Blaze Your Own Trail to Business Success

Something interesting happens between childhood and adulthood. As children, people tend to not want others to copy them. As adults, however, we spend a considerable amount of time trying to copy those around us. We see someone with a new idea, and all we want to do is imitate their accomplishments. Someone successfully develops a new app, and 50 similar ones seem to spring up overnight.


While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it's not always the key to success.

Consider this example: Two sisters, Anna and Mary, sit down together to draw pictures. As with many big sister/little sister pairs, Mary looks up to her big sister. She carefully watches as Anna sets about drawing a picture of their family house with everyone out in the yard. Mary picks up each crayon as Anna lays it down, then goes about copying her sister's artwork.

After a few minutes, Anna notices what Mary is doing. "Mary, don't just copy me!" she exclaims. "You have to make your own picture."

Anna recognizes what many adults fail to see. If Mary simply copies her picture, she won't be able to demonstrate her own strengths. If the sisters' drawings are exactly the same, neither will stand out as unique. When they both create their own pictures, however, then each picture stands on its own merits and creative vision.

How to apply this to business

Developing new ideas in business is difficult. It takes a uniquely creative mind to come up with a useful service or product that no one else has thought of before. It can certainly be tempting to just copy another company or business model and hitch a ride on their road to success.

Unfortunately, this strategy rarely works. If you're offering potential customers exactly the same product or service as an already established company, what reason would they possibly have to switch to you? Your business isn't unique or special. Instead, it's a copy of one they already know and trust.

Creating something unique

There's nothing wrong with using another person's success as a source of inspiration, but have confidence that you have something special to bring to the table, too. Find a way to work that into your business model.

For example, say you worked in retail for a considerable amount of time while putting yourself through school. You may decide to specialize in helping retail stores with their marketing plans. Or perhaps you've found new ways to cut administrative costs and are able to offer potential clients lower prices for the same high quality service.

Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or an established business pro, keep looking for things you can bring to the table that your competitors can't.

Blaze your own trail. Find your own niche. And build your own success story other entrepreneurs will want to copy.


Posted by Chuck Gherman

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations with marketing their needs through print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com

The 9 Best Business Blogs You Should Be Reading

Ever feel like you're missing out on the latest buzz from the business world? We get it: The sheer amount of info out there can seem overwhelming, but whether you're an entrepreneur, marketer, publisher, educator or manager, it's essential to keep up.

Now, here's the good news: We're here to make it easy for you to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. We've searched the web for the best, brightest, and most innovative business blogs out there. Add these top blogs to your reading list for a simple way to stay in the loop!

1. You're the Boss (http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com)

This New York Times blog is all about small business, from best practices to breaking trends. Written by entrepreneurs, business owners, and experts from a range of fields, You're the Boss provides a place for small business owners to connect, share their successes (and mistakes), and compare notes from the battlefield.

2. Seth Godin's Blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com)

Seth Godin, a.k.a. marketing guru extraordinaire, provides a wide range of tips, ideas, advice, and general musings on a range of topics. The best thing about Godin's, blog, however, is simply his quirky, creative writing style, which allows him to be motivational, inspirational, and insightful without ever slipping into cheesy territory.

3. Workshifting (http://www.workshifting.com)

Not only is Workshifting beautifully designed, but its content is hyper focused on its readers' needs and interests. Content melds work and lifestyle topics relevant to today's on the move workforce, with an emphasis on the issues that affect work from home, flex schedule, and other employees who work outside the office environment.

4. She Takes on the World (http://www.shetakesontheworld.com)

With accolades from sources such as the Stevie Awards, Inc., and Forbes, She Takes on the World offers tips of the trade with a focus on female entrepreneurs. Along with content from founder Natalie McNeill, this blog offers content from a series of guest bloggers, expert advice from industry leaders, and articles about work life balance. Yes, it's geared toward women in business, but hey, it's got a lot of great content for guys, too.

5. Pando Daily (http://pando.com)

For the latest in news from the tech front, turn to Pando Daily. Founded by Sarah Lacy -- formerly of TechCrunch -- this comprehensive blog serves as a journal of record for Silicon Valley. Its focus on start-ups, the tech industry, social media, marketing, and almost everything else that impacts the business world makes for interesting reading, as do its interviews with and features by industry insiders.

