Author: Postcard Portables Media Team

Nothing is a more effective advertisement for your business than providing great customers service. After all, your customers will talk to their friends and family, and if your service is lacking, they’ll not only notice, but they’ll probably share this fact, too. Great customer service is especially important during the holidays. Here are some tips for serving your customers well during the holiday season.

Plan for increased traffic

There’s nothing more frustrating for your regular customers than suddenly facing delays in service at your business because of holiday crowds. Plan ahead for this and bring in extra staff to help keep the customer traffic flowing smoothly. By eliminating waits and stress for your customers, you’ll help ensure that they’ll be back for more in the New Year.

Encourage empathy

Understand that the stress of the season affects everyone differently, and that includes your customers and your employees. Encourage your staff to practice empathy during the stressful holiday season. If they can put themselves in the customers’ shoes, great customer service is bound to be much easier for them. Remember, although you may greet and serve hundreds of customers every day at your business, you may only see each one once. That’s one chance to make a great impression and brighten your customer’s day.

Show your thanks

It’s important to let your customers know how much they mean to your business, especially during the holidays. Festive holiday postcards are ideal for this, and they’re an inexpensive way to remind your customers how much you appreciate them. Or, you could create your own company greeting card with a very personalized message showing your customers how much you appreciate them.

If you can’t send each and every one a holiday greeting card, at least put up a ‘thank you’ sign as a token of your appreciation. Whether it’s a few countertop signs or a mini billboard, as long as your message is clear and sincere, your customers will notice.

Make a little extra effort treat your customers well during the holidays, and they’ll be back for more in the New Year. For more tips on marketing during the holidays (or anytime),visit Postcard Portables.

It seems that everyone ramps up their marketing tactics during the holiday season, but you can still stand out among a sea of holiday advertising. Here are some marketing tips for the holiday season that any business can use.

Start planning early

The earlier you can start planning your advertising, the better. If you’re aiming to target the pre-Christmas crowd, you’ll want time to plan your print and other ads before November. If you haven’t planned anything yet, don’t panic. You can still plan a ‘flash sale’ and notify your customers via email or social media, or with print products that can be quickly produced.

Create urgency through limited time offers

Flash sales and ‘secret’ sales (open only to loyal customers who are notified via a private list) are great opportunities to drum up business, but customers won’t care unless they think they could miss out. Make it feel urgent by limiting the time period – for example, 48 hours or less.

Offer an alternative

Believe it or not, more shoppers would prefer to shop with a small business than a big box store. Offer something those big chain stores don’t–whether it’s products made in-house or customer service that goes above and beyond–and your customers will choose to bring their money to you instead of the ‘big guys.’

Go where the traffic is

Pull up banners and posters are perfect for targeting high traffic areas during the holiday season. They can be moved easily, put up in minutes, and are inexpensive, so you can target several areas at once without busting your advertising budget.

Plan a special event

Community events can really set you apart from your competitors. Why not set up a space for shoppers to meet Santa and indulge in free hot cocoa or Christmas cookies? Be sure to advertise your event via email and on social media so you’ll have a good turnout.

Create a coupon

Mail your customers postcard style coupons to use during your holiday sales. Make the coupons good for a certain amount off of a set amount. This will encourage them to move forward on a purchase that they’ve been “just thinking about” for awhile.

Have fun with your holiday marketing and check back with Postcard Portables for information on holiday print products, and more advertising tips all year long.

Marketing during the holidays can seem daunting, especially if you’re competing with lots of businesses for your customers’ attention. However, it can also be fun, if you let it be. Here are some holiday marketing suggestions to help your business grow this holiday season.

Go bold with outdoor advertising

The holiday season is no time to hold back on your outdoor advertising. Use mini billboards and other outdoor signage to attract and even interact with your customers. Add some festive holiday lights to really accentuate the fact that your ad is holiday-driven, especially if you are promoting a limited time offer.

Capitalize on holiday emotions

The holiday season can be hectic, so use it to your advantage. Make your marketing appeal to the emotional side of your customers with traditional, comforting holiday images in your advertising. Alternatively, you can use humour to help diffuse the stress of the holiday season and win over more customers. Remember that all marketing is designed to appeal to customer emotions, but during the holidays, you also have to stand out in your creativity. Just be sure that your message is clear or you’ll be wasting your time and money.

