The Latest on Vehicle Wraps

If you haven’t yet started to us your vehicle as a marketing tool, what are you waiting for? The statistics are overwhelming that getting your message on the road, so to speak, will result in significant benefits. Consider this:
• Mobile advertising is the most effective and efficient form of outdoor advertising; it reaches more consumers at a lower cost per thousand impressions (CPM).
• Media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers reaches more than 95% of Americans.
• The average American has traveled 302 miles in the past seven days.
• One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 and 70,000 daily impressions.
• Fleet vehicle wraps are well suited for many types of advertising campaigns, including new product launches and event marketing; they’re increasingly part of the marketing mix.
• Fleet vehicle advertising results in name recognition 15 times greater than any other form of advertising.
• Nearly one-third of viewers indicate they would base a buying decision on a mobile ad.
Our design team looks forward to working with you to create a full-color vehicle wrap that will result in a great ROI. This eye-catching form of advertising is a great way to turn your car into a mobile billboard without damaging it.

The Latest on Vehicle Wraps

October Special Vehicle Graphics

October Special Vehicle Graphics

5 Ways to Find Content Inspiration on Social Media

No matter how skilled a writer you are, the same scene plays out all the time: When it comes to writing the content for an email or planning a social media post, a minor panic sets in. Where will this content come from?

Before you stress out about this scenario, take a step back and realize that the answer is already right in front of you, on social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Google+ can be used as source material for your content needs.

Here are 5 easy ways to take some of the perspiration out of inspiration by using social media to get your creative content juices flowing:

1. Twitter, especially, is like the old water cooler in the office -- people will gather to talk about the subjects that are most important to them at that time, whether they be the weather, a sporting event, the economy, what they're eating, or something else. Monitor that channel and others using a tool such as NutshellMail, HootSuite, or TweetDeck to see what people are talking about, and use that information to create relevant and engaging content. Being topical and tying your content to those top-of-mind subjects can be very effective.

2. Every day, people are asking millions of questions on Twitter, about all kinds of topics, and you almost certainly have some of the answers they seek. You can create keyword searches (using the tools mentioned above) to monitor Twitter for specific words or phrases that are relevant to your business or organization.

3. You can also use tools such as Google Alerts and Twitter Search to monitor or search for keywords or subjects you are interested in, that you won't need to monitor for regularly. You may find that inspiration you need from another blogger or tweeter.

4. Ask! Tweet or post to Facebook a daily or weekly open-ended question that's relevant to your product, service, or organization, and then use the answers creatively to generate content. Or, you can use a tool like Facebook Questions to poll your fans about a hot topic and use the results as the starting point for a blog post, email article, follow-up social media post, or perhaps you might decide to just share the answers as is.

5. You don't know everything, and letting people know this can actually be very effective in generating content ideas. You might start a blog post that's something along the lines of "50 Ways to Use Our Product," only write a few, and ask your readers for their suggestions. The point is to recognize the resourcefulness, intelligence, and insight of your customers, and encourage them to offer it, feature it, and share it.

Source: ctctsocial@constantcontact.com

Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego

5 Ways to Find Content Inspiration on Social Media

Holiday Banners - Announce Your Sale With Holiday Cheer

By Eli Kahn
   
    A sales banner can offer a tremendous amount of value to your company. They're large,  noticeable and get straight to the point. They're also manufactured from sturdy vinyl, so they will  last a long time. If you are not using a banner to promote your sales already, then you are selling  your business short. However, even if you are already using this great marketing tool, you should  consider creating a sales banner that caters to the holiday season. 
   
    Many companies spend a lot of money to make sure their holiday shopping experience is just  right. Some will add holiday cheer in their front window displays or around the store itself.  Others will send out special flyers to wish a happy holidays while notifying about a great sale.  Regardless of how businesses are using flyers, their goal is universal: they want to show their  customers that they care about the holidays and display holiday spirit. 
   
    Holiday banners will allow you to easily display your festive spirit to your customers. In order to  achieve this, your sales banner should be showing your appreciation for the holiday season in  addition to the regular sales information. You can impart this by signing the sales message with  "happy holidays" or by including related imagery. Either way, your customers will appreciate  your involvement in the important time of the year. 
   
