Christmas Hamper Winner!

I am very pleased to announce that the winner of December's Christmas Hamper competition is...

... Imogen Hesp of Graduates Yorkshire (www.graduatesyorkshire.co.uk)

We shall be dropping off Imogen's extremely yummy food hamper tomorrow morning and of course, we are insisting on a photo opportunity for our Shameless Plug campaign!

Graduates Yorkshire can then enter our January competition to win £1000 worth of print.

Go to http://iloveprintingdotcom.tumblr.com/ to find out how you can enter this fantastic competition! It's very easy and there are lots of options!

Here's Harry the Office Hound's Shameless Plug...

If you need a Shamelesss Plug banner, poster or sticker or the printing.com logo to make your own just contact us!

Be sure to forward this onto your contacts so everyone can join in and I'd like to wish everyone a very restful Christmas and a prosperous New Year! x

When websites go bad....

During a recent visit to a business exhibition, I spent an hour listening to the Google geeks talk about their free website analysis software 'Google Analytics' (www.google.com/analytics).

Despite having heard about Google Analytics before, I hadn't yet made use of it and having had the talk, I was excited to get it hooked up on our local printing.com site to see how the stats stacked up. And boy, was I in for a shock.

I really would recommend you take a look at Google Analytics if you're not already using it. It's very easy to add to your site and allows you to monitor and analyse a stack of stats, from how long people stay on your site, which pages they go to, which pages they exit on, how they find you, which key words they use.... you name it, you can find it out.

As with any marketing method, your approach should be organic. Nothing is set in stone and you should be prepared to change things, make tweaks, make additions, take things out... whilst monitoring the affect these changes have. Simple!

Problem being, we spend so much time handling our clients' projects, we rarely get the time to get our own act together. A couple of years ago we were very excited to get online with our own local site which we felt would give potential clients some insight into our business, rather than just the national franchise (which might be misconstrued as faceless).

Whilst we've revamped it a couple of times, there's always been that nagging feeling that it's just not right. And Google Analytics has backed that up, proving that the traffic that is getting to the site simply isn't spending any time on the site and, more importantly, doesn't seem compelled enough to contact us.

Gutted.

So, the big project in the printing.com offices now is a complete re-design and overhaul of our site. Not just a re-vamp but something that will create a buzz, something that will effectively communicate our character, our ethos and our individuality.

It comes back to this whole thing of taking some time out to work on your business, not in it.

You hear this phrase banded around constantly but how many of us actually do it on a regular basis? How much business has been lost by not having strategies and plans in place? How many opportunities have been lost by not taking time to monitor, analyse and adjust? It doesn't bear thinking about!

So, changes are afoot and I'll be expecting your feedback when we launch our brand new site.

In fact, if you've got any feedback on what you do or don't like about the existing site (www.sheffield-printing.com) put your comments back to us.

It's a tough thing to put your neck on the line and invite critique, especially for a control freak like me, but it needs to happen. 

I'll be brave.



 

Is your image damaging your business?

I met this guy out networking the other day. His business involves working at a corporate level, going into businesses and advising them on how to improve certain internal processes (I shall be vague to avoid potential embarrassment).

His business cards contain the font 'Comic Sans' (that 'friendly and approachable' font which definitely needs to be eradicated - www.bancomicsans.com), the colours have been picked from the the 80's, the layout is amateurish and they are printed on shoddy card which is curling at the edges.

I cannot help asking myself 'how seriously does he take his business?' followed very quickly by 'how seriously do others take his business?' 

In short, how much is his image damaging his business?

Clearly I have no proof that he is damaging his business. He could be a millionaire for all I know! But what I am confident of is that people subconsciously form opinions of our business and our business ethics and approach from the way we look - from our business card right through to how we dress and present ourselves.

In today's competitive world and fragile economics, why would you want to create extra hurdles for your business? Why would you want to create the wrong impression? And if there were an opportunity to change this, why would you not take it?

Design isn't about 'making things pretty' and it shouldn't be an afterthought. There's a good reason why you should invest in design and it's measured in one thing. COLD. HARD. CASH.

Image courtesy of www.baddesignkills.com

Win a Christmas Hamper!

December's competition is in keeping with the festive season with a yummy food hamper up for grabs.

Stuffed full of scrumptious treats, this hamper will either keep you munching right through the festive season or save you some money on someone's pressie!