6. Naked Capitalism (http://www.nakedcapitalism.com)

Naked Capitalism offers a no holds barred look at the current state of the economy and the financial industry, and how it affects business. Economists, investment bankers, political advisors, and journalists make up the contributor list. Expect to put on your critical thinking cap when you sit down to read this thought provoking blog.

7. Anita Loomba (http://anitaloomba.com)

For a clear picture of the confluence of digital marketing and social media, turn to Anita Loomba's blog. Offering helpful tips, best practices, success stories, and the latest in industry news, Loomba covers the ever changing, always increasing influence of social media and business marketing in her accessible blog.

8. How to Change the World (http://blog.guykawasaki.com)

Author, former Apple marketing guru, venture capitalist, and all-around smarty Guy Kawasaki offers hands on advice to entrepreneurs in his How to Change the World blog. Expect to be motivated and inspired, but in a practical, realistic way.

9. Peter Shankman (http://shankman.com/blog/)

Finally, for a dose of humor to lighten the workweek, give Peter Shankman's blog a read. An angel investor and entrepreneur, Shankman has a, shall we say, creative approach to the world of business, and his entertaining writing style reflects it. Plus, he's got some good advice -- so give it a try.



To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations with their Marketing and Human Resource needs through print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com.


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Are you walking the line between consistency and innovation?

Innovation is important for any successful marketing campaign. No company will remain on top if it continues to use outdated marketing techniques. Of course, that doesn't mean you should always look for the latest and greatest techniques. There are as many marketing schools of thought as there are marketing professionals. The key to successfully updating and innovating a marketing strategy is to find the balance between consistency and a willingness to try something new.

Identifying what's already working

To know when it's appropriate to change strategies and find ways to innovate, you must first evaluate how your original strategies are working. There are a variety of techniques you can use to judge the success of your marketing campaigns, including:

Share of voice
This is a great way to see how much 'buzz' a marketing campaign is generating. Share of voice essentially monitors how much the consumer base is discussing your company compared to the amount of time they spend speaking about your competitors. This information can help you determine how prevalent your brand is online, how familiar your name is to potential customers, and even how positively or negatively people think of your brand online. Free tools like Social Mention and Google Alerts are a great place to start.

Website traffic
Gauge how frequently people visit your company website now compared to how many page views you received before the campaign began.

Spikes in business
After implementing certain marketing techniques, such as a direct mail marketing campaign, watch for spikes in business compared to previous months.

Once you've determined the success of your marketing campaigns, you'll have a more accurate picture of what styles work best for you and your customers.

The value of remaining consistent

Continually changing your marketing strategies is rarely an effective approach. Marketing is all about getting your brand name in front of customers and convincing them that you're the company to turn to when they need the products or services you sell. Marketing campaigns that continually change are going to struggle with the basic goal of getting customers to recognize your brand. If your message and means of communication are constantly changing, potential customers will have a harder time trying to absorb what you're saying. If you try to use every marketing strategy, nothing will stick, and you'll end up spinning your wheels.

Successfully walking the line between consistency and innovation

When you're looking to successfully blend consistency and innovation, you must determine what works for you and branch out slowly from there. Isolate which techniques are working best. Is it Facebook? Is it direct mail marketing? Whatever the answer, that should be the basis for your marketing campaign.

Now, focus on learning how to take those specific strategies to the next level. Look for ways to shrink the sales cycle, so potential buyers are converted into paying customers more quickly and more efficiently. Investigate ways you can help that portion of your campaign reach more people. If direct mail has been a huge success, try to pinpoint what it is about the demographic you've chosen that has made the campaign so great, and then find more people who fit that demographic. If Facebook has brought in many new leads, determine what types of content are attracting the most attention, and work on developing similar lines. Make it easier for customers on social media to enter the sales funnel and improve ROI.

Innovation should never be done blindly. It should be done with specific goals in mind and to help improve existing successful practices. That doesn't mean you should resist trying something new, just that it should be done in a controlled manner and should not replace what has already been working. Innovation must work hand in hand with consistency if you hope to achieve the highest level of success.



