Going to El Salvador...

Russell Breton of The Printing Lab is going to El Salvador to help provide fresh water to a needy village. Find out more by watching the video below and donate to the cause by clicking here.

The Printing Lab's new website launches 1/22/10!

Watch for the new site with additional information and offerings. Launching 1/22/10!

Run the River

We had the pleasure of photographing SCAR Sport's latest marathon, Run the River. We, along with hundreds of runners, had a great time. It's always such a more enriching process when we get to handle the creation of the event shirts and banners, then get to share in the event by photographing it. This is the kind of stuff we love – partnering up with people and their companies and doing our best to make their events that much better!

How is your business portrayed?

It's interesting to think about the time a person spends getting ready for each day. I've known people to take two hours or more every morning to shower, do their makeup, hair and so forth. Most everyone spends a significant amount of time attempting to look their best for the day. Everyone wants to make a good impression and be portrayed in a certain way, whether it's clean cut, sophisticated, hip or laid back. We all want to display an image of who we are.

The ironic thing is that many people don't give nearly as much thought to how their business is portrayed. They may spend two hours in the morning making sure their look projects a certain image, but when it comes to their business, they don't give it a second thought. What a critical misstep! Obviously their business targets a certain group of individuals and obviously their business has character, values and beliefs that should be projected to their target market.

If an individual spent as much time or effort developing the image of their business as they did getting ready in the morning, think about the success that business could enjoy. 

When a business can accurately portray itself – its character, values and beliefs – to its market, it will be able to better capture the attention of its market and bring people to itself.

So, ask yourself, "How is my business portrayed?" Have you developed a targeted marketing campaign? Have you developed collateral that is professional and that projects the character of your business? Is your business reaching its market in the most effective way possible? Is there room for your business to grow?

Determining the answers to these questions is critical in order to take your business to the next level. The Printing Lab has experience in helping businesses project their image to their market. Contact us today if you would like our assistance.

How to Increase Business – Even During a Recession

Although it may be tempting to cut back on advertising during a recession, independent business and marketing organizations have proven that a recession provides a unique opportunity for businesses to gain an advantage in an otherwise bleak economy.

Every company wants to grow its business, increase its profits, and expand its customer base. Unfortunately, the current recession has forced many businesses to take steps in the opposite direction; business is shrinking, profits are falling, and a once strong customer base is eroding.

To combat these negative effects, many businesses attempt to reduce the costs of doing business by cutting unnecessary spending and streamlining operations. While these are generally good measures to take, often a business finds itself also slashing its advertising budget; however, during a recession, research has shown that this can be one of the biggest mistakes a business can make. In fact, companies that continue to advertise during a recession will come out ahead. This makes sense: as competitors are in retreat, companies that continue to advertise and maintain their presence will build their market and win over their competitor's customers (CNN Money, 2009).

Numerous studies have been conducted by prominent research firms on the subject of advertising during a recession. The results of those studies, compiled by the ARS Group (2008), are quite surprising.

In a study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies over a period of five years. The results showed that businesses that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during a recession averaged significantly higher business growth, both during the recession and in the three years following the recession, than those that eliminated or decreased their advertising. Three years after the recession, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising. 

Another study of a different recessionary period by Direct Marketing (2009) confirmed these results. The study found that the companies that reduced advertising during a recession achieved minimal sales growth, suffered a sales decline in the latter part of the recessionary period and increased sales by just 70 percent during the three years following the recession. Conversely, companies that maintained their ad budgets during the recession not only held their client base during the recessionary period, but grew a staggering 150 percent during the three years following the recession. Profits showed a similar pattern. The momentum gained by the steady advertisers during the recession helped them maintain their client base and grow at a much faster rate following the recession.

Additionally, according to a recent report by the Center for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (CARR), businesses that aggressively increased media advertising expenditures during the last recession (just 25% of all businesses) increased their market share 2-1/2 times the average for all businesses in the post-recession period. Another study by Cahners and the Strategic Planing Institute documented a 1.5 point increase in market share among businesses increasing ad spending during recessionary periods.

These are facts which simply cannot be ignored. Although the exact figures may vary between the various reports, the trends indicate an important reality: Companies that maintain advertising during recessionary periods have been shown time and time again to not only maintain their business, but grow their business despite an overall decrease in consumer spending (ARS Group, 2008).  Although slashing an advertising budget may reduce short-term expenses, it will greatly inhibit potential long-term profit opportunities. A recession is simply not a time to cut back on advertising. Doing so will only compound the negative pressure a recession puts on a business.

References

CNN Money. (Feb. 10, 2009). Surviving the Recession. Retrieved Feb. 26, 2009, from CNN Money website: http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/09/smallbusiness/surviving_recession.fsb/index.htm

ARS Group. (December 2008). Advertising During a Recession. Retrieved from an ARS Group Whitepaper. http://www.ars-group.com

Direct Marketing. (2009). Advertising During a Recession. Retrieved Feb. 15, 2009, from All Business website: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/advertising/260415-1.html