There are two things you need to do to qualify for entry:

1) If you're not already subscribed for feeds and updates then either use the RSS feed function or subscribe by email - buttons on the right-hand side of my blog. If you're not subscribed, you won't know if you're a winner!

2) Fill out the entry form on the following link - WIN A HAMPER ENTRY FORM

The winner will be drawn on Friday 18th December so get your entry in ASAP!

I'd really like to grow my readership therefore I'd love it if you'd forward my blog on to business colleagues who could benefit from my ramblings and the odd competition!

NB - Image not representative of actual hamper

And the winner for November is....

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the delay, it's been bedlam here looking after all of your festive promotions!

We've chosen a winner for November's Win a Free Set of Starmarque Business Cards competition and the winner is...

James Murphy from HS Direct Ltd (www.hsdirect.co.uk) with his rather bizarre but very funny story of the Peperami Animal that stole his business cards!

Well done James - give us a call to claim your prize!

Keep an eye out for December's competition and don't forget to subscribe or else you won't know if you've won!

A slice of humble pie and a cup of motivation to go, please!

Last week was a full one with lots of networking and business seminars. All good stuff and useful to my business but without a doubt the most inspiring of talks came from an unexpected source.

For nearly two years now I have been working with a very determined and increasingly succussful local businesswoman, Rebecca Varley. Rebecca has built up a very interesting company called 'Speakers from the Edge' (www.speakersfromtheedge.com) which represents the best motivational speakers from the world of adventure, exploration and ultra-endurance.

Rebecca invited me along to an evening she ran at Sheffield University and let me tell you, I was blown away!

To put this into context, let me explain first of all that I don't consider myself to be the biggest risk taker in the world. It took me two years to commit to buying my business, plus excessive reading of books such as 'Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway'! (Amazon - Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway). I am a firm believer in the mantra '...It won't kill you!'

Well, the talk delivered by Ian Parnell (endearingly mad) and Andy Kirkpatrick (off his trolley) put 'what's the worse that can happen?' completely into perspective.

These guys have an unfaltering passion for extreme mountaineering. What struck me was that their passion was not money-driven but came from a thrill for the challenge, the aspiration to achieve greater and greater levels of self-improvement and no doubt a desire to view from the most unusual of perspectives some of the most amazing places in the world.

Of course, they could just be completely crazy but whatever the driver, what struck me was that their achievements are so real, so tangible, so obviously beyond what most of us consider ourselves to be capable of and yet their attitude and demeanour so matter-of-fact and self-effacing. Chuck in some humour and beautiful photography and you have the makings of a great evening.

I recognised many analogies to the challenges faced in business and it reminded me of something I'd heard earlier in the week "Don't look at how far you've got to go but at how far you've come". It might sound cheesy but for many of us, this is something we're just not very good at as business people!

I'd like to thank Rebecca and her speakers, Ian Parnell and Andy Kirkpatrick for a fantastic evening and I'd encourage anyone looking for truly motivational speakers to give Rebecca a call.

I promise you equal measures of humble pie and motivation and more than a little food for thought!

What have you learned today?

This morning we attended a creative and inspiring Entrepreneur's Exchange networking event, hosted by Jill White. For any of you who have not yet attended one of their events, I'd highly recommend that you get on their mailing list. The only stipulation? You must run your own business. Compete or Get Beat Event Details

There were a lot of great ideas and advice on how to improve your business but I thought I'd share with you some of the gems that really stood out to me.

1) Nothing is ever fixed - there's nothing to say that the way things are are the way they should be so always challenge the norm, push the boudaries and take calculated risks.

2) Don't be afraid to make mistakes - it is by making mistakes that we learn how to improve so don't be scared to try something new and if it doesn't quite go to plan, understand why and make the neccesary adjustments. printing.com was built on our response to mistakes!

3) Dare to be different - establish, understand and promote what it is that you do DIFFERENT in your business, not what you do the same. You must make yourself "demonstrably and dramatically different" to survive in today's tough marketplace.

4) Explore new avenues - move with the times and take advantage of new ways of promoting your business such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging. Work to a strategy (rather than dipping in and out) and use these methods to break down barriers to meeting the people you want to do business with.

5) Work backwards - instead of working from A to B, establish what B is (i.e. where do you want to be) and work backwards from there. This is a more logical and strategic approach and will ensure you achieve what you set out to.

