I always get a lot of requests, usually close to the last minute, for holiday greeting cards.  I always am able to fulfill those requests no matter when we are contacted but for those of you who like to plan ahead we could start designing a custom greeting card TODAY!

Holiday cards can be a great way to reconnect with your clients that may have taken a backseat the rest of the year. You can let your clients know you still care about the relationship you have created by adding a personal note inside each card. Although a little time consuming if you started now and completed a few each week you could be more than ready for the holiday season.

But how much does something like this cost? Well it can be very affordable- about .50 cents per card for 250. Still too much?! Get a group to go in on it together- getting the cost down to .20 cents per card for 1000. Did we mention this includes the envelopes? For any budget we can make the pricing work.  Contact us for a custom quote: 861-9841.

Do you like the idea of sending something out but would like to cut your postage costs down? A good solution can be holiday postcards. Although not as personal as the greeting card your business may not require something that formal. You may want to go more casual and still festive by having a coupon or discount on your card and let them know about your holiday specials.  By going the postcard route you can save .20 per piece on postage.  Postcards start out at about .30 per card for 250 cards and have quantities upward of 5000 for .05 per card.

Did you know waiting until closer to holiday season will result in increased shipping costs and sometimes delays? Pinch your pennies by starting your holiday marketing now.  There are a lot of affordable option for small business out there.  Call or email us to discuss more options and to get a personalized quote: valerie@JDaeDesigns.com or 861.9841.

I know it seems early to be thinking ahead toward the 2010 business year but when you really think about it, 2010 is right around the corner. If we can take a cue from corporate America, who are now in the elbow deep in proposing their budgets for 2010, now is the time to think ahead. Will you really want to be thinking about your marketing dollars while recovering from your fantastic Christmas dinner and laboring to get that last bit of pumpkin pie devoured?

Since I like to plan for everything I loved this article by Steve McKee, on BusinessWeek.com.  He suggests that you make a plan for all the possible economic outcomes in 2010: “more of the same; things get worse; rapid recovery.”  While the likely outcome is more of the same, you are probably ready to keep heading the same direction.  If this is the case you should still be doing marketing activities, because most of your competition has cut way back or cut out their marketing. Also, you should be extra focused on customer service.  This stance also holds true for “things getting worse”.  You should not, at anytime, eliminate your marketing. Eliminating your marketing might give you clients the wrong idea about your business.  Making your marketing dollars stretch even more would be the goal in this scenario.  Here is the best tip for making your dollar stretch as mentioned in McKee’s article: “the vehicles through which you promote your company will also be suffering and will be highly receptive to making deals.” Even now companies maybe able to get you a better than normal rate on your marketing- it won’t hurt to ask.  Now if things were to rapidly increase the focus should still be on customer service even if the demand gets extremely high. The best way to loose your clients is through bad customer service.  Keep focused on not outgrowing your budget and keeping quality the top priority even in you are “rushing to meet demand.”

Even though we have not even gotten out the Christmas lights, signaling the year is coming to an end, I really feel it is important to be prepared for the New Year. Being prepared for all the 2010 scenarios will help you think on your feet when facing any one of these possible turns. Being prepared and adaptable is apart of what successful business do. Are you going to be ready?

Check out the entire article here.

Here is a great piece on effective email marketing. Here are the highlights:

• You need a compelling subject line “will they care about this?”
• Share your knowledge in your email and make your self stand out as an expert in your field
• You need a simple yet eye catching look
• SPELL CHECK!!!

To check out the entire video, click here.

For more information on how you can get started creating a monthly email newsletter campaign for FREE, contact JDae Designs NOW!