While a fully-fledged NFC may not be right for your business, you definitely need to make sure you at least have a mobile site to provide the opportunity for your customers to view your information online correctly, easily navigate from a mobile device and purchase products through their mobiles. It is crucial to understand that for many people, their Smart Phone, iPad or Tablet replaces their desktop computer, so providing them with increased functionality will definitely make you stand out from your competitors.

Do the BrandManager ‘digital media checklist' and see how your brand performs!

 

Digital Media Checklist

With the ever changing digital marketing environment it is important that your brand ‘moves with the times’. Take the BrandManager Digital Media Checklist and see how you rate (10 points for each positive answer).

 

• Mobile friendly website
- Can my website be easily viewed on mobile devices like an iPad, Tablet, or Smart Phone?
- Do I have a specific mobile optimised version of my website, i.e. mobile.yourdomain.com.au?

• E-commerce
- Does my website accept payments for bookings online?

• Video Content
-Does my website feature a photo or gallery?
-Do I have a YouTube channel?

• Social Media
-Do I have links to Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Facebook clearly visible on my site?

• Blog and Electronic News
-Do I have a Blog on my site?
-Do I communicate with customers regularly via an electronic newsletter?

• Search Engine Optimisation
-Am I engaged in effective SEO to improve my Google search rankings?
-Do I conduct or have I tried Google Adwords as a marketing tool?

• Content Management
-Is my website driven by a user friendly Content Management System so I have control over content?

Add up your score, 10 points for each question you answer ‘Yes’ to and ‘0’ points for a ‘No’. If your score is less than 100 then you might like to consider a digital media briefing session with BrandManager and we’ll prepare for you a budget and strategy to achieve maximum performance online. Contact Daniel at BrandManager on 1300 55 30 33 for more details.

Apple has allowed life to be even simpler in managing your content with the launch of the iCloud. The iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, contacts, calendars, documents and more. Furthermore this free cloud service allows consumers to automatically and wirelessly store content in the iCloud keeping them up to date across all devices without the need for syncing each device (iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC).

iCloud’s mains features are as follows:

• Automatically downloads new app and book purchases, any previously purchased iTunes content and your ad-free mail account hosted at me.com to all your devices

• Automatically keeps all documents up to date across all your devices

• Efficiently manages your Photo Stream by synchronising your last 1,000 photos to allow for more storage space. In addition any photos taken on one device will automatically appear on your other devices

• Scans the songs in your music library and matches them to more than 20 million songs available on the iTunes store

• Automatically and securely backs up information to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi whenever your iOS device is connected to a power source

• Assists in setting up a new iOS device or restoring the information on devices already owned

• The find my iPhone app can facilitate in locating any of your devices that are missing

• The find my friends app lets you share your location with friends which appear on a map that can be viewed at any time

Furthermore the iCloud is included with iOS 5. iOS 5 provides new and improved features such as iMessage, an innovative way to easily view and manage your messages across all of your devices.

*Images Courtesy of Apple.

To help your direct mail campaign cut through the overload of promotional material, catalogues, brochures and free samples that we are bombarded with everyday you need to get a little creative. So here’s five easy steps to creating a more effective direct mail campaign.

1. You talkin’ to me!
The first step is to determine exactly who you are talking to when your direct mail piece hits someone’s desk. Whether you are purchasing a database or building it from scratch you need to decide who is your most probable customer – the person most likely to buy from you. Then make sure that you have their name (spelt correctly of course), their title, postal address and contact number. Nowadays you can purchase a targeted database tailored to industry, business size, location and number of employees from around one dollar a name.

2. Get creative
The US Environmental Protection Agency found that 44 percent of direct marketing mail is binned even before it is opened so it is vital that your promotional material stands out from the crowd. So think outside of the square when you are designing your campaign – include a product sample, send a glossy postcard instead of a cheap flyer or at least make it bright and colourful so it jumps out of the letterbox.



3. Keep it informative
Believe it or not there are a lot of people who actually love receiving junk mail. A study by The Australian Institute found that in 2005 $428 million was spent on unaddressed promotions and an amazing $1.54 billion on addressed direct mail. Make sure your marketing message includes some interesting information about your product or service and a ‘to the home or business owner’ exclusive offer.