6) Think inside the box, that is to say that you should understand the context within which a problem exists. This idea was put to us by Jonny Douglas and the full theory behind this approach can be found at Jonny Douglas Ltd. The approach is relevant to all areas of your business, from strategy and marketing through to the generation of new ideas.

The event's differentiation was the networking sessions on the Big Wheel in the centre of Sheffield, allowing people to mix and discuss the points raised by the speakers. Here's how we started our day! 

I'd like to thank Jill and Andy for yet another fantastic event and give credit to the speakers for their enlightening insights into better ways to approach business:

Jonny Douglas - Jonny Douglas Ltd
Jessica Zeun - JD Approach
Craig Birch - Sugarcane Creative
Andy Hanselman - Andy Hanselman

Finally, in the spirit of Point 4, you can follow me on Twitter (Tweet Me!), LinkIn with me (Join my network) and be sure to forward my blog onto your colleagues and friends!

So, it's now 4.45pm on Friday and it's definately 'beer o'clock'... have a happy weekend!

You too can be a designer.....

... using just a dried up loaf of Morrisons Tiger Bread!

Something to kick off your Monday morning: CLICK LINK

Kicking your new business off on the right foot - 5 top tips

In the spirit of Global Entrepreneurship Week which starts from 16th November, I thought it might be worth sharing with you some of my insights, observations and general business know-how on how to get your new business off on the right foot.

Here are my five top tips for success:

1) HAVE A GAME PLAN. Spend time brainstorming, understanding and documenting your gameplan, or 'mission statement'. Why have you started your business? What are you trying to achieve? How much do you want to earn? Where do you want to end up? How will you eventually exit the business?

In the sometimes lonely world of being an entrepreneur, having this down on paper will provide support, focus and a line along which to work, even if you tweak it as you develop!

It will almost certainly influence how you run and market your business and if you know the end purpose, you'll be more likely to take those calculated risks which are part and parcel of making your business successful.

2) WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY SELLING? Are you clear on what exactly it is you are offering to the world? Are you 'just a plumber' or do you save people money on their heating bills by upgrading their boiler? Are you 'just a wedding planner' or do you save people money by managing their budget? Are you 'just an accountant' or do you make money for your clients through effective tax planning? You get the picture. The important thing is to avoid being a 'me too' business.

Such statements as, 'no job too big or small', 'free quotations' and 'customer focused service' simply don't cut it (shouldn't these things just be a given?!). You need to establish how you differ from your competitors and then sing from the hill tops about it!

Too often I meet with people who cannot tell me what they actually do. Sounds like a simple question but it's worth assessing whether your message is clear - both internally to your staff and externally to your customers.

3) INVEST IN AN IDENTITY. It is not uncommon for new businesses to try and cut corners by putting aside the investment required to create a professional identity and brand. I often hear the terrifying words: "I think we'll wait a year or so, see how things go and then maybe sort out a logo". Talk about setting yourself up for failure!

Not creating an identity right from the outset, in my opinion, says two things: 1) I don't really take my business seriously, and 2) I'm not really sure I'm going to succeed.

You should budget for the professional creation of a logo, stationery and marketing materials in your initial business plan. It shouldn't be an afterthought or viewed as an unneccesary cost to the business. A realistic budget should be no less than £1000 to get you off the ground for this aspect alone. To include a decent website, add another £1000 as a starting point.

4) UNDERSTAND THE FIGURES. I was lucky that through my initial employment with printing.com, having a keen understanding of the figures was insisted on right from the outset. I couldn't have had a better preparation for running my own business!

I cannot emphasise enough the need to understand and scrutinise the figures in your business - everything from the turnover, profit and balance sheet through to how your sales break down and where your sales come from (and many other figures beyond that!).

You've seen individuals torn apart in Dragon's Den for not knowing even simple figures in their business and for good reason!

Don't just rely on your bookkeeper or accountant (albeit a good one will be worth their weight in gold). Make sure you understand what's going on so that you can make better decisions, spend in the right areas and know when and where to cut back. You'll invest your money better, you'll not be panicking about spending money (on important things like marketing!) and you'll achieve greater wealth as a result.