Posted by Chuck Gherman

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations with innovative marketing through print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com.

Picking Teams for Sports or Business: The Same Strategies Apply

Pickup games are the basis of many fond childhood memories -- or nightmares, depending on who you ask. Whether the neighborhood children preferred to play games of basketball, baseball, or hockey, standing in line while waiting for the 'captains' to select you could be pure torture. Those with a bit of athletic prowess would eagerly wait to see if they were going to be on the same team as their friends. Those with a bit less skill crossed their fingers that they wouldn't be picked last.

What made picking those teams so stressful

Children understand that the team you choose matters. The team will decide whether you'll emerge victorious or go home to dinner with your tail between your legs. Growing up, being picked first was an honor. It meant the other kids respected your abilities. Being picked last was something to be avoided.

Team captains would fight to fill out their teams with people who could successfully fill each position on the court or field. Even a casual game, like a snowball fight, needed players who had certain skills. No captain worth their salt would pick just anyone.

While those picked at the end might rather repress these memories, they do have to admit that the captains tended to know what they were doing. Those of us in business can learn something from them.

Why the team matters

Whatever the sport, the teams would work together to devise some kind of strategy under the leadership of their captain. Yet, no matter how talented that captain was or how genius their game strategies were, they couldn't win on their own. They still needed the talents and help of everyone else on the team. The same goes for business.

Countless startups get so wrapped into their vision and dreams for the future that they neglect building their own team to help them get there. However, just like a childhood sports team, a business won't succeed if it relies solely on the grand plans or talents of one person. As important as developing the ideas and plan for the company may be, carefully picking the team to get you there is just as (if not more) important.

Picking your team

Captains of sports teams pick players based on where they can play on the field. They work to get a variety of skills on the team. In baseball, it doesn't do much good to have a team of hitters if no one can field. Similarly, in business, it's important to pick members with various talents and strengths to create a complete picture.

Begin by outlining who is needed to help the business grow. Find people who share your vision and can help fill in your own gaps, so you can work on building your company's future. Different people will bring different ideas to the table, which will challenge you to develop and grow as a team.

Success for startups (and even more established companies) often depends heavily on the types of people the company founders surround themselves with. Fresh people bring fresh ideas, and no person can fill every role.

Rather than trying to be everything for your company, focus instead on building a strong team that can work together to take your company to the top. Just like the kids from childhood sports games understood, strategy and big plans will only get you so far. Sometimes who you pick will make the most difference.

When you're ready to build your marketing team, we can help you make smart decisions about your strategy and how your team will work to reach your customers.


Posted by Chuck Gherman

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations with marketing their needs through print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com

Top Tips for Increasing Awareness About Your Products

• Consider creative marketing avenues you haven't tried before. These may include table tents, lumpy direct mailers, door hangers, event flyers, bag inserts, statement stuffers, social media posts, chat forums, industry publications, tradeshows, and more. Test your marketing results via coupon codes and targeted promotions.

• Create a regular product spotlight postcard campaign that highlights various products or services you offer.

• Create a customer referral program that encourages loyal customers to spread the word about your business and do the selling for you.

• Showcase happy customers who are using your product. Consider testimonial stories or brief customer quotes.

• Team your marketing efforts with an established business that complements your offerings. Offer discounted promotions when purchasing both.

• Create a goodwill marketing plan to increase name recognition and drive business while also giving back to your community. For example, you might sponsor a local charity event or donate a portion of your profits to a charity (e.g., "10 percent of all sales in June will be donated to XYZ charity").

• Provide a risk-free trial offer and satisfaction guarantee to take the worry out of trying a new product.

• Utilize social media by creating a company LinkedIn and Facebook page, and build your audience through employee connections.

• Differentiate yourself from the competition by offering value add-ons, educating customers about industry trends, providing helpful tips, or simply having a live person answer your phones instead of a confusing, automated system.

• Build your customer base by offering exclusive first time customer promotions.

• Learn from others. Collect examples of marketing materials or creative ideas that caught your attention, and combine some of your favorite features into customized ideas for your business.

If you need help creating the perfect marketing materials that are sure to get noticed and remembered, give us a call today!