4. Hit the phones!
Direct mail as a marketing strategy generally achieves a take–up rate, if you are lucky, of around one to three percent. This low response rate however improves substantially when you follow-up your direct mail with a telemarketing campaign. By using a current and correctly populated database you should have both mailing and phone data for all of your prospects. Wait a few days after sending out your marketing piece and then call up each contact to follow-up. Start each conversation by checking that they received your leaflet and then ask them what they thought of your promotional offer – this approach makes the call sound less like a sales pitch.

5. Measure and massage
Every marketing strategy needs constant improvement to ensure that you are achieving the optimum results you can. Measure the effective of your direct mail campaigns and make adjustments as needed. For example, try your telemarketing script with the first ten call backs and gauge the response, then if necessary try a different approach for the next ten and compare the results.

Finally, remember that this really is a great time to start doing junk mail promotion. With the rise in popularity of the internet there’s now even less competition in the mailbox.

Email us to discuss how we can help you with your next direct marketing campaign.

Get in early and let BrandManager help you prepare high quality, personalised Christmas cards for your customers and business contacts.

With a minimum order of only 50 cards, you can select the size, design and finish that suits your requirements and your budget – they will even be delivered free of charge to you within 10 working days! No need to worry about anything!

This offer includes:

• Free design templates for Standard and Blingfoil cards (metalic look for that real Christmas sparkle!)
• DL or Postcard size (tent cards)
• 310gsm Artboard with gloss laminated front
• Matching plain envelopes
• Pre-printed Christmas message with free variable data
• As mentioned above, free delivery anywhere in Australia and completed within 10 working days!

Standard Postcard Size (150mmx 100mm)

Price: $2.35 + GST per card (includes envelope)

Blingfoil Postcard Size (150mmx 100mm)

Price: $2.95 + GST per card (includes envelope)

Standard DL Size (210mmx 99mm)

Price: $3.45 + GST per card (includes envelope)

Blingfoil DL Size (210mmx 99mm)

Price: $3.95 + GST per card (includes envelope)

The Internet can be a frightening place – one day your best friend and another your worst enemy. A school achievement to a business compliant, your footy team photo to a survey you took years ago – it can all be found in a single Google search. Therefore building your profile online is a vital part of your online brand strategy.



Here's five steps to help you get your name in lights when people search for you on Google or one of the other many search engines:

Step One – Correctly Index Your Website

Your website is your address on the web, whether online, brochure or a full retail shop – it’s often the first impression that someone will get about your business. Make sure each page of your site is correctly titled, has relevant and targeted information in the first paragraph and metatags or keywords added to the source code. You as the business owner or key stakeholder need to have a profile page too so that it will come up when people 'Google' your name.

Step Two – Start A Blog

Whether you share news about your day to day business or personal experiences you have, creating your own blog is a great tool towards online brand awareness. Keep your blog posts short, relevant and entertaining – always consider the reader and ask yourself ‘why would they care about this story?’.

Step Three – Create Your Online Network

Social and business network portals like FaceBook, Linked-In and Ecademy allow you to establish links with other people across the web. The power of each individual link is that it opens the door to their business and social links and then the links of the people as well – and so it goes on. In no time at all you can build a network of thousands – and all without leaving your computer or handing out a single business card. Once again you need to spend time on creating your profile for each platform and be sure to provide links to your business website and your blog.

 

Step Four – What’s All The Twitter About?

One of the fastest growing networks is Twitter – the online short text forum where you add your ‘Tweets’ about what’s going on in your world. From popstars to politicians, movie actors to business moguls – Twitter offers the opportunity to tap into someone’s personality. You can choose a style, theme or topic for your Twitter account and then attract followers to you as you add tweets from your laptop, email or even mobile phone.

 

Step Five – Spread The Love

As you build up your content you will start to create a library of articles, stories and interesting tips that can easily be shared with others. Try and get them published in someone else’s newsletter, posted on their blog, featured in an online publication or made available as a download – the more you have the more you reap in credibility over the web. One story in a leading online publication can help push you to the front page of Google on a specific search for you, your business, topic or area of expertise.