5) FINALLY.... DON'T GO IT ALONE! One of the best things you can do for your business is learn from the entrepreneurs around you. Mix with successful people, attend seminars and entrepreneurial networking events, read business books, ask credible and recommended individuals for advice and use business support agencies/networks such as SENTA, Business Link, BIG, Entrepreneur's Exchange and Trade Sheffield to make connections. Not only will you meet people who can help and inspire you but some of these agencies can also help you access funding to facilitate your business's growth.

Don't get me wrong, this is an extremely simplified outline of how to achieve business success but hopefully, if you've either just started a business or you're thinking of starting a business, I've given you some food for thought and I'm always happy to chat with anyone wanting someone to 'bounce ideas off'.

Further articles will be posted which go into more detail on particular topics so watch this space and be sure to forward my blog onto friends and colleagues who could benefit.

Win a free set of StarMarque Business Cards (worth up to £180)

Well, our Win a Make-Over competition went really well, with tons of entries. Thank you!
 
I've promised a special offer, give-away or gift EVERY MONTH and that's what I shall do!

This month I am giving away one set of 500 fabulous all-singing, all-dancing StarMarque Business Cards (double-sided colour) complete with design or file checking.

These cards are the BEST that money can buy and by using the glossy highlights in an interesting way, you'll be sure to make an impact at networking events and meetings.

Let me tell you - when I hand over my card, I get a great response from them and people always remember me!

If you're not sure how the gloss highlights can be used, we've got tons of ideas and lots of samples in store - just shout up if you'd like a samples posting out.

So, all you have to do is subscribe to my blog by email (link at the top right of the page) and fill out the entry form at the link below. Don't forget to forward this article on to your friends and colleagues! Go on, don't keep things to yourself ;)

CLICK TO ENTER THE COMPETITION

And the winner is....

Thank you to all those people who have entered our Marketing Make-Over competition.

We have had the draw today (a little later than expected) and I am pleased to announce that the winner is... (trumpet fanfare!) 

... Emma Needham at the Sorby Nano Investigation Centre (Sorby Nano)

We look forward to working with Emma very soon on her next project and we'll keep you posted on the design and print we do for her.

As a big thank you for taking the time to participate, every person that entered will also get a very cool printing.com eco-friendly bag full of goodies and a £30 print discount voucher.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next unique offer to come and please forward my blog onto your friends and colleagues.

x

Halloween fun!

It's nearly Halloween and so the printing.com office have used their creative skills in other ways... namely decorating gingerbread ghosts. Some were too rude to post but here's one for Oliver, our resident Sheffield Wednesday supporter.

Happy Halloween everyone!

More than just knowing which buttons to press....

There is much talk, especially amongst those in the creative world, about the videos circulating titled 'Graphic Designer versus Client' and 'Graphic Designer versus Client - The Sequel'. For those of you not familiar with these videos, click below - but be warned... the language is colourful to say the least! (click back to come back to this blog)

Graphic designer versus client 

Graphic designer versus client - the sequel

Graphic designer versus client - make my website for free

I won't deny that there was a fair amount of knowing sniggering in the printing.com office when we first saw the clips, not least because of the 'creative' swearing!

The overwhelming response, both in conversation and on message boards, has been 'Wow, so it's not just me then?!!' and it raises the question "Why is design so undervalued?"

In my business we spend a lot of time seeking to educate our audience on the benefits of good design: providing 'befores and afters'; getting feedback from clients on the results of their campaigns; gathering evidence of the positive impact of good design.

Despite all of this it still proves to be, for many businesses, a sticking point when it comes to making that investment. And, an investment it should be considered. 

The Design Council, the national strategic body for design, carries out regular studies and surveys and their site (http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/) is stuffed full of enlightening information that is useful to both the creative industry and it's clients.

Did you know that for every £100 that a 'design alert' business spends on design, turnover increases by £225? Even more attractive is the fact that companies that invest in design can avoid competing on price alone. Certainly in my business I have found this to be the case.

And when they talk about making an investment, they mean with a professional designer!

Today's graphics software (or at least the poor man's versions of them) are so easy to lay your hands on these days that it can be tempting for businesses to try and cut corners by cutting out the professional design process. 

But design is so much more than just knowing which buttons to press and cutting corners could well end up costing your business much more than the corner you cut in the first place!

Graphic design is a skill which is honed and developed over time but which requires an eye and instinct for; it is a skill in which professional designers train to perfect their art and the learning process never stops.

