Welcome Lake Country Board of Realtors
golf tournament sponsors!!!

Give that extra 10% (when you buy promotional products for the tournament swag bag.)

For your convenience, just click the link to go to the “ideas collection”. http://marketshare.promoshop.com

It is not necessary to buy products from the collection for the 10% give back program.  I am happy to work with you to find that perfect product to promote your business.

Don’t hesitate to call me if I can be of any assistance.
Toni Furino 706.816.2619

If you know any other business associate that would like to promote their own business in the tournament or otherwise, please give them my contact information or my website address: www.marketsharemktg.com or my email address: solutions@marketsharemktg.com 

Three experts discuss what goes into designing a logo, including typeface choices, inspiration, and overall branding messages.

A lot of work and brainstorming goes into creating a logo that captures the mission of a company or organization, is simple yet effective, and can be printed on various media at different sizes. A poorly designed logo can make a company look unprofessional, and a logo that’s not memorable or effective can impede a company’s success.

After brief dips into inspiration, working with clients, and the defining elements of successful logos, I’ll share six real-world case studies of logos that work. One of them is for a company so ubiquitous that its name has become a verb.

Finding Inspiration
Think about what the company or organization is and does. A shipping company logo, for example, might incorporate something indicating motion or delivery.

The FedEx logo hints at its mission by incorporating a sideways arrow between the “E” and the “x.” 
 

“I draw inspiration from everything around me,” says Ruth Kedar, a logo designer from California. “But the process always starts by meeting with clients so I can understand who they are, their unique point of view, as well as get a feel for the company, its philosophy, and the cultural environment within which it and its competitors operate.”

Inspiration may also come from other sources. “I find inspiration all around, and particularly in the great Scottish outdoors,” says David Airey, a logo designer from Great Britain. “I’m inspired by people, by nature, by life.”

Article continued at: http://www.creativepro.com/article/design-successful-logos

Your customer wants a cleaner kitchen, not a kitchen cleaner.

Your customers are interested in benefits, not features.

So sell benefits in your sales letters.

The difference between a feature and a benefit comes down to this: A feature is what something does. A benefit is what something does for you.Everything you have to say in your direct marketing sales letters boils down to features and benefits. With every piece of copy you write, however long or short your copy, you are always talking in terms of features and benefits.When I worked on the Bell Mobility account, I discovered that the marketing folks at Bell have a policy of always presenting the benefit first, followed by the feature. I had usually written things the other way around. But they had a good policy.For example, I would have said, “Digital Data2Go lets you receive email with your cellphone, saving you the hassle of finding a phone jack for your laptop whenever you need to check email while travelling.” Bell insisted that I present the benefit first, so I instead wrote something like this: “Never again waste time hunting for a phone jack when it’s time to check email while travelling. Digital Data2Go lets you receive email with just your cellphone.”I think Bell has the right idea, although there are times when the feature needs to come first.

The tough part in all of this is translating features into benefits before you start writing. Some benefits are obvious. Others require some detective work to uncover. I learned that lesson all over again when I taught copywriting at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies.I gave my students an exercise that always turned up a surprising benefit.

I told my class that the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was 1,815 feet and 5 inches tall. Their assignment was to come up with as many benefits as they could that related to that feature. Most of them stared at me.Then they picked up their pens.Slowly, they started to write.Each time I ran the exercise, a student or two came up with a benefit that I had not thought of. Here are a few of the benefits of having the world’s tallest free-standing structure in your city:

  ·         attract tourist dollars by charging for tours ·         see the whole city from one vantage point ·         generate revenue by selling souvenirs ·         impress your date with dinner at the revolving restaurant ·         host fundraisers (a race up the stairs to the top is a popular annual fundraiser) ·         generate revenue from organizations that monitor the weather ·         navigate around the city easily because the tower is a landmark visible from almost everywhere ·         generate revenue from TV and radio companies by hosting their antennas on the communications deck ·         improve the flow of traffic along the nearby Gardner Expressway by locating traffic cameras on the tower ·         generate publicity by hanging a banner down the side of the structure There were many more benefits, some worthy and some just wacky, but all of them were benefits of one kind or another. Together, they demonstrated that products and services, including yours, probably have more benefits than are apparent at first glance.So hunt for those benefits that are relevant to your potential buyers and current customers. And remember this, every time you craft a sales letter: your client wants a 5/8 inch hole, not a 5/8 inch drill bit.

