This Italian Really Knows How To Wow! (In Business Cards: Black is the New Orange)

How one Realtor has changed the face of print marketing for us!

Has something that is frequently ordinary ever caught your eye? Cars are a great example of this. The average city dweller sees hundreds of unique vehicles every day, all in different shapes and sizes, all

The Matteo Ferrari 30 Free Image picture seen here
is downloadable free from
http://www.thecelebritypix.com/Matteo-Ferrari.html
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with the same purpose. So why are we still amazed by the exotic cars. The Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce all incite a sense of awe that is unmatched by most moments in our lives. 

This same sense of awe struck me a few weeks ago as I walked down the Coast Highway in Encinitas California. While talking with friends, i noticed a small Real Estate Storefront complete with images of high end homes and well thought out graphics. An unusual offer was made on the glass before me... "Take a Business Card". Most Real Estate Companies encourage the taking of fliers for homes, but this offer was simply to take a business card, and what a smart offer that was!

The Company was Whissel Realty. This company is already ahead of it's time with an extremely clean website (http://www.whisselrealty.com/) and extremely professional agents. According to the Wall Street Journal, this company represents the 7th best real estate team in all of California. Even if I had known all of this before pulling out this business card, I would still not expect the sheer amazement at what came out of the box.

Inside I found business cards unlike any I had ever encountered. These were the standard size of any business card, but twice as thick, and made of plastic. It's sleek black design and elegantly colored

Business Card of Joe Corbisiero
read more about Joe at
http://www.whisselrealty.com/agents/40412-Joe-Corbisiero/
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edge reminded me of exquisite clubs and the offices of CEO's. With one look at the card I felt as though it's creator was someone of great taste, someone of influence. How odd it felt, a simple marketing tool held such attention. 

This was the card of Joe Corbisiero. I was so fascinated by this I immediately began considering how to express how great this method of marketing was. I wanted to show that using traditional methods of marketing excellently. Naturally, the best method was to contact Joe directly, and I was able to speak with this titan of class and walked away with a sneak peak at where this forward thinking came from.  

Joe is originally form Rome, Italy. While his father the salesman is the inspiration for his excellent negotiation skills, he associates his taste for the simple and classy designs to the culture he was raised in. Just think about the Italians. The culture is warm and friendly, but all of the designs and products take a simple color scheme to it's utmost potential. consider the vehicles that come from Italy. 

He had initially run a Realty business in Italy for about five years before traveling to the States. With this background and a strong desire to appeal to clients in the higher end of society, he joined the Whissel team last year after 8 years of Real Estate work in the states, and when the question of what his business cards would look like, he requested his boss allow him to imbued himself into the design. 

This all Black front with embossed logo and name came with one stipulation, it needed to be on a plastic card. He searched for a company that could do all he requested, but finally, after 2 months of designing, and about 50 printers, the cards were printed. The edges being neon orange were a note from Joe's boss as the company logo bears both black and orange. This elegant card has done far more than simply act as a conversation piece, it really is an attraction for potential clients. 

Between impressing clients and attracting leads, this small tool is paying for itself. I was able to find a few plastic printers and listed their websites below. I hope more business people are able to benefit from this great marketing strategy. 

Consider these as a new avenue of conversation. as Joe puts it, "I want my cards to really bring the Wow Factor". 

Highest recomendation for a printer of this product: https://www.duracard.com/products/plastic-business-cards

Their Competitors:

http://www.printingforless.com/Plastic-Card-Printing.html

http://www.plasticprinters.com/Credit_Card_Printer/

 http://www.plasticcardfactory.com/plastic_business_cards.php

Good Luck out there!

Why you never blog (How to Avoid Writer's Block)

Have you ever been engrossed by a story? Are there movies that simply fascinate you? What about them made them so great? Whatever that element is, you need to capture it.

Social Media is the market of ideas. I am a contester of fascinating hobbies so I am never lacking for great topics to write about as you can see on ConstantCollectible.wordpress.com. I do however have an intense problem with writing topically. Just like all the readers here, concentrating on a topic and implementing it in blog form can get hard.

Not to say I have all the answers to writers block (whoever does could make millions in book sales), but there are a few tips that have helped me in gathering Intel for blog posts.

      If you see a great article, don’t just re-post it.

Research the topic. The excitement you have over a great article could be the spark that initiates a great quick blog. PLEASE DO NOT JUST RE-WRITE THE ARTICLE!!! That may not be plagiarism, but it is exceedingly sad. Give your unique spin on a concept approached in the article.

Buzzfeed logo:
 they are great at re-imagining
content with a unique spin!

For Example: I was informed by a Facebook post recently that a team of directors would be spearheading a movie I was excited about. As soon as I was able, I opened Wordpress to blog about it as soon as I could.  This impromptu blog was not just a reaction, but a revelation. The directors had been responsible for the humorous children’s movie entitled “The Lego Movie” and were to direct and write the Superhero movie “The Flash” for DC Comics and Warner Brother’s Pictures.