There will be thought, creativity and expertise applied to producing the best possible design for the job. What's more, it is a considered process - you wouldn't teach your granny how to suck eggs... would you?!!

In my opinion, the creative industry is being undermined by 'design' packages such as Publisher and online companies which allow you to 'design' your own business card, creating at times a friction between creative and client. The recent videos to circulate certainly reflect this!

So, enough of my opinions. The 'proof is in the eating', as they say. You'll find on this blog examples of how we've added value to our clients marketing and the results of that investment.

Good design sells. Could we be doing the same for you?

Win a Marketing Make-Over with printing.com

Image is everything. You only get one chance to make a first impression and if that first impression says 'I don't take my business seriously' you may struggle to get anyone to take you seriously. 

Is your image betraying you? Are you frightened to hand over your Business Card for fear of ridicule? Is your Stationery making potential customers run for the hills? Do people recoil in horror at your flyers?!!

During October, to celebrate the launch of my new marketing blog, I'm giving you the chance to change all that with the opportunity to win a Marketing Make-Over.

All you need to do to be in with a chance is download the application form below, fill it in and return it to me.

And don't forget to subscribe to my blog to qualify! Simply click on the link to the right and choose the method your prefer. If you'd like further help with this, just drop me a line for instructions.

Of course, if you know someone who could do with a make-over, why not forward this blog on?

We look forward to helping to transform the lucky winner, who will be drawn on Monday 2nd November so we need your entries no later than 31st October. 

Get entering and good luck!

Recent move hits the news!

We like to practice what we preach and use a variety of methods to promote our business, including PR. We are therefore very pleased to have made the local business news with our recent move to new and improved premises.

 

We are just about settled and I hope that you will pop along at some point for a coffee and to tell us what you think. I'm sure you'll be very impressed!

Our aim has always been to deliver much, much more than a typical printing company and our new studio projects just the image we want - professional, creative and friendly.

With the introduction of our new Creative Suite, designed especially for creative brain-storming, marketing consultations and brief-taking, we have already begun attracting and impressing our clients who are looking for that extra value from our involvement.
 
I will of course be updating my blog with case studies which demonstrate the type of work we love to get involved with and if you think we can add value to our existing relationship, why not book your free marketing consultation with me, when we can spend some time looking at how your marketing materials might be improved.
 
Here's the feedback off the back of one client's marketing consultation, which led to a copywriting and design project for their flyer:

“In three paragraphs Sarah encompassed the ethos of our business and managed to pre-empt the negatives associated with using a wedding planner – for example the cost. The feedback we have had on the flyers is fantastic, it seems Sarah has fulfilled our brief – to stand out from the crowd and appeal to our target market – and we would like to thank her for her guidance and the obvious effort she made in ensuring we have a strong brand image.”
Ellie Crawford, Harelle, Sheffield

 
 If you think your own marketing materials could do with a bit of fine tuning, be sure to give me a shout!

We love to design... Helping 'The Essential Fly' to promote themselves more effectively

This is really a tale of why DIY design just doesn't cut it when it comes to getting the most from your marketing. 

The Essential Fly http://www.theessentialfly.com/, an extremely reputable online supplier of fishing flies who use one of the most talented fly tyers in the UK, was recommended to us by a previous client.

As with many business owners these days, they had hoped to save a few pennies by putting together their own leaflet design. 

Now, being so much more than a printing company, we're happy to challenge our clients if we feel that what they're asking for will undersell their business. It's not always what people want to hear but it certainly the reason why people come back to us!

So, following some discussion about what they wanted to do with the leaflets (insert them in a national magazine) and what they were looking to achieve from the leaflets (traffic through to the site) we agreed a very reasonable design cost and set about re-vamping what they had initially supplied.

They already had a logo and a brand-style, they understood the importance of using testimonials and including an offer and they knew what sort of information was important to their potential customer. The problem was that all of these messages were lost in the cramped and crowded layout.

So, with some clean layout, emphasis on the key points and USP's, use of some beautifully colourful images of flies and that all important 'white space', we created a simple but to-the-point leaflet which conveys a professional and reliable company image.

There's no doubt that bad design could end up costing your business far more than good design and I hope you'll agree that our re-vamp represents a worthwhile investment for The Essential Fly.