By Tensie Whelan
Published May 12, 2008
www.greenbiz.com

Companies can make an enormous difference in the global environment and forest communities by adopting strict purchasing policies.  Large international companies such as Unilever, Staples, Marks and Spencer and Kraft have all made commitments to sustainable packaging.Thousands of pulp providers, mills, merchants and printers have earned chain-of-custody certification from the nonprofit Forest Stewardship Council, and many publishers — most recently Simon & Schuster, Inc. — have committed to increasing their use of FSC-certified paper.In the past year, Nordstrom, Williams-Sonoma and Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, all began using FSC-certified paper in their catalogs and other printed materials.  Through its accredited certifiers, such as the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, the FSC’s stamp and chain-of-custody certification tracks the paper pulp back through the supply chain to make sure that it comes from legal and responsible sources.

Beyond Recycling

Paper recycling is not only green biz, it’s wildly profitable biz.  ZhangYin, the world’s wealthiest self-made woman, aptly dubbed the “Queen of Trash,” made her fortune in paper recycling. Her company Nine Dragons paper, now worth $3.4 billion, buys scrap paper from the U.S. and sells it in China. In fact, most of the waste paper produced in the U.S. is bound for China.
:
According to the Washington, D.C.-based group Forest Trends, about 60 percent of the fiber used to manufacture paper and paper board products in China is derived from wastepaper — a substantial portion of which comes from the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

From an environmental perspective, this recycling surge is a positive development — to a point. Recycling does, however, yield some distinctive environmental disadvantages:

o    Paper can only be recycled a half dozen times before the fiber starts to disintegrate.
o    From a carbon footprint vantage point, the oversees shipping of scrap paper is counterproductive
o    The deinking process by which the ink, laser and copier toner and labels, glues, plastic windows, paper clips and other materials are removed from the fiber produces sludge that, if not otherwise used, ends up in landfills.
o    China continues to depend on virgin forests for its higher-quality paper, sourcing nearly 40 percent of wood and wood pulp from countries where good forest management cannot be assured.

This last key point underscores the need to ensure that the pulp from which recycled paper is processed comes from sustainably managed forests –  not trees, forests. China’s pulp and paper industry is the second largest (after the U.S.), producing 15 percent of the world’s paper and paperboard — nearly 40 percent of the wood and wood pulp used in its manufacture comes from countries where good forest management cannot be guaranteed, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region and, most recently, Africa.

But the need to produce paper responsibly extends beyond China’s reach. As the largest market for paper products in the world, the U.S. produces some 90 million tons of paper annually and, in-turn, consumes about 100 million tons.  Despite improved technologies for refining post consumer pulp, virgin fiber is still a significant requirement in paper manufacturing.

Complete article: http://greenbiz.com/browse/marketing-communications

By linking your brand to a nonprofit group or charity — called “cause marketing” by many — you can often boost business and give back to your community at the same time.

American Express first came up with the idea back in 1983. For several months, each time a cardholder charged an item, the company donated a penny toward restoring the Statue of Liberty. The result was a few million dollars to refurbish the Lady, plus glowing press, consumer goodwill, and increased sales for Amex.

Cause marketing has been growing ever since. For-profit businesses are expected in 2005 to spend more than $1 billion in sponsoring nonprofit causes, according to the IEG Sponsorship Report, a Chicago-based industry newsletter.

But forging a business partnership with a nonprofit can get tricky. Here are dos and don’ts for choosing a cause and negotiating an agreement, plus some real-life examples of how to get real business bang for cause-worthy bucks.

1. Identify a cause that fits your business. The goal should be to align your brand with a synergistic nonprofit cause or organization in order to create win-win marketing. Your customer will feel good about buying your product. Your company will gain profile, a reputation for caring, and, depending on the campaign, increased sales. The nonprofit will generate publicity and awareness for its cause. Win-win, indeed.But all of that only works when your product and the cause share natural affinities. If you own a steakhouse, for example, don’t partner with a group that promotes the vegan lifestyle.”Look at what you sell and understand the targets you’re trying to reach. Then align yourself with causes that will bring out the emotions of that audience, from a grassroots, a community and a media standpoint,” advises Rodger Roeser, who, at Justice & Young Public Relations in Cincinnati, has concluded several deals for small businesses with such groups as Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes and more.For laundry services client Appearance Plus in Cincinnati, Roeser planned a three-month Coats for Kids campaign that began in October 2004 and ran through the Christmas holiday. “We ran promotions in newsletters and took out media ads to publicize the campaign. We agreed to dry-clean coats and blankets for free and distribute them to the needy during the holiday,” he says. “The goal was to get people in the store.”Result: Appearance Plus saved a bundle on the cost of customer acquisition, which dropped from $150 to $50 per customer.

2. Don’t manufacture your concern. There’s no point in supporting an issue you don’t really care about — people are bound to catch on. Having a genuine passion or interest in the cause means you’ll stay engaged and you’ll still feel successful even if marketing efforts fall a tad short. Plus, when the owner is engaged, employees tend to get involved as well.For example, Lisa Bell, who owns Tivoli Partners, a Charlotte, N.C., direct-response marketing agency, chose a cause she cares deeply about that also resonates with her community and clients.”For more than five years, we’ve been a major supporter of the Charlotte affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation,” Bell says. “In Charlotte, so many lives are touched by breast cancer. Clients and potential clients appreciate our work for Komen and view us as a good corporate citizen. It’s definitely helped our business.”"Cause marketing is most successful when the mission of the nonprofit truly resonates with the values of the sponsoring company,” says Jeetendr Sehdev, a New York brand strategist.

3. Define your marketing goals. Decide upfront why you’re getting involved and what you want out of the partnership. There’s a range of possible marketing benefits from such sponsorships.Non-tangible benefits include building company credibility, enhancing your reputation, differentiating the brand, strengthening customer loyalty, and improving employee pride and retention.Tangible benefits might include increased sales and specific publicity, such as increasing the company profile by having the name highly visible on walkathons and festivals or on posters and Web sites. You also might seek local media coverage.

For Complete article, including steps 4, 5, 6, & 7 go to: http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/
smallbusinessadvertisingbranding.aspx#Causemarketingtips
Boostbusinessbygivingback

www.allbusiness.com

In today’s information-intensive world, it’s hard for any business to attract potential customers. But promotional products offer a unique opportunity to get your company’s name out to its target market — and keep it there. The promotional items that you choose are limited only by your own creativity. They can range from market-proven goods — such as calendars, coffee mugs, and baseball caps — to innovative items like candy and nuts, stadium blankets, toy cars and trucks, and first aid kits. Whatever items you pick, all should bear your logo and contact information. No matter what route you take or which items you select, be sure you maximize your investment. Here are a few tips to make the most of this time-tested sales and marketing resource: Set clear goals for your promotion. Think about what you want these products to do for your business. Should they build awareness of your company? Boost sales? Provide a way to thank your customers? Have clear goals in mind from the start in order to purchase items that make sense for your business. For ideas, see From Refrigerator Magnets to Golf Balls: Promotional Products for Branding. http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-promotions/850-1.html  Set a budget and stick to it. Putting your logo on a coffee mug or a mouse pad tells customers that you’ve arrived and you’re in business for the long haul. Avoid overspending: Identify your costs up front, factor them into your overall marketing budget and pricing strategy, and keep careful track of all expenses — especially indirect costs like shipping and handling and storage. Seek out partnership opportunities. If you’d like to offer gifts at one of your events, ask one of your suppliers to share the cost. In exchange, recognize them by placing their logo on the gift. Joint promotional efforts strengthen relationships with suppliers and make a statement about your commitment. Recognize the limited shelf life of most promotional products. Don’t buy more than you need. A lot of businesses have stockrooms full of outdated promotional items. In addition, read Promotion Strategies for Small Businesses for more on this topic. http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-promotions/2593-1.html Promotional items can be a silent salesperson for your products or services. Keeping these tips in mind will help you to make the most of your promotional items’ potential.