Use colour to stand out

While red and green are the traditional favourites for holiday advertising, don’t feel obliged to stick with these for your holiday ads. In fact, it’s a good idea to take a look at the ads in areas near where your advertising will be place and make sure yours isn’t too similar. If everyone else is going for red and green, why not try silver and gold? Just make sure you keep your original colours in your brand imaging so people know who’s behind the ad.

Get involved in community events

This is a great way to meet new customers and the perfect opportunity to give back to your community. Plus, the holidays are the perfect time to spread some goodwill–and to do some savvy marketing–right where your customers are already spending time.

For more tips and information on marketing and advertising, or for any of your advertising needs, contact Postcard Portables today.

After a successful and fun 19 year long career in book sales, Bert, who was then the owner of Starbooks in Winnipeg, understood that the way people were buying gifts was changing. While the business was exciting and, as Bert describes it “like Christmas every day,” he knew that it was time to start looking for something new with a business model (and product) that could stand the test of time.

Being an entrepreneur his whole life, Bert started looking into various business ownership opportunities. When he came across an ad for Postcard Portables he was immediately drawn to the possibilities – a proven franchise system, comparably low overhead, and entrepreneurship, to name a few. Additionally, as much as the freedom of ownership appealed to Bert, the opportunity to still remain very active in the local business community was a solid selling point. Having spent so many years in sales engaging with other entrepreneurs, the networking aspect of Postcard Portables presented itself as a great way to continue doing what Bert was so great at and really enjoyed.

Three years has quickly passed since Bert joined the Postcard Portables team and so far his favourite part of being a franchisee is the built-in opportunity to learn from others. He says “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There is a system in place that will guide you and help you make things happen.” The learning curve is much shorter. Bert also likes that the business has a built-in advertising system in that the signs created for others also sell the signs themselves. “The more signs that are out there, the more they are noticed and the more you will inevitably put up for others.” says Bert.

We asked Bert “What do you love most about being part of the Postcard Portables team?” To which he replied “The people. I love getting out there, both with the team and also just in the community.” He says “One joy is that there is a story behind every sign and you get to know your customers very well. This absolutely leads to a sense of pride when I see my sign out there, supporting a local business, knowing that I put it up for them.”

If you’re considering purchasing a franchise, here are some words of wisdom from Bert “Like every entrepreneur, be prepared to work very hard. Try to anticipate your roadblocks before you encounter them. Most importantly, the customer is always right! Customer satisfaction is priority number one.”

Brochures can be powerful marketing tools, but only if they’re engaging. No one will spend five minutes looking at a boring brochure, so you need to make sure yours are as good as they can be. Here are some tips for designing engaging brochures your customers will appreciate.

Know your target audience and cater to them

Who’s most likely to engage with your brochure? What message are you trying to send? Once you know who your target audience is, you’ll be better equipped to meet their needs and keep them engaged with your brand for longer. Don’t try to make your brochure ‘everything for everybody’ — you’ll end up pushing your target audience away. Instead, narrow down your message to be as specific as you can in order to connect with your customers.

Design cannot be underestimated

Unless you are a professional designer, seek help in designing your brochure or you’ll risk looking amateurish and cheap. You may not understand the importance of things like how much white space you need on a brochure (more than you’d think) and how much text you can get away with on each page, but a designer will. At the end of the day, it’s better to pay a designer to create your brochure instead of risking wasting your money on creating brochures that are likely to be overlooked and thrown away.

Use great visuals

Your text may be important, but readers want a little ‘eye candy’ to sweeten their reading experience. You should use the best, clearest photos and images you can so that you can make a good impression with the slightest of glances. Again, this is where a good designer is worth their weight in gold, so be sure to discuss your options for visuals with whoever designs your brochure.

Quality is key

No one wants to waste time reading something that’s full of typos and mistakes. It looks unprofessional and doesn’t exactly give your audience confidence in your business. Also, you should have your brochures printed on the best quality paper you can afford. The quality of your brochures will be directly associated with your brand, so make sure your brand is being represented by a great brochure.

