We’ve recently come across a book called Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us, by Daniel Pink, and haven’t been able to stop talking about it. Daniel has compiled research based on what truly motivates us- and it turns conventional wisdom on it’s head. For example, we traditionally use monetary rewards in hopes of achieving increased performance; this works for mechanical tasks such as a supermarket clerk might carry out, where a very linear series of steps is necessary to achieve the result. However, for tasks that require any measure of creativity, a monetary reward actually functions as a hindrance to the successful completion of the task, as it narrows our focus to the reward and diminishes our ability to see novel solutions. This is pretty revolutionary stuff; it means the way we manage staff may need to change in order to get the best result. The video below explains the concept beautifully, but if you get a chance, we highly recommend reading the book as well.
When lifelong swimmer, Nadya Vessey, was removing her prosthetic legs before a swim in the ocean in Auckland, a little boy asked her why she had no feet. Instead of telling him about a congenital deformity she was born with, or losing one leg at age 7 and the other at age 16, she replied “I’m a mermaid,” and slid into the sea.
Her response sparked an idea. She called Weta Workshop (famous for it’s special effects work in many movies, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy) to see if they would build her a mermaid tail that would help her swim more gracefully. The response was an enthusiastic “Yes!” and 2 years (and over 800 pro bono hours) later, the vision became reality. The very complex structure had to be calculated for bouyancy that would match Nadya’s proportions precicely, and presented an even bigger challenge as Weta wanted the tail to be feminine and beautiful.
Nadya’s tail is 6 feet long and is made of neoprene and plastic, printed with sparkling scales. After three years, Nadya says the tail has started to feel natural- like a part of her while she’s swimming. Getting used to the tail required a mental shift, but she now swims faster and uses her back muscles more. She says “The tail isn’t just for me; I believe it’s meant to bring others joy.”
For people who are affected by paralysis, and are only able to move their eyes, the Eyewriter opens a world of possibility. In this video, Tempt One, (a noteworthy LA graffiti artist, publisher and activist affected by ALS) creates his art again, by using the movement of his eyes.
This project is a collaborative effort to empower people affected by ALS. For more information, or to participate or donate, go to eyewriter.org.
“Art is a tool of empowerment and social change, and I consider myself blessed to be able to create and use my work to promote health reform, bring awareness about ALS and help others.”
It can be very frustrating to be pleased with the way a document looks on screen, only to be frustrated when your desktop printer imposes unsightly, uneven margins when printed (if your document has a full colour background, for example).
If you will be printing a document mainly from a desktop printer, let us know and we can alter the design so that printer margins won’t influence the end result.
This page looks great when printed full bleed (below left) but loses its polish when uneven printer margins are imposed (below right).
Examples of how a great look can be achieved without printer margins interfering.
You may want to print 3 DLE sized documents on one sheet; we can lay this out so there are even margins around each edge.
QR (short for Quick Response) codes are used to communicate a message quickly to people who have a mobile phone with a camera. When someone takes a photo of it with their mobile, all sorts of information can be communicated to their phone. This includes:
Contact details that can be added directly to contacts (useful on a business card or brochure)
An automatically opened web browser featuring your web page
Product details
Offer details
Event details
Competition details
A coupon
YouTube videos
Twitter, Facebook and MySpace IDs
Geo coordinates
In order for the mobile phone to read the code, a QR code reader must be installed (takes about one minute, and is free, such as this one from Kaywa. (or Neoreader for iPhones)
QR codes can be used on all sorts of media- business cards, brochures, billboards, t-shirts, adverts, and web pages.
Give this one a try:
If you’re interested in using QR codes in any of your marketing materials, let us know and we’ll get it sorted.
“Wilma Mankiller, the first female principle chief of the Cherokee nation, once told me how the cow runs away from the storm, while the buffalo charges directly toward it- and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.”
- Donna Brazile, author, political commentator and veteran campaign strategist
When it comes to marketing and promotion, we often feel the time and money required is too great, so we end up putting it off and do nothing. However, neglecting marketing can slow the growth of your business. The following quick and inexpensive ideas help to assuage those concerns:
Print customised adhesive labels and wrap them around generic chocolate bars or water bottles. Hand them out at public events. (Contact us if you’d like a label designed and printed).
