It’s that simple.
Whether you need help with your annual marketing strategy, your website, or some logo’d shirts for a new employee, we want to be your go-to branding team.
Hot Off the Assembly Line...
07/02/09 - New websites released for Bit-Mat Indiana & Bit-Mat Michigan
06/29/09 - New website release for Deister Concentrator, LLC
06/08/09 - New website release for The Lottery Express
06/03/09 - New website release for Industrial Training Solutions
06/01/09 - New website release for Imperial Luxury Homes
05/21/09 - New website release for Rogers Formalwear
05/07/09 - New website release for K-Tech Specialty Coatings, Inc.
05/06/09 - New website release for AFP - Association of Fundraising Professions, Northeast Indiana Chapter.
04/30/09 - Mindy Hockaday, Director of Sales graduated from the YLNI Leadership Institute, we congratulate Mindy and the rest of the 2009 class.
04/29/09 - New website release for Citizens Telephone Corporation
04/06/09 - New website release for Ceruti's Catering.
03/30/09 - New website release for DoggieFountain.com.
03/20/09 - New website release for Shawnee Construction.
03/19/09 - New website release for Maumee River Basin Commission.
03/16/09 - New website release for Allen County Fairgrounds and Couture Home.
03/09/09 - New website release for Sperry Van Ness - Parke Group and Excellon Technologies.
02/27/09 - New website release for Freeman Harter Custom Homes.
02/16/09 - New website released for Electrical Staffing.
02/05/09 - New website released for Saint Anne Home.
01/31/09 - New website released for Community Development Corporation of Northeast Indiana.
01/15/09 - New website released for ESI Telecom.
01/05/09 - New website released for Hoosier Manufacturing.
12/05/08 - New websites released for United Way Allen County and BBD Group Properties.
11/12/08 - New websites released for Schenkel Productions and Metro Real Estate Group.
10/14/08 - New websites released for artist Alex Uncapher and Broadway Corridor Project.
09/15/08 - New websites released for Fort Wayne Rental (fortwaynerental.com) and Championship Golf Course Services in Florida.
08/25/08 - New websites released for Listed Fort Wayne and Fort Wayne House Values.
08/20/08 - New websites released for Nu-Start Credit Consulting and Region III-A.
08/11/08 - Angela Scheumann has joined the web development department as a lead programmer.
08/01/08 - New website released for fortwayneshortsale.com.
07/11/08 - New website released for Huntertown United Methodist Church.
07/01/08 - New website released for Indianapolis-based American Business Machines, Inc..
06/21/08 - New websites released for Blue Lake Campground, Indian Springs Campground, Gordon's Campground, and Atwood Lake Campground.
06/10/08 - New website released for iCampIndiana.com.
05/12/08 - New websites released for OfficeOne Solutions and Rathburn Tool & Manufacturing.
05/01/08 - Kandi Tom-Dunwiddie has joined the graphic design team as a designer for both print and web.
4/15/08 - DesignFactore, Inc. expands the downtown Fort Wayne office space to include a new production department.
3/20/08 - New websites released for Hallmark Home Mortgage, The Fortus Group, and AWS Employment Services.
02/05/08 - DesignFactorē, Inc. is pleased to expand our products and services to include promotional products and branded apparel. We welcome Becky Kelker, Director of Promotional Products & Branded Apparel to the team!
01/15/08 - New websites released for Knitting Off Broadway, First Steps of North Central Indiana (AWS), and Quantum Desine Group.
10/17/07 - New website released for Trademark Title.
09/01/07 - New websites released for Bob Buescher Homes, Life Career Consulting and The Orange Opera.
07/19/07 - DesignFactorē, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the upcoming DR. DOG concert, with special guest The Orange Opera. Tickets on sale online at www.drdogfortwayne.com AND at all Wooden Nickel locations.
06/11/07 - DesignFactorē, Inc. has welcomed Mindy Hockaday to our creative family as our Director of Sales & Client Management. Contact her at mhockaday@designfactore.com.
Smart (read: inexpensive) marketing tips in a challenging (read: bad) economy
You can't turn on the TV, radio or power up the ol' Blackberry these days without hearing about our "challenging" economic times. Everyone is certainly talking about how dismal it is. But what we should be doing is taking these lemons, making lemonade, then setting up lemonade stands cleverly geared toward our target market!
Sure, it sounds easy... but with conservative spending and shrinking budgets (theirs AND yours!), how do you go about ensuring that your customers/clients remember how valuable you are to them AND attract new people at the same time? It IS possible if you keep a few principles at the forefront of your 2009 business plans.
1.) Quality and Customer Service
Rarely will any amount of great marketing overshadow quality or customer service issues (nor should it!). So first and foremost, evaluate any areas of needed improvement and get those up to snuff. People are more willing to shop around in a tight economy, so you have an opportunity to win them over. Make sure to seize that opportunity by offering customers an unmatched level of quality, value and service.
2.) Tell customers what they want to hear
No... I don't mean pacify, deceive or otherwise falsely engage anyone. Instead, listen carefully to your customers and prospects about what they want and need, and of course, what they are willing to spend money on! If your clients are tired of regular lemonade, become the go-to hotspot for to-die-for raspberry lemonade smoothies!
3.) Network and use local business resources
Networking groups, the Fort Wayne Chamber, and your current social network offer great ways to drum up new prospects. Our Fort Wayne Chamber membership cost somewhere in the ballpark of $300 a year, and in 2008 we received $9000 worth of projects that were leads that came directly from their website. That's money well spent! I'm also amazed at the number of clients that have found us on Facebook, so don't count out social networking websites as another means of keeping in front of current clients, and possibly drawing in new ones.
4.) Used targeted marketing techniques
Both direct mail and email blasts are affordable and can be targeted and the results can be tracked. With email blasts, also called e-newsletters, e-contact campaigns, etc., you can specify your list and invite new subscribers via a form on your website. When you send out your e-blast, you can track exactly which email recipients interacted with the email, forwarded it, unsubscribed, and whose email got spam blocked, and so forth. With direct mail, you can select a list that is narrowed down by a variety of factors - if you want all households with an income of over $100,000 per year, with children under 18 in the 46814 area code, that list is readily available! To go a step further, include coupon codes or send them to a coded address on your website to track the success of your campaign.
5.) Make the most of referral opportunities... to others!
Most local small-to-medium businesses find a great number of their prospects are generated by referral. That's why it's so important to suggest referrals whenever possible. Do you love your accountant, your insurance agent, your ad agency? Make sure that you tell others who might be in the market for their services about the great job they've done for you. I know when I receive a referral, that puts the referring party top of mind for me, and I will always try to reciprocate the referral.
6.) Use subtle and inexpensive techniques to reinforce your branding
Many business publications will accept and publish press releases, there's an opportunity for brand exposure. You can also use your email signature as a mini-billboard to display all of your services in order to generate cross-selling opportunities. There's another brand and service exposure. Put your website address in the back window of your car (provided you're a regular at the carwash, and are not prone to... well... "unfriendly" driving practices!). Yep, you guessed it, there's another brand exposure. When people know your name, they're a lot more receptive when you're calling on them.
7.) Be found and be informative
Have a website, make sure it's a good one, and make double sure that you're coming up in search results! Although a website may seem like a significant investment for a single marketing piece, when done right, they have a shelf life of at least 3 years, and have the greatest chance of reaching qualified prospects. At DesignFactore, we love brochures and print materials just as much as we love websites, but when a prospective customer is looking for a mortgage company on Saturday afternoon, they're likely not out collecting brochures. They're searching the Internet.
These are challenging times, but with a little effort and attention, these challenges can be turned into opportunities!