Stand Out From the Pack by Positioning Yourself Strongly

In alot of meetings with clients, I've often heard them express concern about the "competition." They say things like: "But there are SO many other people who do what

I do, how can I separate myself apart? " When it comes down to it, they're worried about not being able to stand out enough in the marketplace. The answer to this dilemma is really about positioning, and there are three main ways to handle this in your own business:

1. Position yourself by focusing on your remarkable advantages.

One of the best places to begin in order to have a standout message is to focus on your remarkable advantages.

Customers are savvier than ever, and the truth is, looking like everyone else attracts price shoppers. Price shoppers will never be loyal to you and are often a royal pain to deal with to boot!

(This is why we never compete on price-someone will always come in with a cheaper product and price point.  In the end, you pay for what you get)
When you focus on your remarkable advantages, you infuse YOU in your business to stand out from all the noise.


2. Position yourself by telling your story.

When you come from an authentic place, success is almost guaranteed.So, what's your story?  What has happened in your life, good or bad, that would be the most useful to share with others? The answer to this is your Center of Authenticity, and you want to weave this all throughout your marketing.

Ultimately, marketing is really storytelling. It's about authentic stories that help sell the product or service being marketed.

Think about your story, your life as it has unfolded up to today. What was a turning point in your life? Turning points help others relate to you, and telling your story of how you got to where you are today helps build connection as well as know, like, and trust.

3. Position yourself through price.

Another way to stand out is through price positioning. Whether we like it not, the way we price our products and services makes a statement about our credibility, and higher prices tend to garner more respect. (Think of the old statement: "You get what you pay for.")


How do you work on your own price positioning? A great place to start is by looking at the brands that you admire and love. What is it about them that draws you to them? How can you incorporate some of that essence into your own branding and offerings?


You'll also want to focus on creating an experience for your clients and customers, providing a high level of value and customer service, and never doing anything halfway or in a "shoddy" manner. Ask yourself: How can I do things better?

Finally, understand the power of association: those you associate with determine your perceived value in the marketplace. Align yourself with the top people in your industry by reaching out to them and starting to form real relationships.


The BIG "secret"? In the end, it's not about how many degrees you have, or how good looking you are, or even how intelligent you are. It's really about CONFIDENCE.

www.americangraph.com

Grow Your Business With Promo Items

A lot of companies are always striving for innovation. This does not only mean innovation with products. They want new ideas to promote their products too. This is

where innovation in marketing can take place. Many of use also want to capture the attention of clients. If we are a business owner, this is essential. With a good marketing, there is a greater number of clients. Therefore, the more clients there is the better profits there will be. The sales of the company will spell the success of its operations. So in order to have a better profit, one should focus on good marketing. In this case, one can also use promotional items.


What is a promotional item? This is any types of items that will bear the company name. You can find them in every single type of item. Some people will use key chains. Others will be using tumblers and glasses. In other cases, items like a bag or a shirt can be used for promos. In order to capture the brand, one should also use items for marketing. This way, there will be a better scope of spreading your brand name. An item that includes a company name will increase its market share. The name of the company will have better recall among the users.


There are certain advantages in using promo items. The first one is brand recall. We all know that in order to have repeat clients, the name should be remembered. The clients can easily forget a brand name. But if they can have a reminder of some sort, this is easier. An item that bears the company name will be the reminder for people. Therefore, they will easily know what they need to buy in the future. Of course, the product should also be of high quality. Only this way there will be a repeat client.


Another advantage of a promo item is the retention. Items like these can bear the brand forever. Unlike with ads on TV and print, they are disposable. With promo items, they can be running for a long time. So this means you can have return of investment at optimum level. With this in place, you can expect to run ad mileage longer. Of course, it will translate to better profits and revenues.


It is good to use promo items because they are cheaper. If you are planning to put ads on TV and print, they could cost thousands. But with a promo item, the cost will be minimal. This should give you better profits with value difference. The lower your marketing cost is, the better. You can then improve your profits in the long run while benefiting from ads.


It is a good thing that you have many options for marketing.  We find that a healthy mix of advertising, marketing on fleet, social media, and promtional items are all part of a balanced approach to a companys marketing and advertising. 