For more marketing tips, speak with a Postcard Portables representative today.

Every fraedmonton, franchisee, advertising, billboardnchise system has a very first franchisee, and for Postcard Portables, it’s Bruce Bishop in Edmonton, Alberta. Twelve years ago, Bruce, a partner in a retail business at the time (and a former Certified General Accountant) first recognized Postcard Portables as an excellent advertising opportunity for his then current retail location.

After looking into the business further, Bruce discovered that the owners were looking to franchise and selling operations in Edmonton. It wasn’t long before he and his retail partner signed on the dotted line and became the first Postcard Portables franchisees.

Now, more than a decade later, Bruce’s partner found another opportunity as a Lawyer and Bruce is still going strong in the Edmonton Market. Bruce describes the best part of being a franchisee as “flexibility.” With 4 children and other family commitments, the regular 9-5 just wasn’t feasible. Although the commitment to time was greater upon start up, it was possible to work at any time of the day that fit the family schedule. Now, with an established business, the time commitment is even less.

Bruce also notes that being part of a franchise system means that a lot of the other headaches that come with starting a business (such as overhead, product development, etc) is already established, allowing a franchisee to focus on growth. Bruce says “product development is tough to do well and a well developed product is a big advantage.”

What does Bruce appreciate about being part of the Postcard Portables team specifically? “It’s a great business model that drives a good income and also affords owners the flexibility in both time and management.” He says. “Also, as part of a team, franchisees have the benefit of problem solving together. Even the franchisors work hard, the expectations are set and clear, and feedback and support is always available.”

Here are some words of wisdom from Bruce if you’re considering a franchise; a franchise business is a workable model but no one is going to give you anything… you definitely have to work at it. What works in one market may not translate well in others so don’t make assumptions. Do your homework, research your province and city for laws that may change the way you do business.

It’s a new year, and if you’ve set yourself some new business goals for the year ahead, you’re not alone. Most businesses set their own ‘resolutions’ to do better in January, but if you really want to succeed, you need to plan for success the right way.

Set realistic, measurable goals

Whether you’re setting a business growth goal or a weight loss goal, the same thing rings true–if you don’t set a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based) goal, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Use a routine to build new habits.

It takes about 21 days for an action to become a habit, so if you want to develop successful habits, set up a realistic routine to incorporate those actions. In other words, if you want to increase your advertising efforts, but never seem to find the time, schedule advertising into your daily routine and commit to working on it every day.

Look for quick wins

Is there something you can do today that will help your business grow tomorrow? Maybe you can start a local advertising campaign for a limited time promotion or give out promotional gifts at a community event. Anything that boosts business and gets your company’s name out in the community is great, and it doesn’t have to be big or costly to achieve.

Get organized

Put your goals in writing and make a plan for achieving them. Having an organized plan of action will make you more like to succeed in achieving your business goals. It will also help you know what your next step is going to be, every step of the way.

Hold yourself accountable

Use your business partners, employees, or even your customers to help keep you accountable. Post your goals somewhere you and the others in your business can see them daily, and help encourage each other to achieve the goals every day. Make sure you monitor your progress and reward yourself for small successes, too! This will help keep you motivated when it seems to be taking forever to see progress.

For more tips and advice on growing your business this year, read the Postcard Portables blog regularly.

Designing a window decal for your business doesn’t have to be daunting, but you do need to keep a few things in mind during the design process. Here are some things you should consider when designing a window decal for your business.

Know the difference between a decal and a cling

Window signs come in a wide variety of styles, so be sure you know what you want before you design yours. A decal, while removable, isn’t typically reusable, so if you plan on reusing your window signage, you may want to opt for a window cling, which is easily removable. Decals are better suited for long-term or permanent promotions, while clings are great for seasonal or short-term advertising.

Consider visibility

While it’s crucial that your window decals be seen by passing traffic, it’s also important for you to be able to see outside your window. Fortunately, there are several options for decals that allow visibility from within your business. A transparent or clear cling with plain text allows you to see out and your customers to see inside. A perforated design presents an image to your customers but allows you to see outside, offering you a little more privacy.

