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Tingalls Blog - Marketing Tips & Tricks

Boost Your Business through Lead Nurturing

Getting a lead or a hit from a web visitor is a great first step in securing a new customer, but it is only a first step and certainly doesn’t guarantee you’re going to earn that person’s business. And beyond getting their business, don’t you want to keep their business or have them as a repeat customer in the future and then make them an ambassador of your company, spreading the word to their friends and family and turning them into customers too. Lead nurturing is something every business should focus on to get new customers, keep old customers, and convince them to refer others. Hubspot says that “78% of […]

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Posted in Advertising, Email Marketing, Marketing, Website Design

The Right Words Win

Words are so important in everything we do — they’re a vehicle for communication to drive shared understanding with someone else to build a platform to grow a relationship (learn more about this in GrowLoop’s free ebook). I recently read Rework (Amazon affiliate) by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the founders of 37signals.  I really enjoyed this book because of the authors’ philosophies and approach to business, but also because of its straightforward concise communication  — no extraneous words, everything in there is purposefully written. One idea that stood out was that companies should hire great writers vs. those overly talented in their specific area of skill — unless […]

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Posted in Advertising, Copywriting & Blogging, Tips

Simple Way to Get Buyers to Take Action

If you’re wondering why your website visitors aren’t taking action and clicking on your links, then you may want to consider making a small simple change to how you’re leading them through your sales funnel. A common mistake in designing web pages is to use an underlined word or phrase as the hyperlink to lead the visitor to the page you want them to go. A much more effective method is to simply change the hyperlink into a button.  Buttons are much more intuitively click-friendly. Oh, and color makes a difference. The Mequoda group reports a split test where the only variable on the landing page was the order button […]

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Posted in Advertising, Color, Website Design

How is Printer Ownership Like Pool Ownership?

Every once in a while we get thrown for a little printer loop.  This time we were prepared because we had our trusty new printer selection algorithm to help us.  The loop in question was that often the needs of a customer do not equate with the dollar amount that a customer is willing or able to spend. Naturally not everyone considers a new office machine to be an investment.  I would counter that if you are looking to replace a machine that has lasted 10 years with little issue than it may be possible to look toward investing in another machine with a similar lifespan.  That machine will likely […]

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Posted in Advertising, Print & Package Design

Sticky Prints by Dan Dettman

Wells Print and Design Services offers a number of ways to print leave-behind materials with friends, customers, and colleagues.  As fall sporting seasons move on, a printed schedule is still the preferred way to look up the home team’s opponent and game time.  Wells is able to print magnet schedules or static cling schedules on the new wide format press.  Printing a company logo along the hometown’s team creates a subtle customer loyalty piece.  An office or home refrigerator may be the place to keep your logo in front of customers from the beginning of fall into winter. Along with refrigerator magnets, car magnets are a non-permanent approach to promote […]

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Posted in Advertising, Print & Package Design

Website Trends from Tingalls Graphic Design

          Tingalls Graphic Design has seen the web play a more important part in our business and in yours over the years. Web design is one of those ever changing fields that is often dictated by trends and public demand and acceptance. While some trends are absolutely spot on and important for the evolution of your website, others are exactly the opposite and can turn off your target audience. And some trends are just like fashion; your look doesn’t affect performance, but your customers may find you outdated. We’ve looked at our web design projects for the last few years and made note of a few […]

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Posted in Advertising, Branding, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design

Direct Mail Brings Home Charitable Donations

Charitable causes that aren’t reaching out to their donors through social media and direct mail may want to reconsider their fundraising efforts. A recent study from Campbell Rinker found that a direct mail appeal for donations was more than three times likely to receive an online gift as a response than an email was. The study also found that among donors that were aged 60 and above, online donations as a result of direct mail rose from 18% just two years ago to 30%, clearly showing that direct mail is hitting its target. Thirty percent of the younger set, donors under the age of 40, said that they contributed to […]

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Posted in About Tingalls, Advertising, Email Marketing, Marketing

Are You Effectively Using Your Mobile Marketing Budget

The phone, or mobile device, has evolved so much that people now carry their photos, their calendars, their personal data with them at all times and constantly refer to it to stay connected with loved ones and the world around them. Obviously, this hasn’t gone unnoticed and marketing to people on mobile devices has become a huge business. In 2012 mobile ad spending in the United States is expected to hit $2.6 billion and by 2015 it’s predicted to be slightly less than twice that amount. But is this money being spent effectively? Many people are having a hard time adapting to this new technology and are approaching it as […]

