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!

10 Ways to Keep Business Flowing in 2012: Part 1

How are you going to keep your business afloat in 2012? Here are a few tips to keep your boat from slowly sinking.

Create a Purpose

What is your small business all about? While you have yearly, quarterly and daily goals, the main purpose behind your small business should be in the back of you and your employees minds at all times. Solidify your mission statement and business values in 2012 if you have not already.

Make a Road Map

Your small business workflow is successful because of your employees’ hard work. And while there are several aspects of your business to be monitored, everyone should recognize communal goals. Be sure everyone is on the same map, even if they travel on different roads.

Prioritize

How are you going to reach that communal goal? Communicate with employees what needs to happen, and when, to achieve goals.

Create a Sense of Urgency

Setting deadlines is an excellent way to get things done. Without deadlines or direction, employee workflow can slow tremendously.

Follow Through

Don’t assume your employees are following through with their priority. A daily or weekly check-in will keep priorities in balance and work flowing.

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Stay tuned next week for five more ways to keep your small business on track in 2012!

We know envelopes are a vital part of your day-to-day business routines. That is why Ajalon is pleased to offer 10% off your envelope orders this winter!

Envelopes work wonders for:

• marketing goods and services
• sending out invoices
• connecting with consumers through newsletters

Offer expires March 31, 2012

Rebranding Your Business in the New Year

Have you heard the rumors about the approaching apocalypse in 2012? We have, and while we’re not quite buying that “the end” is coming, we certainly do anticipate change.

A new year is the perfect opportunity to rebrand your local Sonoma County business. Updating business cards and stationery with a new logo will work wonders to attract new clients, as well as let your current customers know that you are a growing brand.

While a lot of us were raised to oppose change, 2012 is surely a time to embrace it! Contact Ajalon today to begin your rebranding efforts.

Why your local business needs a business cards…

If there is one thing I have learned from my boss while working at Ajalon, it is this: when giving your business card to a prospective client, be sure to give them two cards—not just one. That way they have one card to give to a friend as a referral!

Business cards are essential when spreading the word about your business. A great business card will leave a lasting first impression, so be sure to take care when designing your logo, picking out your font and laying out your type.

If you need help designing the perfect business card for your local Sonoma County business, contact Ajalon today!

The benefits of the business card are endless. Don’t forget to take advantage of this great marketing tool.

Selecting a Graphic Designer for Business Endeavors

Whether you are creating your business’ webpage or producing top-notch printed materials to market to your customers, choosing a graphic designer that works for and with you should be the first step in your endeavors.

A great graphic designer should work with you and your company to understand your needs, and create killer visuals for you to utilize within your business. We know the search can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips to help you find the graphic designer of your dreams:

• Keep local. Search local business listings and reviews on sites like Yelp. It will be easier to determine which graphic designer will work best for you based on others’ experiences.

• Ask for referrals. Trusted friends and businesses will guide you in the right direction. If you see a piece of graphic art from another business that you are drawn to, don’t be afraid to ask who their designer is.

• Search design directories and browse designs from contests and competitions.

Your designer will help boost your brand or business by implementing your business persona within your business graphics. Awesome websites, mail pieces and more will draw your customers in and keep them coming back for more!

Local Businesses Need A Letterhead!

Do you have a local Sonoma County business, but lack a letterhead? Your business stationery is one of the most important elements in your marketing endeavors. A great letterhead will work wonders to show professionalism and keep your brand in customers’ heads.

For those of you who just opened up shop, letterhead is the heading at the top of your business stationery. An awesome graphic, along with contact information should be included on the printed material that ends up in your clients’ hands.

Is your Sonoma County small business listed on Yelp?

If your Sonoma County small business is not listed on Yelp, be sure to set an account up ASAP! It is easy, free and most of all, will guide local customers straight through the doors of your business.

Yelp is one of the most trusted review sites on the web– consumers are constantly reading and writing reviews about tons of local businesses. Who knows, you might even be ranked in the “Best of Yelp,” just like Invitations by Ajalon!

We encourage all of our customers to review us on Yelp, helping push us to the top of the Santa Rosa Local Services. Facebook is planning to trash their “Reviews” application as well, making Yelp more valuable than ever to small businesses. Are you listed?

We recently made a new Yelp page for Ajalon Print, Web and Social Media.  Review us today!

Business Cards and Stickers for Sweet Joyfulness

There’s little that we love more here at Ajalon than printing business stationery for local Sonoma County businesses! That is why we were delighted when Laura of Sweet Joyfulness came in seeking business cards and stickers for her homemade baked goods business (and even more delighted when she brought us some yummy cupcakes to devour!).

Laura brought us her own logo that we used to create a sweet, eye-catching sticker for customers to remember her by.

We matched the color of  her packaging and utilized it within the design, resulting in a cohesive, complete product to present to customers.

We strive to print quality paper goods for your Sonoma County small business that meet your expectations and timeline. When Laura came to us midweek and needed her business cards and stickers printed for an upcoming event that Saturday, we gladly accepted!

We also gladly accepted the cupcakes she brought back to us as a sign of her appreciation of our quick turn-around — a little “Sweet Thankfulness.” : )

Custom decorated cakes, cupcakes, cupcake towers, cake pops and petite fours all homemade with fresh ingredients are perfected especially for you in her Sebastopol, CA kitchen.

Along with these custom made desserts, Laura’s cupcake club is sure to have sweet teeth begging for more. Each month features a new, outrageously delicious flavor (September was Caramel Toffee Crunch — toffee crunch cupcakes filled with salted caramel, dipped in chocolate and rimmed with toffee bits, and frosted with caramel buttercream AND topped off with more toffee!) that no one will forget.

Visit Sweet Joyfulness on Facebook today! We’re already talking about her website plans… ; )

Local Seo Is A Powerful, Effective Way to Promote Your Business

One of the good things about the growing use of the internet is that it is becoming easier to promote your business in your local community.  We are a printing business and we have been here in Sonoma County for over 50 years.  And we have experienced real pressure on our business because of computers and the internet.

But now there is an opportunity to capitalize on the fact that people are looking to find things in their own communities, like Sebastopol or Santa Rosa, not just buy things on Amazon or Ebay. On the whole people are developing in the use of their computer and are searching for services and products in their local community.  And the search engines have recognized that.

Google, Yahoo and Bing have set up local search results that help find local businesses that people are looking for.  And getting your name into these  directories is free.  The search engine companies realized that making it easier for people to find what they were looking for, especially on a local level, made the search engine more valuable because people would use it more regularly.  So they decided to add these local search capacities for free.  nadda.  zilch.

This is like being listed in the yellow pages for free!  I suggest you look into how to do this for yourself.  Below is a link to a youtube video where Google introduces their service. They call their service Google Places.

I suggest you check it out and consider making your business more findable on the internet.  This is something you can do yourself or we at Ajalon can help you do this if you don’t have the inclination or time to set it up.  The search engines are battling for this part of the market right now and you can benefit for free.

Written by David Walrath

Ajalon Printing & Design