Review the business pages in your local newspaper for people who have won awards for achievements in their industry. Choose a few and send them a gift certificate for your product or service with a congratulatory note.
Email your current customers and ask them to write a testimonial for your website.
Look after your customers. When a new customer purchases a product or service, follow up with a phone call to them within 24 to 48 hours to ask if they’re happy with what they received. This offers many benefits- it shows the customer you appreciate their business and want to ensure they’re happy, and it provides valuable feedback so you can improve your business- and it costs nothing!
If you’ve already got an advert designed for a magazine, ask for an A4 version and print copies as flyers.
Start a referral card programme. Have business-sized cards printed with your business name, address and telephone number, and a line that says “Referred by:__________”. Create an incentive for your customers to refer their friends to you by offering a free or discounted service for every referral card you get back with their name.
Purchase lollies with your logo on the wrapper and give them away on Guy Fawkes or Valentine’s Day.
Sell Gift Certificates. They’re not only good for sales (typically only 2/3 of certificates are redeemed) but also promote your business. Design certificates featuring products and services rather than for a monetary value so the recipient doesn’t know how much was spent on them.
Create custom bookmarks with your business details on one side and a literacy campaign on the other. Donate them to a school, library or local literacy organisation.
If you have a product that isn’t selling well, bundle it with more desirable products and create a price slightly higher than the desirable product, or slightly lower than the cost of the products purchased separately. This will get the product moving, increase income, and will be viewed as a sign of goodwill by your customers.
Create a custom adhesive label, with “Thank you” at the top and details promoting your company at the bottom. Place them on small sample size boxes of chocolates and give them to teachers, firemen, nurses and other caregivers.
Create a loyalty programme. You can use the traditional cards that can be stamped for each product or service purchased, and when the card is filled the customer receives a complimentary product or service. This can also be tracked on a system you keep in-house.
Speak to community groups and civic clubs. Ask your customers which groups they belong to and if they’re looking for speakers. Plan a topic that will appeal to the audience but that focuses on a product or service your business offers that could be helpful to them.
When members of your staff receive accolades such as being recognized by a local charity for volunteer work, send those announcements to local media. This promotes your company and the values of your employees, as well as building morale by communicating your pride in your employee’s personal accomplishments.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or relevant industry publication. Mention the name of your business in case it is published.
Wear hats and t-shirts with your company name and logo on them to sporting events. Give them to your friends and family but ensure they’re stylish enough that they’ll want to wear them! You can increase your chances of getting on tv if you do face paint, banners or crazy hats.
When customers register for gift draws or fill out forms, make sure there is a birthday field (just the day and month). Keep track of the birthdays that occur each month and send them a card with a discount coupon or voucher for your product or service.
Find the anniversary announcements in your local newspaper and send a voucher or discount coupon to any couples you can look up in the phone book.
Keep your college or university alumni association updated about your business regularly.
Participate in a fundraiser walk or run with your employees, raising money for a charity. Name your team after your business for exposure in the race programmes and wear hats or t-shirts featuring your logo.
For stores
Promote a day via flyers, tv or radio where customers can come find (and keep) five dollar bills you’ve hidden around the store (hide around 20).
Hold a contest “How many lollies are in this jar?” for kids. The winner gets the jar full of lollies. You can promote it to math teachers in local schools as a lesson in estimation.
When considering avenues for promoting your business, it is useful to take into account how many people the method will reach, utlise the relationships and networks you currently have, and consider purchasing promotional products featuring your brand from companies who do not have a minimum purchase requirement.
Sources:
“Promote your business for $50 or less”, by Wendy Burt Thomas, HER magazine, Sept. 2008.
“Wilma Mankiller, the first female principle chief of the Cherokee nation, once told me how the cow runs away from the storm, while the buffalo charges directly toward it- and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment. I become the buffalo.”
When it comes to marketing and promotion, we often feel the time and money required is too great, so we end up putting it off and do nothing. However, neglecting marketing can slow the growth of your business. The following quick and inexpensive ideas help to assuage those concerns: