GET YOUR SMALL BUSINESS FLYING WITH A FLYER

Imran Rashid Khan--

One of the most cost effective and amazing way to market your small business is with a flyer. Flyers are simply full page ads that are distributed directly to your potential customers. A flyer can positively persuade a customer to buy your product, or to use one of your services. With the right approach your small business can yield a great return on investment (ROI) from this tried and trusted marketing tool.

Flyers are most direct form of marketing, because they get straight to the point. Flyers give immediate access to what you are selling. Flyers grab attention with their colors and visuals. Anyone from doctors to web designers are using flyers to market their services, even high end businesses use flyers to promote special events. Flyers are being more and more used as a brand awareness tool. Whenever your flyer reaches somebody your business is introduced to them. They may not make a purchase then, but you will increase your brand awareness, and likelihood that you'll be considered in the future.

The question now remains, should you hire a professional or should you do it yourself? The answer depends on how artistically inclined you are. It may certainly be cheaper, but if you are not experienced in visual presentation you may forget to add important components to your flyer. On the other hand hiring a designer may be comparatively costly, but it will be more efficient. As you will not need to worry about the design choices or color schemes. Whatever the decision may be, make sure that your flyer has a creative design; it is printed on good quality paper and the design abides by theses 9 guidelines so that whatever you are offering will look impressive and be noticed.

1. COLOR

Colors instantly grab attention and communicate your message emotionally, as it affects behaviors. Use the right color to further ingrain your brand message. Below are some examples of what color represents:

RED - Energy, Excitement
GREEN - Freshness, Money, Health
BLUE - Trust, Confidence
YELLOW - Warmth, Cheerfulness
ORANGE - Fun, Optimism
PURPLE - Creativity, Luxury

Whatever colors you choose, make sure they complement each other. Visit ColourLovers  and Visually for more information on colors.

2. FONTS

Selection of a suitable font is very important for a flyer design. Ensure that you select a font which is easily readable from a distance, for example sans-serif fonts.  Font size is very important, so make it large enough for the reader to read it from at least 2 feet away. Use one font for headlines and the other one for details.

3. YOUR LOGO

Logo is part of branding your small business, so make sure it is placed strategically on your flyer. It can either be placed on the top or at the bottom corner, near your business name and address.

4. YOUR CONTENT

Make sure whatever the reason you have the flyer, be sure to spell it out and explain to the reader what is important. Get to the point straight away, but still give them enough information to get them attracted.

5. YOUR VISUALS

Include images and illustrations that convey your message with the text. Be careful as less is more; don't clutter your flyer with too many images, as it will distract the attention from your message. Choose a large image to match your content's message.

6. WHERE TO FIND YOU

If you have a shop then add the address, contact number so that you’re potential customers know where you are located and are able to find you easily. Be sure to add directions or a small map that shows your location at the bottom of the flyer near your address information.

In addition to that add your email address and your website address. Create a welcome landing page of the flyer on your website, to further explain your offerings.

7. CALL TO ACTION

Create a call to action space on your flyer to entice the customers. Make it clear and bold so that the reader will respond to the offer sooner rather than later.

Branding Your Business

Branding Your Business - Freelance WorkTips

As more and more companies enter the marketplace, many of them small businesses, it’s more important than ever to rise above the competition and establish your reputation. To do this the businesses need to start establishing their brand. The value of your brand sets the benchmark for your marketing potential.
If there are 100 other web designers, or 20 other caterers working in your area, how will you make sure that clients choose you over your competitors? The only way is to create a brand which will allow your target audience to actually look your way and see what you have to offer.

First of all let’s get the definition of brand and branding down. A Brand is a collection of words, images, and ideas which represent and identify a business.

Branding is the process of integrating a company’s brand into everything they do.

Branding is a complete packaging of your business going in the website, emails, promotional videos, letterheads, business cards, etc., but keep in mind that branding is not just your logo, your website or, your business name it’s what your customers perceive about you. With the right branding you can invoke trust, build loyalty and connect with your customers emotionally.

Branding preferably should be done in the early stages as it allows you to jump start on some marketing activities therefore, branding your business should not be taken lightly.

If you own a startupbusiness and planning to make it big in the industry, here are some tried-and-tested tips that will help you establish your brand.

Brand Strategy

Branding is one of the most important aspects of your business, large or small. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.

Your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors. Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally are part of your brand strategy, too.

Defining Your

Once you've created your brand strategy, the next step is how to define your brand. Here are a few simple tips:

Know your audience:

Your audience is one of the most important factors to consider when putting up a business simply because they are the ones who will buy your product.

Therefore, it is important that you familiarize yourself with your target market, so that you can tailor your products and services according to what they need and want.

Identify your competition:

As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. What it implies in your situation is that you have to identify who your competition are in the market, and then look at their strengths and weaknesses. Look out for areas where you can develop something better or eliminate or minimize your flaws.

Get a great logo: 

Your logo is the face of your brand, so get a logo which incorporates your brand message so that your target market will like and never forget it. Place it everywhere.

Create a website:

Whether you are an online business or a brick-and-mortar shop, create a website for your business. Your website will help not only to showcase your products but also help you to interact with your customers easily. In your website, you can have an about page, your product or services page, a testimonial page, a contact information page, and even an order form page for convenient transactions. Just make sure it resonates your brand message.

Blog regularly:

As an entrepreneur, part of your job is to keep your customers updated not just about your products/services but also of the industry you represent, you can accomplish these by regularly publishing blog posts on your website.

Write about your new products/services or communicate to your customers the latest industry-related event and happenings through a short feature article. If your products require assembly or specific instructions, you can also make tutorials in video format to assist your customers.  The idea here is to provide content that your customers will find highly useful and relatable.

Engage in social media:

To connect with your customers better and learn what they think, establish an active online presence by creating accounts on popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Build your online community, and engage them in virtual conversations.

Your customers are the best judge of your products so ask them for feedback, When they do, don’t forget to thank them for their time and if possible give them some incentives/freebies.

This way, you’ll get to know your customers more and improve your products/services based on their opinion.

Integrate your brand:

Branding extends to every aspect of your business – be it your website, emails, promotional videos, letterheads, business cards, Social Content,Blog,etc

Your brand should be applied in all written communication and incorporated in the visual imagery of all materials, online and offline. Use the same color scheme, logo placement, look and feel throughout. Be consistent and create brand standards for your marketing materials. 

Be consistent:

Customers won't return to you,or refer you to someone else if you don't deliver on your brand promise. So the most important tip above all is consistency. If you can't do this, your attempts at establishing a brand will fail.

Check out the interesting infographic by webs.com below to learn what elements you need to help your brand stand the test of time.

As always you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.

Have a great and prosperours life.

Follow Imran on

Increase Traffic to your Website

Are you looking for ways to increase traffic to your website?

Read these easy and quick tips to help you boost traffic to your website and increase followers.

@ Add easily accessible social media links.

@ Start a newsletter.

@ Use Google Search Engine Optimization tool, Google Webmaster Guidelines to learn how to increase website daily traffic.

@ Regularly publish content.

@ Spend some money on advertisement.

@ Go through the strategies laid out in the Infographic.

Increase Traffic to your Website

Give your feedback, and connect to

5 Esstential Tips for Freelancers

1. Market Yourself – Network, Network.

You need to tell people who you are, what you bring, and how you could be service to them. You have to constantly market yourself for success and build a referral network.

Internet is a valuable tool for freelancers, especially if you have website. It serves as a point of contact between you and your potential clients.

You have to present yourself as to who you are and what you do and the skills and values you bring. Market your business as it is the key to a steady flow of new and repeat clients. Market on how your freelance business is better then similar business.

It’s not enough to what you know but, who you know. Use social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedln and other online communities like freelancer.com to meet, greet, and expand your network, and get your business in front of prospective clients.

Through these networks get feedbacks to fine tune your product or service. Not only that, you can get your first break through these networks and referrals. These sites can also be used to develop and maintain relationships with clients. 

2. Get to know your competitors.

Study and research your competitors in trade journals, social sites, freelance forums, and visit their website.  Pay attention to what your competitors do. Learn from them, they may be doing something right which you can be implemented in your business. Understand that you don’t know everything and be open to new ideas and new approaches for your business success.

You need to know who all your competitors are, not just the obvious ones, but the ones who are meeting the needs of your customers with products/ services which you do not offer.

Resist the urge to compete on price. Trying to undercut every competitor is a losing race. Instead, focus on providing greater value.

3. Follow-up.

For a successful business it is very important to follow-up to maximise opportunities. Stay in touch with them long after the sale, puts you ahead of the competition. Customers will feel appreciated with a follow-up. People do business with people they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST. A committed follow-up strategy will increase your referrals with your customers and clients. By doing a follow-up you can remind them about your product or services you are offering. Follow-up can also be an acknowledgement for using your product or services.

4. Get Organised.

To be successful in any business it is very essential to be organised especially for a freelancer as he/she is responsible for everything. You need to have a good plan and organisational skills. Take your time and plan out all necessary steps to achieve success.

