If your organization produces a regular newsletter or publication, we have one golden rule for you: Get it out and get it out on time!
It’s tempting to hold the publication up for the latest development—a photo of an important hire or finally being able to announce a new service. But don’t do it or, at least, do it with great caution and not often. The printed version of The New York Times does not try to compete with CNN. The most important thing about the Times is that it arrives on your doorstep or digitally on its website every single morning. If you want breaking news, you turn on your computer or TV. If you want regular, insightful, DEPENDABLE news, you turn to the Times or your newspaper of choice.
TIP: You should be using your website’s blog or news page, intranet, LinkedIn page and newsfeed, Twitter feed, and Facebook page to keep your internal and external audiences up to date on breaking information or quickly changing events. But, your regularly scheduled print or online publication should present the bigger picture with engaging copy, lively graphics and photos in a reliable way. And that means coming out on time as promised.
> If you need help getting your projects out the door, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
You know that nothing happens immediately, but still it’s hard to send out your first marketing e-blast, write a bunch of blog entires, or tweet your first tweet and then wait for your inbox to be flooded with inquiries.
Here’s a little wisdom from a guide called Successful Advertising written by Thomas Smith in….wait for it….1885. In it, Mr. Smith says:
The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.
The second time, they don’t notice it.
The third time, they are aware that it is there.
The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
The fifth time, they actually read the ad.
The sixth time they thumb their nose at it.
The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.
The eighth time, they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
The ninth time, they start to wonder if they’re missing out on something.
The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbors if they’ve tried it.
The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
The thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.
The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.
The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.
The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what is offering.
Will you need 20 attempts before prospective clients knock on your door? Hopefully not. Using e-blasts as an example, we like to counsel clients on a series of 6 to 12 monthly blasts before they evaluate their effectiveness. One thing we can say with certainty, whatever mix of marketing strategies you decide upon, you’ll need more than one!
> If you need help with e-blasts, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
What to do when the budget only allows for stock images and not original photography? Don’t fret. Use this as an opportunity to bring your Photoshop and Illustrator skills to the forefront.
Tip: We’ve found that collage is one of the most effective ways to use stock images. A collage (done well) takes stock imagery out of the realm of being mundane and uplifts the visual to a unique piece of art. This was the case for a collage Lazzaro Designs did here conveying the many hospital areas that benefited from a donor’s legacy of giving.
Resource: Here are some of our favorite stock houses:
– thinkstock.com
– iphoto.com
– shutterstock.com
– sciencephoto.com
– sciencesource.com
– gettyimages.com
> Too much to figure out on your own? Give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email. Maryellen can research stock images and create design solutions that are beautiful and budget-conscious.
There are lots of topics to communicate to your staff beyond those that can be covered in a regular employee newsletter. Several of our clients have turned to us to produce cogent, attractive and easy-to-read handbooks on a variety of things, such as ethic codes (as shown here for a health insurance company), or the ins and outs of big facilities (holidays, payment procedures, cafeteria hours). Instead of Human Resources issuing a slew of photocopied loose sheets that get easily lost, an employee handbook can be a cost-effective way to make sure your staff knows what’s what. In one case, we produced a manual that was contained in a pocket-size, three-ring binder for hospital House Staff (resident physicians). The often updated information was easily replaced page by page. In another case, a bound book with a back pocket for updates served the employees of an extended-care facility. If an organization has the ability to use a digital system that all employees can access, even better; guides can be created in digital form.
> If you need help creating a handbook or guide, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