From a young age I had been following this superhero and I was able to show clips of an old cartoon that expressed the character’s personality. I then related these clips to this announcement.

I had in the blog done very little research, only read one article, but I was able to relate that back to something I was familiar with. This ability to see one article and bring a very unique perspective to the same topic will give you an outlet for a myriad of unique articles of insight. Keep following articles in your field, and you will have resources for those infrequent quick blogs.

               

  Focus on the positives!

Image courtesy of
The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Alliance © 1993 - 2015
http://www.papaa.org/self-help

There is so much negativity around the internet that a voice encouraging or helping people in earnest stands out. Look at the self-help posts, or visit Buzzfeed, self-help articles are shared like wildfire. If you are in a financial field or a services field such as automotive repair, think of some advice you gave this week and blog that. If you run a business that is less involved in large changes in someone’s life, find a creative outlet that relates to your business. Restaurants, clothing stores, café’s, and even writers have creative advice at the core of what they do. Create fun Pinterest like activities to explain. This technique of creating blogs will get a lot of attention.

               Share who you are!

If nothing else, share a bit about yourself. If this means sharing a hobby you have, or even do something fun regularly, share a bit about that. This will open a door into who writes their favorite blog. This is not always a great method of breaking writer’s block because this has very little to do with your topic, but it at least gets your “creative Juices” flowing.

I hope some of this will help in your blogging adventures!

Johnny Savage for Spray Media Marketing

You won't believe what info-graphics can do!

Click to see full info-graphic

Do info-graphics matter? do people really care? 

The frequent questions I receive about  image marketing just shows the lack of understanding among business owners in this field of image marketing. According to research done by Mashable, users look at the images on your profile to indicate what is worthy of reading. Without an image to initiate the conversation with your client, they will rarely read your content.
(You can visit MDG's blog to learn more about how users view your business's profiles on Facebook, Twitter, linked in, and Google plus.)

Images are becoming more and more of a "staple piece of content" on the internet, and among social media sites, the most clicked items are "memes", or images with funny text. These images are created to make sure followers see your humor as an individual. Infographics, then, are the memes of advertising. Imagine that your client sees an interesting topic that is fully explained entirely in an image. Imagine, if you will, that followers and friends began to actually read your posts! 

To give you a snippet of the environment your content is entering, The Infographic above shows the number of seconds in 1,000 years compared to the amount of Facebook photos in 2011. Knowing that, remember that to get your content noticed, it is essential to create info-graphics and images that catch your follower's attention. Use fun concepts, compare your industry to something unrelated, show numbers or trends, or even tell a story with a timeline, and above all, ask if you would read your graphic. 

You can find many more examples of how to create Infographics that will get your information across by our friends on PINTEREST, but be aware of when you post these wonderful tools. Below is a summary of how to approach timing your posts. 

 www.spraymediamarketing.com

You know it's all about that Face, 'bout that Face, 'bout that Facebook no twitter? (Why businesses need both Facebook and Twitter)

While the song by Meghan Trainor "All About That Bass" is intended to empower women regarding their size, but if taken as a musical message, how could we appreciate a song without an upper register? It seems silly, but try to imagine if music only contained low notes, is it not the high pitched runs and guitar solos that make modern music amazing? This odd thought process came to mind yesterday as I was speaking with a client about twitter. His Facebook presence is quite expansive, but his twitter following is in short supply. These two networks can only be described as Bass and Treble and I wound up using this song to explain more clearly why efforts on Facebook are made so much more engaged with a great twitter presence.

Facebook: Your Bass

Have you ever listened to a stand up bass? Maybe Michael Buble serenaded while you heard that beautiful resonating reach at you as if it would shake your soul. Perhaps while listening to a classic you felt that deep pulse. No matter the style, bass notes solidify the sound and keep the drums connected to the rest of the band.

This is what Facebook does. This social media platform is your deep connection with clients. It does not optimize your Search Engine Optimization like Google+, Linked In, or Twitter, but your group of followers are most likely there because of a real connection, not because of your posts. This tool is great to remind your clients of who the expert is in your field and to help them keep you in mind if they need your services. The constant updating of Facebook is like your Bass-line, allowing your business to have a backbone in the social media marketing realm. Facebook will be a great referral source as clients will show your page to friends if you do great work, but connections that may lead to new opportunities come from a different location.

Twitter: Your Treble

The high notes, the amazing guitar riff, the belting of a truly amazing vocalist. These aspects of songs bring in new listeners in and send the world of music into praise for the artist. This musical aspect is a great analogy of Twitter's usefulness. 

Twitter creates a crowd swell. This can be done through the three big new social media networks of Intagram, Pintrest, and Twitter, but twitter has a unique quality to it. By scrolling through the many posts on your wall, twitter allows interaction with hundreds of users. Twitter's restriction to a short blurb allows users to to find new topics of interest and search by hash-tag to encounter new fields.

According to the research done by Belle Beth Cooper on Fast Company.com, not matter the age bracket, your clients are joining twitter, and more and more are we seeing "Find me on twitter" or use #'s to raise awareness for charities or entertainment.  