    One of the best things about a holiday sales banner is that you will be able to reuse it during for  years to come. It's an extremely easy way to be a part of the joyous time, while also promoting  your business. Your customers will appreciate the welcoming, festive spirit of your sales banner  and will recognize that you care about sending your best wishes to all - not just your revenue.  Don't hesitate to create a sales banner during this holiday season and get involved in all the cheer  and festivities. 
   
    A vinyl holiday banner will last through many seasons, making it a wise investment for your  company. 
   
    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eli_Kahn 

Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego

Holiday Banners - Announce Your Sale With Holiday Cheer

9 Active Listening Steps to Effortlessly Sell Prospects

By Sam Manfer   
 
  Interviewing is the most important step of sales calls and relationship development.   Interviewing requires asking stimulating questions that get prospects to discuss their wants  relative to what you’re offering.  However, interviewing also requires active listening.  That is,  listening with an ear to learn and understand. 
 
  When someone opens up, it’s a major step in selling them or building your relationship.  Some  people require more effort than other to open up.  That’s why you have to have a strategy to get  people talking.  But no matter how much effort is required, when that prospect starts talking, it’s  time for you to start listening, gathering information and not interrupting.  
 
  Interrupting shuts people down or makes them defensive.  So if your prospect is somewhat on  tract, let him talk and you’ll gather a boat load of relevant information.  Keep in mind, people  answer your questions in their own way and it’s usually not in the direct way you’d like.  So give  them a little slack and let them ramble a bit.   Your attention will show them you’re interested,  while you learn their issues and wants and the subtleties of what will make them warm to you. 
 
  An Interviewing Strategy 
  I have a process I use for all my sales calls.  It consists of 1- asking open ended questions about  issues and concerns as they relate to my services, then 2 - listening.  While listening, 3 - I take  notes, underlining powerful and ambiguous words that I’ll get more clarity on later.  Once the  prospect has finished talking and explaining, 4 - I ask him to define his meaning of power words,  such as low price, good service, reliable company, etc.  Once I understand, 5 - I expose and  entice the prospect with benefits and/or features he didn’t mention but I feel he should have.   From this questioning, listening and suggesting sequence I feel I know what’s wanted, but 6- I  confirm back to the prospect to see if I got it correctly and so he realizes I understand.  If so, 7 - I  ask if he is interested in hearing my presentation of how I can help him.  After I present, 8 - I ask  how he feels about what I just presented.  If good, 9A - I ask for his commitment.  If ambivalent  or not so good, 9B - I clear up concerns and/or objections and then ask for his commitment.  
 
  Each of these steps has power and purpose.  It is extremely effective for sales calls and  relationship development meetings.  It will produce all the information so that you can structure  a presentation to move prospects to commitment, or cement relationships or to indicate that  you’ve got a non-buyer at this time and it’s time to leave. 
 
  Test It Out 
  Next person you’re with – wife, child, friend, waiter, etc., ask an open-ended question and don’t  speak for (4) seconds.  This will be a major challenge, but work on it.  When she/he starts  speaking, don’t interrupt.  Just keep nodding.  Notice how much this person tells you.
 
  Now pick out something she/he said and ask to clarify it.  I.e. The waiter says, “The fish is really  good tonight.”  You say, “What is it about the fish that makes it so good?”  Wait for him to talk  and notice how much more you learn about the fish. 
 
  Now offer up something the waiter didn’t say, but you feel he should have said, such as, “You  didn’t say anything about the freshness of the fish, or the seasoning, or what other customers  have said about tonight’s fish.” You’ll notice you’ll get even more information. 
 
  I could continue with the remaining steps, but it would get a little crazy. You’re not trying to sell  the waiter.  However, for those you are trying to sell, you’ll have to practice with someone how  you’ll implement the 9 steps above.  As logical and simple as they sound, they are difficult to do.   And if you think you can short cut the process, test it both ways.  But, I’m confident you’ll  discover you get to where you want to be faster and easier implementing all 9 steps.  
 
  Source:  http://www.sammanfer.com/

Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego

9 Active Listening Steps to Effortlessly Sell Prospects

Why Signs?

