SMB Marketing

Each year, trade shows in every sector create not only the interactions that make businesses successful, but also the conversations that move our economy forward.

Chances are that you may even have your bags packed, ready to go make it rain in your industry. But before you set up your booth, consider a few tactics that will help you maximize ROI for your trade show appearance and get a little closer to conquering the world in the process.

We’ve heard it a few times before: Print is NOT dead! No matter how much you love your smartphone, tablet or laptop, you know it’s true. Certainly your mailbox hasn't suddenly emptied of catalogs from retailers and clothing companies just because of the internet.

In working with businesses of all kinds, we have discovered that B2B firms and high-end sales outfits take print marketing as less of a mass marketing ritual and something that is much more tailored to their distinct buyers. As such, certain business sectors have specialized needs when it comes to print collateral.

Over the last century or so, the concept of a brand has evolved into something that is very important to businesses of every size, as well as universities and even non-profits.

It could just be buzz in the media, but it seems like 2015 was a big year in corporate rebranding. Tech firms tweaked the logos that helped make them famous, while startups shook up the business landscape, adding new style to the conversation around corporate identities. Fortune 500 companies changed their names while others altered their corporate images to simplify their look and also appeal to millennials as future life-long customers.

Habits are just part our lives. The things that we do every day — both for our business and personal needs — provide a framework on which we build our careers, help others and find personal happiness. From our earliest days in school, we are taught that structure is important. We also learn that habits are building blocks of the success we want to have.

One of the things I really can’t stand is clutter. Whether it’s random papers or objects on a desk, or even junk messages in my email inbox, clutter takes up space. It also can distract from the most important business tasks at hand.

Just like an overloaded desk, there is a lot of junk on the internet and in the digital world. Sometimes all of the industry news, trending stories of the day, and advertisements make it seem too difficult for small and medium-sized businesses to stand out among the clutter.

Just when we thought we had another few weeks of fall weather, it started getting chilly. As strange as it was, December 2015’s freakishly warm weather — with temperatures in the 50s and 60s just a few days before the winter holidays — were a nice treat. So much for a “White Christmas”!

With the arrival of winter comes hockey season for sports fans. The National Hockey League is now in full swing, with the Winter Classic set for New Years’ Day. Meanwhile men, women and children across North America play and watch “the fastest game on earth”.

At Idea Custom Solutions, we’ve been thinking (and talking) a lot about logos these days. It’s not just because new logos, logo design and rebrands are a trending topic.

Around Thanksgiving, The Atlantic Monthly rehashed a once revolutionary idea. “A New Business Strategy: Treating Employees Well” touched on the subject of productivity in business, a topic this blog explored right before the holiday. But the article wasn’t about simply giving extra pay or benefits to workers.