Posted by Chuck Gherman

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations with marketing their needs through print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com

All Brochures are NOT Created Equal

When it comes to marketing your business, professionally printed brochures are a great way to build credibility, while also telling your story. Here are a few tips to help you create successful, sales building brochures:

Focus on your audience and their needs. List benefits your customers will receive by choosing your product.

• Design an appealing cover that motivates readers to look inside. Include product benefits, a thought provoking statement, industry tips, and other items your customers will find valuable.

• Keep it brief. Since brochures have limited space, provide a brief summary of your information, along with links for interested readers to go online and learn more.

• Provide clear headlines that make it easy to find information, along with high-quality imagery that supplements your messaging.

• Consider a creatively shaped or unusually sized brochure to grab attention.

• Include information that encourages the ready to keep your brochure. This may include how-to information, tips and tricks, sales calendars, and more.

• Consider providing a Q&A section to answer questions you think your readers may have when learning about your products or services.

• If your brochure is lengthy (8 pages or more), consider creating a table of contents to pique reader interest and make information easier to find.

• Include a call to action, so readers know how to respond. An 800 number, reply card, website landing page, or email address are all good examples to try.

If you need help creating an effective brochure, give us a call today. We have many samples and creative design ideas your customers will be sure to love. Our creative experts would love to help.


Posted by Chuck Gherman

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations with brochures or other print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com

Advice From Mr. Feeny: How The 'Boy Meets World' Mentor Can Help Transform Your Business

One of most beloved sitcoms of the 1990s, Boy Meets World was a coming-of-age show about suburban kids, Cory; his best friend, Shawn; his girlfriend and future wife, Topanga; and his brother, Eric. Throughout the show, the characters faced difficulties, important life decisions, and sometimes struggled to make sense of the world around them.

Like all teenagers and young adults, they looked for people they could confide in, who would help them make the right decision and correct their path when they didn't make the best choices. The characters found this in Mr. Feeny, a school teacher who also happened to be Cory's neighbor. In becoming their mentor, Mr. Feeny also had a profound effect on many people who tuned into the show each week.

Although most of the people who once spent their evenings engrossed in episodes and reruns of Boy Meets World are now seasoned adults, experienced in the business world, the life lessons Mr. Feeny taught an entire generation are far from forgotten. Here are just a few quotes from the popular teacher that sum up his wisdom.

Life and Business Lessons from Mr. Feeny

"Sometimes a sure thing is not the best thing."

In business, it can be very tempting to take the easy road: to keep running the exact same marketing campaigns and contacting the same people, knowing you'll get at least a certain amount of response. This is taking the easy way out. To be successful, however, you must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Keep what works, but expand and be willing to venture off the beaten path and find new ways to grow.

"You don't have to be blood to be family."

Being successful in business and in life is all about building relationships. Relationships should be built on mutual trust and knowing that a friend will always be there for you, just as you will be there for them. Maintaining close bonds with people encourages us to grow as individuals and can help us succeed in the business world. No one can succeed entirely on their own. Instead, they must work to nurture relationships and develop connections with others within their industry.

"Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good."

This quote aptly sums up what is required of entrepreneurs and business leaders alike. No company is going to be successful if the leaders don't believe in what the the group is capable of accomplishing. They must all be able to envision a successful future and be willing to take the steps to make that dream a reality.

Business leaders need to continually try new things and not be afraid to dive back in if an initial plan is not successful. At the same time, no matter how successful a company may be, they cannot forget to think about others. This means operating with a general compassion for their community and those around them. This may take more energy than just running a yearly canned food drive, but will go much further in creating a pleasant place to work and fostering a healthy, positive spirit. This spirit can take the business far.

A mentor for all people, old and young, Mr. Feeny lives on in the memories of countless fans of Boy Meets World. While the lessons he gave may have been oriented toward leading children and adolescents into adulthood, they're just as valuable for professionals working to succeed in the business world. It would do us all some good to remember the life advice of Mr. Feeny.

Posted by Chuck Gherman

To contact Chuck Gherman for more information about how Printing Arts Press helps organizations transform their marketing with print communications please visit www.printingartspress.com