American Graphics LLC is now offering a variety of pro­mo­tional products for thousands of items ranging from golf balls and watches, to pens and apparel.

www.americangraph.com

Building Your Brand

Many things come into play when trying to build a leading brand. These days the job is a little more work than it used to be because things such as social media plays a large role in forming public opinion that you just about have to maintain a presence to help boost your brands image.

Building a brand is all about showing consistency in everything that your company is involved in. Once established it becomes a daily job to make sure that the brand not only stays away from negative publications and reviews but also that you are growing it responsibly.

Your brand represents you in more ways than one, so you want to be true to yourself so that it translates into your brand. Your brand has to stand for something in order to make an impact in society and whatever that is will determine how it grows.


Reputation - Imagine how Firestone, as a company, had to endure the recalls from a 2000. This was a company that prided itself on excellent service and customer reviews, boosting of few defects and high-efficiency. Immediately, action was taken to get all legal news out of the media and settled. They than introduced new products and reassured their dealers they were there for the long haul restoring confidence in the brand.

Image - This is vital to giving customers a good first impression about your company. Large corporations such as Nike, and Under Armour have an image of customer satisfaction and have grown into brand recognition. Sometimes it makes sense to sponsor a local little league or a local event because it has the ability to make your brand more recognizable to the population.

Morals - Is important from day one, and all decisions made will be judged for how they align with societies views on morals and ethical behavior. If you own a company you must think about the society your company interacts with and if the operations of your business align with their perception of ethical behavior. Not doing so even unintentionally can permanently damage the company's image.


Focus on making your company known for something and whatever that is, it has to be better than your competition in that aspect. It could be that you make excellent headphones for high-end music lovers, you would want to be produce sounds that are phenomenal. Companies that are not known to excel at anything specific usually end up performing poorly financially.

www.americangraph.com

5 Tips Before You Start Designing Your New Sign

Designing a new sign involves more than just putting logo and business name on a board outside your business. A sign is an important marketing tool, which should be given as much thought and consideration as your next advertising campaign. Here are a few suggestions of things to ask yourself before you even start to design a new sign.


1. What do you want your sign to achieve?

Before you even start designing a new sign, you have to be clear on what it is intended to do. Are you advertising to potential new clients, establishing name recognition among existing clients? Do you want to attract attention from a distance? Do you need an illuminated sign to catch the eye night and day? All these questions will determine the type of sign you are looking for and an experienced sign professional will be able to advise you on the best type of sign for your needs.


2. Where will it be positioned?

The position of a sign determines several factors, including its size and its design. Is it a street sign for a retail business that will served to attract attention to your store? Is it an advertising board at another location that aims to publicise your services? Is it a simple direction sign to point people your way from a communal car park? Different design elements would be used for each different situation.


3. How does it contribute to your brand?

A sign is far more than a piece of your business furniture. It should also be a powerful marketing tool and part of your brand building exercise. The design of your signs should reflect your overall brand, so that passersby will be able to identify the sign with your brand even before reading the lettering.

Colors, style, fonts, logo and spacing are all contribute to putting together a recognisable brand.


4. Is it easy to read?

Signs are all about communication and as such they should be easy to read at a glance. Potential customers are likely to scan a sign in a maximum of two seconds. If they can't read the main message in that time the sign will have failed in its purpose. So avoid intricate fonts and distracting backgrounds. Make the font large enough to be read easily from the distance required. Make the message short and easy.


5. What is your budget?

Before designing your sign, work out what budget you have available for making it. Consult a specialist sign-maker to see what options are available to you within that budget and then design to those specifications

www.americangraph.com

Who's Planning your Future?

This is one of my favorite all time quotes. "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much." --Jim Rohn

If you think about it, and especially now a days, this is an extremely true quote.  So as we start 2013, we are going to take a little different approach for our first article and touch base on planning.  Planning in both business and personal is a key to growth and development professionally and personally.

There are quite a few things you need to do when you want to turn things around in your life, such as, creating more time and making more money, but if you don't do the first most important thing you will get lost along the way.

Make a Plan.

Now plans can't always be laid in concrete, their purpose is not to stress you out because something came up and you had to change your plan a little. The purpose of a plan is to give you a reference point. It's what you go back to time and again to make sure you are doing the things you need to for a successful outcome. When it comes to increasing your income you must write down your plan.


