don’t feel very confident about what to ask.

I will be offering a series of questions to help you make intelligent choices by asking the right questions when you are going through the process of wanting to put up your web site or getting something improved on your website.  Web sites are important and can be a big help for your business.  At Ajalon we are always happy to help you succeed.

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Sometimes Small is Beautiful

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Pocket folders, gift card holders, warranty paper holders, presentation folders  for new products. Businesses and consumers all over Sonoma County are using these smaller presentation folders.

We’re all familiar with the normal pocket folder that is 9″ x 12″ and holds a full size letter.  But many businesses in Santa Rosa or Sebastopol have need to present and protect materials that are different sizes.

Gift Card Holders

Over the years we have made many different types of folders for gift certificates, or now in the modern era, magnetic gift cards.

Sometimes Small is Beautiful

We have a number of dies available for various sizes and can custom make just about anything you might need. Colorful gift card holders add value and allow the purchaser to write a personal gift message.

Warranty Papers or Contract Folders

A very popular size of folder is in the 4″ x 9″ size.

Sometimes Small is Beautiful

This versatile folder can safely protect warranty papers or other important documents (such as a contract) that are folded up.  Or they can carry a tri-fold brochure or rack card and other material for a streamlined, but effective, presentation.

Half Size Folders

Sometimes the best size is half size. For various reasons sometimes what needs to be kept together only needs a 5″ x 8″ size folder.  We have produced various models over the years.

Sometimes Small is Beautiful

Pocket Folders

Because of our invitation business we have access to a wide range of pocket folders for just about any size presentation. Click here to view available sizes and colors.

So we have been providing businesses from Petaluma to Healdsburg and Freestone to Sonoma with their presentation folder needs for many decades.  We offer letter size pocket folders, legal size folders, reinforced edge folders, small folders, box pocket folders, expansion/capacity  folders,  three-panel presentation folders, etc. all with attractive and custom designs.

If you are interested in letting people know of your new products or services, presenting your products at trade shows, or just want to make a good impression, Ajalon Printing can provide you with folders that guarantee a high marketing appeal and are durable and affordable.  Give us a call today or visit us on the web at http://ajalon.com.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design


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Postcards are Powerful Marketing Tools

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Postcard printer in Santa Rosa reveals secrets businesses in Sonoma county have been profiting by using postcards in their marketing plan.

In earlier posts I have indicated how to help your clients remember you by using a printed newsletter.  Now I want to show you how businesses in Rohnert Park or Cotati can keep in touch for even less money.

Postcards can be an even less expensive way to reach out and touch clients and prospects.  Postcards are usually cost less to print than a newsletter and are mailed for less postage.

Newsletters can contain more information than a postcard, and therefore have more ways to connect with a reader.  A postcard on the other hand has a short and sweet message that doesn’t have to be opened in order to be read and has an immediate impact on the receiver.  No delayed gratification here.  From the mailbox to their eyes.

Therefore postcards cut through many of the defenses that consumers have built up against the constant barrage of advertising messages.  Yet there can be enough content to get their attention and deliver your message and call to action.

Postcards also seem to have an ability to be saved more than other mailed pieces.  I know that I will tuck a postcard into a book, put into a briefcase or toss it into a drawer more quickly than I will a letter or flyer.   If I know I might want the information in the future, I am more likely to keep it than a flimsy letter.  Don’t know what it is, but I have more postcards around than old newsletters.

Postcards are less expensive than almost any other printed mailing piece.  There is no envelope and postage is always less than a letter (unless you send an oversize postcard).  Letters mail first class for $0.44 while a traditional size postcard mails for only $0.27 – quite a cost savings.  Using standard mail (for mailings 500 pieces or more) can bring the price down even more.

And you get a 100% guaranteed open rate. No other form of mail can promise that. It has to be read before it is thrown into the circular file.

There is a certain “openness” about postcards.  Unlike letters, you do not have to worry about your mailing being simply thrown out without even opening the envelope.  The customer immediately reads your message.

It is easy for a business in Sebastopol or Healdsburg to send out a postcard to someone in Windsor or Petaluma.  It costs only a little more than a quarter and provides an opportunity to get a personalized message out to someone  asking them to come in and see you or to visit your web site.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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5 Winning Newsletter Strategies
Keep in Touch and Improve Your Business

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

We have been talking about how businesses in Sonoma County have been printing newsletters and staying in touch with their customers from Healdsburg to Petaluma. We can think of no easier way to improving relations with your customers.  So here are more powerful strategies:

  • Include people in your newsletter. A strong connection with the reader can be including guest columns about company successes written by employees or customers is a great way to show readers that you are making a difference by producing quality products.
  • An easy way to impress readers is to include a section listing your business’s most recent statistics. Along with sell statistics, you can include customer satisfaction ratings. Let those you serve vouch for the quality of service your business provides.

For example: when wineries here in Sonoma County receive a gold metal in a wine competition or score over 90 in Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast, it’s time to send out a newsletter.

  • Include a “frequently asked questions” section. Identify at least five of the most asked questions about your business and/or the products and services it provides. Then provide both the questions and answers in your newsletter. This is a great way to not only provide information about your business but to solve questions about your business as a whole.
  • Consider featuring an advice column. People love to read about challenges that others have and hearing your solutions.  Dear Abby and all the other advice columns are evidence to this.
  • Humor is always entertaining. Some businesses send out send out newsletters that are 90% humor.  People become addicted to reading their monthly humor.  Some employees who have left one place call so that they can continue receiving their monthly fix at their new job.  Such loyalty we love.

Printed newsletters can’t be beat for keeping in touch with clients.  In these economic times it is important to stay in touch with those people who bring us business.  Those pesky sales associates from ‘other’ companies are more likely to be out there, getting in touch with your customers.  Keeping in touch is better than scrambling to repair damage already done.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design

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