You’re literally surrounded by signs, everywhere you go. Some are subtle, others are loud, but there are a few things all signs have in common:
 

·                     They inform new and potential customers.

·                     They increase your sales.

·                     They identify your business.

·                     They build your business around the clock.

·                     They advertise your products and services.

 The degree to which your signage benefits your business will depend on its specific design and message. Just like any other marketing material, you can engage current and potential customers with compelling signage, or turn them off with signs that are confusing, ill designed or poorly written.

In many instances, your sign may create the first impression people get of your business…so it’s important that you take the time to craft the right message and display it in a way that reflects your professionalism and ability to provide high quality products or services. We have plenty of experience helping companies ensure the image created by their signage is a magnet for new business…and we’d love to help you, too.

Why Signs?

Making the Most of 'Contact Us' to Gather Leads

Why listing your contact information on your website just isn't enough.

Every business website should have a "Contact Us" page. It's a must-do. It legitimizes your business by offering a real person to contact, and helps you gather leads. But are you making the most of your contact page?

First, study your website analytics to find out how people use your contact page. If you don't already have a web analytics solution--which helps you analyze your site traffic, including specific details of your visitors and how they navigate your site--sign up for the popular and free Google Analytics.

Is this the only page people send queries from? That means you only have one contact form. Instead, why not have one on every page?

People are used to receiving information nearly instantaneously online. Attention spans online are very short and people will use only the most easily accessible information.

If your contact form is hard to locate and visitors have to go through many pages to reach it, few will use it. But having the form on every page or including a link that goes to a page with the form, it eliminates the obstacle of having to find it, enabling people to easily submit queries.

One great thing about this technique is that it reduces the visitor's urge to close your website. If the contact form is right there, viewers are more likely to take action.

Now before you quickly move on and put a contact form or contact page link on every page of your site, here's another technique for making your contact form more effective. Anyone can put a contact form on every page, but it's the way you word your "call to action" form that makes the difference. Your "call to action" form must be worded in a way that clearly inspires visitors to take action and instructs them how.

Every website has a unique goal, whether it's to contact your company, download a particular product, purchase a product, set an appointment, or sign up for your newsletter. Your call to action depends on the nature of your website goal. You need to craft your call to action to not just achieve your goal, but to relate that goal to your target traffic.

Here's an example of a good call-to-action statement that relates to its targeted audience, describes clearly how to contact the business, and also offers a bonus incentive for doing so:

"To contact us, simply enter your first name, e-mail address, and comments below and we'll send you a free copy of our e-book The Seven Ways to Double Your Income, valued at $29.95. Contact us now."

Wording is crucial whenever you're writing a call-to-action statement. Words are powerful and must be carefully crafted to get your message across quickly and effectively. Also, the call-to-action font size must be large so it can be easily seen amid your website text.

Here are few ideas to get you started crafting a good call to action:

• Include verbs or "doing" words.
• Offer an incentive for people to contact you, such as a free cup of coffee, coupon or discount, free initial consultation or e-book.
• Remove the risk factor for people by including words like "guaranteed" or "no obligation" so they don't feel pressured to sign anything or think that they'll lose money. Remember, no one likes to be pressured into doing things.
• Instruct people exactly how to contact you. You'd be surprised how many people struggle to find your contact form or have trouble understanding how to complete it. Remember, it may be easy for you, but not for other people.
• Don't require people to give up a lot of information. Many internet users want to remain anonymous and fear the security risks of sending private information online. If you ask people for too much information, they'll get scared or irritated and won't want to fill out your contact form.
• Make the form easily accessible. Is it buried under layers and layers of pictures or text so it's hard to see? Make the form stand out.
• Keep it simple.

Finally, direct visitors to an automatic thank-you page after they fill out the form. This builds trust and shows them that you care about them. It also ensures that the visit doesn't immediately end after the form is complete.

Khoa Bui, a corporate trainer and online brand consultant, is the founder of Khoa Bui International, an Internet-marketing firm based in Perth, Australia, and author of How to Increase Your Website Traffic from Entrepreneur Press.

Making the Most of 'Contact Us' to Gather Leads