Friday, November 20, 2009

Pointers for Business Savings


Every business big or small has seen customers gone MIA. Due to less consumer spending business owners are forced to learn how to hold down the fort. With a few adjustments to the mother ship, the mother load can be made lighter during the economy recession.

Simple changes can make small businesses (and large ones!) save a few dollars throughout the year and relieve monthly pressures. Contact your electric service provider and take on a new one. Find a service provider that offers cheaper provision costs. One phone call and a switch in electric service provider can save you several hundred dollars per year. Let’s keep the change in your pocket…Why not? It’s easy enough!

Travel less and have online video/phone conferences more. Your business won’t
miss luggage charges or/and lost luggage hassles. By traveling less business expenses and high fees for plane and train tickets will be eliminated. And there won’t be any delays or “waiting” to get where you want to go.

Slash your ad budget and step up your internet presence. With the loss of customer spending selecting the best place to advertise to entice your customers is paramount. For print ads – popular newspapers and magazines are still key – but be choosy – take on only the most successful papers and magazines for your business. Big and small businesses alike know where their customer base is and how to reach them. By scaling back printed ads and utilizing FREE social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc. can open new doors near and far while exposing the business brand as much as possible.

Taking on a new view of your product and its worth may help sales. For example luxury product producers are now down playing their logos and focusing on the ”Quality” of their items vs. the old consumer thought “let’s purchase an item for the FUN of it ". Another way to tap into your customers thoughts is to use Amazon.com Community Reviews which tells us about consumer desires/opinions. It’s now the top source of product reviews.

If there’s a will there’s a way. Find it and keep up the good work. We need businesses to stay afloat in this economy especially if we business owners plan on winning the recession war.

Kristine Sheehan
TheMerryBird.com
“Your Stationery in Flight”

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

New Wedding Stationery Rules for 2010


Times are a changin’! So long white and ecru wedding papers! The stationery industry is moving forward by utilizing its staple Wedding Invitations to create a stir. Today’s brides are requesting hot colors and bold styles that reflect a personal destination.

Top stationery designer Anna Griffin clarifies that texture is hotter than ever. The Merry Bird can attest to this style as Merry Bird stippling is a texture that is unique and everlasting in black/white or bold colors. Look for jewel tones, navy for winter themes, tangerine and aqua for spring. Get the point? Stipple!

Brides will find pocket invitations are still on the forefront as each piece of Wedding Day information has its own card and a place to keep. “Tribal prints, outdoor chic, and seasonal styled” invitations are what makes today’s bride tick.

Wedding invitations are now expected to be delivered in/on the unexpected. Invitations mounted onto wine bottles or cigar boxes make a memorable statement…. the fee is, well, worth it!

Ref: Joanne Fink, Design Drive, Wedding Invitations Nov/Dec 2009

Kristine Sheehan
TheMerryBird.com
"Your Stationery in Flight"