Begin with the end in mind, what is your goal, your purpose. Don't say to make more money, you must be specific. You may want an income of $10,000 a month, make a plan outlaying, how you will do it, what method will you use, how long will it take, and a goal completion date. You must have a course to follow, guide posts along the way if you start to wander off. Life can get crazy if you just let it happen to you. Make a Plan, write it down, then come back to it over and over, revise it enhance it, use it.


If you have decided to start an online business to increase your income, with less time commitment, it's essential to do a business plan. Even with only a small investment, without a Business Plan businesses fail.


If you want to invest in property you must have a plan, will you buy and hold, renovate and sell, what kind of property and location. Are all your safety measures in place such as insurance and don't forget Income Protection. The best laid plans encounter the unexpected, 'Be Prepared".


The Stock market must have a strategy for all its highs and lows. Plan your strategy, it's OK to take risks but it's better when its risk you can afford once you have set yourself up with a plan that works for you.


Put education into your plan, the world has become so complex we are affected by things that are so far away and so out of our control, education in your chosen method is vital. If you want to start a small business in this country you do a business course you learn how to make a business plan. If you want to increase your income through property investing, internet business or the stock market, learn all you can and Make a Plan.

Last thing to remember when your planning, be aggressive in your goals and dream big.  Darren Hardy calls them your Big Hairy Audacious Goals or BHAG (by the way, great template if you want to really get into planning  your year http://www.success.com/products/318-design-your-best-year-ever-book-and-ebook )
If goals are easily attainable you will find yourself underachieving.  Push yourself to be the best you can.

www.americangraph.com

Vehicle Graphics - A Bad Message is Worse Than No Message

This is a great article by one of our close friends and business colleagues at TKO Graphix.  Seriously, how many times have all of us seen a truck on the road and thought this...countless times.
Enjoy!

Vehicle Graphics - A Bad Message is Worse Than No Message


- by Randy Clark

While recently driving, I was stopped behind a local retailer’s delivery truck. The retailer is marketed to an upscale niche, and their brick and mortar outlets are well designed, tastefully decorated, and impeccably maintained. They offer excellent service, customer follow-up, and after-market training. The box truck I was stopped behind sent a different message. It shouted, “WE ARE SECOND-RATE!”



 http://blog.tkographix.com/vehicle-graphics-a-bad-message-is-worse-than-no-message/#1  (read more at TKO Graphix)

Your Outdoor Signage Talking to Me?

Unless you're running a chop shop or an illegal casino, you need an outdoor sign for your business. Businesses now days exist in a highly competitive environment and in such an environment, you need your business to communicate to the public at large, in a cost-effective manner.

One of the most cost-effective and efficient way of communicating about the existence of your business and about its line is to hook up an outdoor sign just outside your premises. This outdoor sign then creates a link to your existing as well as potential customers. It says to them: "Hey, look at me and c'mon in!" - An outdoor sign tickles a potential customer's impulses and curoisty.

Functions of your outdoor signage

You might be thinking that an outdoor sign needs to be fixed just because that's what everyone else's doing. Well, you're wrong - outdoor signage outside your business premises serves five important functions.

1.Outdoor signs develop brand equity of your business by presenting day in and day out, words, graphics and symbols that are related to your business. This also leads to development of goodwill for your business.

2.Outdoor signs have phenomenal recall value - If your outdoor sign uses great words and graphics, chances are it will develop a following, thereby boosting your sales.

3.Outdoor signs increase sales by enticing impulsive shoppers. You will see many strangers walking into your shop, not because you are selling a fantastic product as they don't know what your product is yet, but because your outdoor sign is out there, working as your silent, but effective, salesman. So, in one way, an outdoor sign can also be regarded as point of sale (POS) signage.

4.You would have noticed that, many times, an outdoor sign succeeds in changing a purchasing decision of a potential customer. For example, if you run a bar and your outdoor signage screams out loud, "Happy Hours 3 P.M. To 6 P.M.", you will be successful in bringing in many customers during non-peak hours.

5.An outdoor sign holds a mirror to society - it reflects the community's character and aspirations and creates an atmosphere that complements society. Just look at all the signs in Las Vegas - you see those signs and you know what that society is all about.

www.americangraph.com