    "The fastest grawing demographic on twitter is the 55-64 year range:
            -This Demographic has grown 79% since 2012"

•  -Above Quoted from Belle Beth Cooper on the link HERE at FastCompany.com

How then should you post?

Interacting with other businesses and people you know on Facebook feels organic, yet it is much like sending letters. Twitter is a quick conversation. In between your blurbs regarding business or your posts of humorous pictures, find businesses in fields of your clients to "shout-out" or @ them. This helps their awareness and you may make a connection, but also favorite and re-tweet those in your own field to make similar people aware of you. Post ridiculously funny videos and talk about your day in short comments. By saying "wow, open enrollment is almost over", Insurance clients remember that you are in that business, but they also remember that they might miss this deadline you are speaking about. Make your posts about what you do, and make it mean something to your client. This will cause them not just to favorite or re-tweet, but to call! 

This high frequency tool should be seen as a compliment to your efforts on Facebook, Linked In, Google+, and other social media sites. Plan a good strategy to use each of these to their fullest potential and your online presence will sing a beautiful song. 

Meghan Trainor

www.spraymediamarketing.com

Article written by Johnny Savage of Spray Media Marketing

Tweeter Dee and Tweeter Dumb [ #TweetingForBusiness ]

Do you tweet?
Do you follow people?
Have you been trying to gain followers but are just struggling?

Some people waste hours of their time on twitter trying to make a mark, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind as you tweet! From what content you provide to how you gain followers, everything works together to give your twitter profile an image. We wanted to share a couple tips to show how you could be a "Tweeter Dee" (as in a twitter delight) or how you could be acting a little "Tweeter Dumb". Every Few months, consider how you may be portraying yourself or your business on this great marketing tool.

#1tweeterDumbMistake- Bad Content

Since twitter is such an accessible tool, and creating content takes but a few seconds, it is easy to dismiss tweeting meaningful content. Please reconsider this position, and soon. Twitter is home to a lot of "noise". The walls of all of your followers are filled with advertisements and junk. To stand out, you will need pizzaz.

How to become a Tweeter Dee with content: 

Always remember that your followers are on twitter to either learn, be entertained, or to read the news and upcoming events in your area or in your field. Spend some time generating blog posts, find funny pictures and memes, and make/find videos that will engage your audience.

Always remember that when readers are at their most interested, they are most likely ready to purchase your services. Unlike Facebook, Twitter is an "View by Time Uploaded" Social media site. This means that your posts will not be hidden because of your industry related posting. By tweeting your expertise, you may catch the eye of a potential client when they are in need of what you do.


#2tweeterDumbMistake- Acquiring Bad Followers

Some businesses and individuals have joined a group called #TeamFollowBack. This group of people exists only to follow twitter profiles in order that their owner's will follow back (hence the name). Avoid strategies like this at all costs! Try to avoid following just anyone, but look at their profile, see what it is they send into the twitter-sphere, and only follow genuinely good profiles.

How to become a Tweeter Dee with followers:

Remember that the community you involve yourself in will continue to lean more toward the quality of it's members. Firstly, I love to re-tweet experts in my field to gain more understanding, and provide my followers with more information on my field of expertise. Secondly, I favorite posts by great twitter personalities from businesses and individuals; basically anything interesting I find while searching by #Hashtag or by "trending" topics. Thirdly, I reply to those topics that are worthy of more interaction to encourage even the original audience to take a second look. These efforts are seen by those whose tweets you favorite, re-tweet, and reply to causing them to hopefully follow your efforts. Try to follow these great individuals whenever you can!

It is key to think of these efforts as being a real voice, a person of integrity. If you approach every interaction as though you were with a group of friends or co-workers in a real world situation, twitter will become a place where your integrity is not sold to anyone who will "Re-tweet" your posts or "follow" you back.

#More to come on next week's installment of "Tweeting for Business"

Content for my blog, but I don't have time!!! "How you can create content on a whim, and why you need to"

Blogs and Social Media require so much content, and you really do need to make your posts add value to each reader's day. Wether your posts are funny, educational, or just an update, content needs to always add value to your clients day. The myth that I want to quickly dispel in your mind is that every blog needs to be 500 words or more, and all of your posts need to express your entire business model.

Blogs and posts help search engines recognize your business as a good resource. This element of social media is usually not optimized by business owners because frequent posts are best, and that tends to intimidate. I've been asked while consulting "How important is it really for me to waste time with blogs". It is extremely important, and not every post needs to be a novel. If you have your blog linked to your website, every word typed is taken into account by google for searches. Your search engine results skyrocket and your followers get new content.

I highly recommend you keep this in mind as you go about your day, whenever a good idea for a blog comes into your mind, you have the opportunity to create a quick educational moment like this, or tell a quick funny story about the day's activities.  Not every reader will benefit, but simply reframing basic knowledge or presenting it in a new way may help your followers understand your field better!


+Spray Media Marketing
www.spraymediamarketing.com