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Posted in Advertising, Email Marketing, Marketing, Tips

Localized Search Engine Optimization (LSEO)

Some of you may have noted that when you’re doing a Google search the results seem to be more localized. If you type the query “Mexican restaurant” into Google you’ll get results from your area, not from all over the country or the world. You may also be aware of Google Places; which is something to look into and sign your company up if you haven’t already. These small changes show that there is a larger change underfoot, the change to localized search engine optimization. For some companies this is very important, for others it’s not very important at all. If you’re a company that feels your location is important, […]

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Posted in Advertising, Copywriting & Blogging, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design

Why You Should Have a Professionally Designed Website

Let’s be completely honest for a minute, we often judge by appearances. Look at the old cliché…how many times have you actually selected a book because the cover looked interesting. Take it a step further, which cookbook is more likely to succeed, the one with a mouthwatering photo of a delectable delight or the one with a picture of cooking utensils. You get the picture (sorry – bad pun intended). So why wouldn’t you want to put your best foot forward when it comes to your first impression with potential customers on the internet? When appearances matter and your competition is just a mouse click away, having a professionally designed […]

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Posted in Advertising, Search Engine Optimization, Website Design

How to Incorporate Social Media into a Print Campaign

A recent study by the Pivot Conference discovered that 37% of marketers plan to be more active in their social media campaigns in 2012. Why the push for social media? It appears as though people are beginning to grasp the benefits of a social media arm inside of their marketing strategy. There are a number of different ways to incorporate social media into your customer outreach programs but most of them are web based. How can you use your print marketing to boost your social media interaction? The easiest way to bring social media to your print materials is to include your social media information, Facebook web address, your Twitter […]

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Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Networking, Social Media Marketing, Tips

Website Must Haves

A website is the foundation of a good, solid online strategy and in today’s digital environment, having an online presence is almost necessary to reach buyers. But having a website and having an effective, quality website are two totally different things. As online marketing experts at HubSpot say, “a website needs to not just exist, it needs to perform.” Whether you are considering a new website or evaluating your existing website, there are some key elements every website should have that will attract viewers, inform, educate or entertain them, and eventually convert them into customers. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) The most appealing and useful website is worthless if no one […]

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Posted in Advertising, Search Engine Optimization

Creating a Social Media Campaign for Trade Shows

A trade show is a major investment in time and money for a business, but it can also be one of the most valuable marketing opportunities around. The challenge is to really create an impression at the trade show so people remember your company and not your competitors (and your competition is probably just down the aisle). Social media can help you get a leg up on your competition and make a stop at your booth a must for all attendees. And, if done properly, the constant reinforcement of your company name and message on social media will make you more memorable. A social media marketing plan for a trade […]

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Posted in Advertising, Networking, Social Media Marketing, Tradeshow Marketing

Tips on Planning for a Tradeshow

Too many companies sign up for a tradeshow and then forget about it until a month before the show when they realize they’re going to need some material. Some companies don’t even put that much planning into it. To get the most out of a tradeshow and have the best attendee response you need to plan for the event. The first thing to remember is that a tradeshow is a marketing event and this means it needs to be treated like every other marketing event. You need to define your goals and then identify the metrics you will use to see if you’re meeting them. Then, it’s time to create […]

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Posted in Advertising, Tips, Tradeshow Marketing

Social Media and Your Tradeshow

Remember the good old days of tradeshows; people approached your booth, you shook hands and met and exchanged business cards. Maybe you gave them a pen as a parting gift. Now, with social media  you can virtually meet the person months before the tradeshow, become Facebook friends, create a business circle on Google+, share business contacts and tips on LinkedIn, give them a virtual video tour of your company, and tweet them your every move; all before  you meet in person. By the time the tradeshow rolls around you can have a customized business plan and contract waiting for them at the tradeshow. So how do you go from one […]

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Posted in Advertising, Networking, Social Media Marketing, Tradeshow Marketing

3 Key Components to a Good Logo Design

If you’re considering replacing your company’s logo or you’re trying to come up with your first logo design, there are three key components to a good logo design that will help you find a logo that best suits your company image. Simple Logos In a very practical sense, a complicated logo isn’t easy to reproduce. What may look great on a sheet of paper becomes a bit more blurry when printed on a small business card and suddenly resembles a smudge when printed on a pen. A complicated logo is also more difficult for your customers, current and potential, to remember. Think of the most famous logos that instantly pop […]

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Posted in Advertising, Logo Design, Print & Package Design