Make sure your work environment is conducive to maximise productivity. Keep it neat and tidy and minimise distractions. Schedule your work hours and set a routine. Being organised will help you complete tasks within time. Have a check list or to-do-list as you complete a task heck it off your list. Schedule your time; keep a calendar of meetings and deadlines. Set up a system for your workday; effectively prioritise email correspondence by using an auto filter.

5. Stay Focused.

You are not going to start making money the moment you start your business, it takes time so stay focused in achieving your short term goals. Constantly keep doing the things necessary to be successful, because success will not come in one night. Set goals so as to measure how well is your business doing, devise a plan to reach and achieve these goals. Always be on the look out for ways in improving your business and make it stand out from the competition. Keep a positive attitude, as a good attitude is a great asset for a freelancer. Believe in yourself.

Conclusion:

Starting and running a successful business can be rewarding and challenging. There are few things more satisfying than launching and owning your own freelance business. Starting a business is not complicated, but running it successfully requires focus, discipline, perseverance, and motivation. However, success will not come over night - it requires a long-term focus and that you remain consistent in challenging environments. Be prepared to adapt, innovate, and invigorate, so that your freelance business will break-out to the next level of profitability. Remember in business the only constant is change, so adapt and prosper.

Follow me on facebook/outsource2me

Your Business Plan & Commitment

To proceed further in creating your online business you need to have a plan of action or a Business Plan to achieve your goals. A business without a plan is like wandering blindly and relaying on luck. So planning is essential for starting a business. While making a Business Plan you need to answer the following questions:

• Name of your online business.
• Vision of your online business.
• Who is your Target Market?
• What will you be selling to your Target Market?
• What makes your business different from your competition?
• Your Marketing Strategy.

Once you have pen down the answers of the above questions, then you will need to commit to it.

I am sure that by now you must be inspired and very excited about starting your new online business, but excitement is not enough to keep going. You need commitment and commitment is a choice.

So if you want your business to be successful, then you should commit to your vision. Write down your commitment on a paper, sign it and date it. This way whenever you start loosing your inspiration and excitement you can go and read your signed commitment, to get on track again.

Action Plan

• Pen down your Business Plan.
• Commit to you vision.

Until the next tip, take care.

outsource2me

Outsource the work

Nowadays competition has grown so much among businesses that it has become difficult to hire permanent experts staff for different jobs separately, especially if you are a small businesses or a start-up.

Getting a start-up on its feet can require a lot of hard work and patience, juggling many tasks at one time can be an enormous burden on the entrepreneur. To resolve this issue a start-up or a small business can always outsource the specialized tasks to outsiders called Freelancers.

Freelancers are people who are self-employed and work independently and sell their specialized services without any long term commitment. Freelancers are paid on project basis either per hour, per call, per word, or in lum sum basis. A freelancer takes direction from its clients on what the end product should be or how the task should be performed.

Freelancing is not an option, but has become a necessity for start-ups and small businesses to stay competitive. There is cost saving and enormous benefits for tapping into the talent pool of freelancers. By outsourcing your tasks to a freelancer, a business saves time and money. For example, to launch a start-up specialized skills are required which may be beyond the capabilities of either the staff or the entrepreneur him/her self like launching a website, writing a business plan, setting up the social network on internet like facebook, linkedin, etc,. Hiring a freelancer with specialized skills for specific tasks will save a lot of time and money. “Outsourcing is going to be the distinction for small business to stay competitive.” according to Lorri Rowlandson, president of Rowlandson Inc., an outsourcing advisory firm.

An entrepreneur may be jack-of-all-trades who can take any role, but if the task is very specialized, it may get done faster if outsourced to a freelancer who knows the job, and this will give a chance for the entrepreneur to better spend time on day-to-day tasks. There is a lot of stress on entrepreneurs to get so many things done and time is wasted if you are teaching yourself how to do things, where as time is critical for small businesses.

Expert freelancers can be hired from online marketplaces setup to bring freelancers and the clients at one place. Employers can hire freelancers to do work in areas such as software development, content writing, data entry, designing logo and stationary, sales and marketing, and accounting & legal services. Projects can be successfully outsourced through freelancer.com, Elance.com, oDesk.com and vWorker.com, to name a few.  When using these marketplaces an employer can limit the risk of security when confidential company information is being exchanged. Freelancers can be hired by going through their portfolios and user reviews.

While outsourcing lines of communication should be open, the entrepreneur should be straightforward and be specific when assigning tasks, avoiding using phrases which are informal or acronyms. Make sure to leverage all kinds of communication tools like email or Skype. Payments can be made through PayPal or Western Union.

All in all outsourcing can be an effective way to do business and succeed, where the only limit to what can be outsourced is your own imagination.