Need your printing in a hurry? Now with BrandManager you can order your printing by 10am and have it dispatched to you the very next day at no additional cost.*

Choose from the products below for next day completion. All artwork must be print ready, offer not available on Friday or public holidays and delivery time is additional.

Products	Quantity
A4 (1 side)	100/200/300/400/500/1000
A4 (2 sided)	100/200/300/400/500/1000
DL (1 side)	100/200/300/400/500/1000/2000/3000
DL (2 sided)	100/200/300/400/500/1000/2000/3000
A3 (1 side)	100/200/300/400/500
A3 (2 sided)	100/200/300/400/500
A3 Stationery Package	100/200/300/400/500
DL Cards (1 side)	100/200/300/400/500/1000
DL Cards (2 sided)	100/200/300/400/500/1000
Postcards (1 sided)	100/200/300/400/500/1000
Postcards (2 sided)	100/200/300/400/500/1000

* Printing is in full colour digital and delivered. Jobs are printed by 10am the following day after ordering, then dispatched overnight to metropolitan areas only.

Build A Business Exhibition Packages make it easy to hit the ground running and look the part at any event. Whether you require brochures, magnets or a banner display, you will find there’s a package to suit you.

You can choose from Bronze, Silver and Gold Exhibition Packages, ...

Bronze Exhibition Package Our Bronze Exhibition Package for only $795 includes full colour artwork and printing for: • 1000 magnets • 1500 slimline DL flyers Silver Exhibition Package Our Silver Exhibition Package for only $1,995 includes full colour design and artwork plus printing for: • 1000 magnets • 3000 DL flyers • 1 pull-up banner and stand Gold Exhibition Package Our Gold Exhibition Package for the serious exhibitor at just $2,995 includes full colour design and artwork, creative briefing on how to get the best results from your stand and printing for: • 1000 magnets • 1000 DL marketing cards • 1000 A3 folded to A4 brochures • 1 pull up banner display and stand For more information or to book a package email info@thebrandmanager.com.au

There is hardly anyone in this day and age who does not use Google or Yahoo or other search engines to find information and suppliers on the web. This means that there are real opportunities if you optimise your website for search engines.

Wikipedia defines Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as the process of improving the volume or quantity of traffic to a web site from search engines via natural (or organic) search results.

Starting a new business but worried about your cash flow in those first few months? You can now get all your start up marketing requirements affordably with our new startup package. Our business startup packages get you underway with all your basic requirements, including logo design, website and stationery, allowing you to focus on launching your business straight away.

What makes a good landing page?

Here’s a smart way to build an on-line business

Business turns to YouTube

The following edited article by Ed Charles was recently published in The Australian newspaper showing how some smart businesses are using YouTube as a slick marketing tool ...

Marketing fads come and go but YouTube and the internet look as if they are here to stay. YouTube is about rich, interesting content rather than rich video productions.This makes it an ideal medium for small to medium-sized business, according to Sydney-based social media consultant Laurel Papworth.Australia is behind the US in using Web 2.0 applications. 

But small companies are warming to cheaply made YouTube clip.

The article cites examples of Australian companies that have used YouTube to promote their products with amazing results.For example, a Sydney-based boutique beer company posted an eye-catching promotional video on YouTube with a link to its own website.   Some months they now receive a staggering 1 million hits on their site – the lion’s share of which are directly related to the video.

YouTube is one of the most cost-effective ways to host and distribute video on the internet. 

But there are limits to using YouTube. For instance, any single video uploaded has to be under 100MB which, depending on quality, limits lengths to 5-10 minutes.Laurel Papworth says for full effect businesses should spread their message where they have social and business connections.These could include a traditional website, blog, Facebook, MySpace or forums.“You wouldn’t create a video and put it up on your Facebook page and just hope to be discovered,” she says.

Translating English into plain English ...

Website design terminology can be quite confusing for many small business operators. But a basic understanding of technical terminology can help you make some good design decisions.