Frosted decals allow light in through your window, but they prevent others from looking inside. This is great if you want more privacy or if you want to pique your customers’ curiosity. Consider how much privacy you want–if you want customers to see inside your business, clear decals are great, but if you want more privacy, opt for a frosted, perforated, or opaque decal.

Consider the location

Clings are best used on interior windows since they are easily removed. Decals are sturdier and can be used on exterior windows without the worry of them washing away.

Consider the size and color

For exterior windows, you want something big enough to attract attention. Small decals are fine for interior windows and doors, but you need to make sure your decal is large enough to be seen regardless of where you place it.

As for colours, bold is always good, except when it comes to text. In fact, the easiest text to read on a clear decal is plain white. Make sure that any text you use is clear and easy to read.

For more tips on advertising and outdoor signage, visit the Postcard Portables blog regularly.

If you’ve been considering joining your local Chamber of Commerce in order to advertise your business, you should know that it is still a great, relevant way to introduce your business to your community. However, there are pros and cons to be considered before joining. Here are a few for you to think about before joining your local Chamber of Commerce.

Pros

It’s an excellent tool for networking

Whether you are looking to keep an eye on the competition or find other businesses to market to, joining a Chamber will help. There are plenty of networking events that heartily welcome Chamber members, which means more open doors for your business.

You’ll get exposure in many different ways

Unlike parking a mini-billboard outside your business and hoping for the best, a membership with your local Chamber of Commerce is a little like placing several small advertisements for your business all over town. Chambers often send out emails, newsletters, and press releases welcoming their newest members. These are distributed around the community, putting your business in front of people who may be looking for a business like yours.

Exclusive mailing list access

If your business markets directly to other businesses, the Chamber offers you access to direct mailing lists that include the businesses in your area. This puts you in touch with people with direct buying power, so you spend less time chasing potential customers without any real buying power.

Cons

Although these are listed as ‘cons,’ they really aren’t all that negative. In fact, with the right attitude, these could be considered more of a healthy challenge to your business.

Dues

Like any club, membership in a Chamber of Commerce has dues to pay, but the benefits that you receive from joining typically make the membership fees worth every penny.

There’s no quick ROI

It takes time to make your presence known in your community. This is true whether you join a Chamber of Commerce or not. But, if you join one AND you actively participate, network, and make an effort to get your business seen, you will see faster results than someone who doesn’t do these things.

For more great tips and advice on your advertising, or for ideas about promoting your business, visit the Postcard Portables blog often.

Regan Simonson comes from a large, entrepreneurial inclined family. In fact, he is one of 16 brothers and sisters! Regan chose the path of business ownership when he decided to create and operate a cleaning business, which he later amalgamated with his family’s agricultural equipment and services dealership. Together, he and 6 of his brothers, grew the farming focused business with great success. So much so that the business was purchased by the local John Deere dealership.

After the sale of the business, and about a year of working for someone else, Regan discovered an opportunity in a classified ad: Postcard Portables Saskatoon was for sale. Unlike some of the other Postcard Portables franchisees, Regan wasn’t in search of a franchise system specifically. Although, like many of the other franchisees, he was looking for something that would provide a good income without having to commit to the typical 9-5 hours. After a number of discussions with the previous owner, Regan was able to see the potential for growth, with the added bonus of a support system that is just not available with a sole-proprietorship.

After just 3 months of franchising with Postcard Portables, Regan identifies that best part of being a franchisee as the abundance of support. “You’re never in it by yourself, if you have a question there is always someone to ask.” Another perk is that franchisees share leads to potential clients in the different markets. “Others can point you in the right direction and share ideas. There is a lot of experience to draw on.” says Regan.

What does Regan love most about Postcard Portables specifically? He says, “We offer the very best portable sign in the industry. Also, we have so much more to offer our customers, with such a great range of other products.”

If you’re considering becoming a franchise owner Regan has this advice for you: “Study the area. See what is out there as far as competition, and study how well they are doing, what kind of job they are doing, and consider what you can do differently. Be motivated, do your homework and if you feel it’s right – jump in!”

If you’d like to contact Regan regarding advertising services in the Saskatoon region, you may reach him at rsimonson@postcardportables.com or by calling (306) 867-7980.