PRINT BROCHURES MATTER IN THIS DIGITAL WORLD

September 17, 2025 by

In a world dominated by screens, print brochures still hold a place in smart marketing strategies, especially for service businesses. Print materials can reinforce brand presence in a way that feels personal and intentional.

Benefits:

  • Tangible impact: Physical materials are easier to remember and harder to ignore.
  • Focused attention: No pop-ups, notifications, or competing tabs.
  • Brand credibility: High-quality print elevates perceived value.
  • Versatility: Ideal for events, consultations, waiting rooms, partner marketing, and direct mail.

Brochures also allow you to control the narrative—guiding readers through your services, benefits, and story in a structured, visual way that supports your brand voice.

Digital marketing drives discovery. Print reinforces trust. Used together, they create a stronger, more cohesive presence. If you want marketing that feels polished, intentional, and memorable, print brochures remain a smart investment.


SUPER BOWL MARKETING TIPS

January 2, 2025 by

 

SUPER BOWL MARKETING TIPS
SUPER BOWL MARKETING TIPS

SuperBowl XL is coming to Levi’s Stadium—how can local businesses benefit when a big game is in town?

When the Super Bowl comes to town, small local businesses don’t need million-dollar sponsorships to win. The smartest owners market around the event, not directly at it. Super Bowl week brings a celebratory mindset, and both visitors and locals are primed to spend. Limited-time “Big Game Week” specials, themed bundles, watch-party kits, or exclusive menu items tap into that energy without touching official trademarks. These promotions feel timely, festive, and relevant—exactly what customers are already looking for in the days leading up to the game.

One of the biggest advantages small businesses have during Super Bowl week is proximity. Hyper-local targeting consistently outperforms broad advertising. Simple phrases like “near the stadium” or “minutes from fan fest” resonate strongly with visitors navigating unfamiliar areas. Importantly, the spending surge happens before game day, so running ads from Wednesday through Monday—rather than just Sunday—captures the bulk of the opportunity.

Beyond discounts, experiences are what truly set local businesses apart. Fans want memories, not just deals. Photo walls with football props, mini tailgate setups, live music, trivia nights, or fun giveaways tied to score predictions create moments people want to share. These experiences naturally encourage customers to linger longer, spend more, and talk about your business both online and offline. In a crowded Super Bowl market, being memorable is more valuable than being cheap.

User-generated content is another powerful—and budget-friendly—way to extend your reach. Encouraging customers to tag your business, use a branded hashtag, or participate in contests like “best fan outfit” turns your audience into your marketing team. Offering a small incentive, such as a free item or discount, can dramatically increase participation. The added benefit is longevity: posts, tags, and shares continue circulating even after the Super Bowl is over, giving your business extended visibility.

Finally, the most successful small businesses think beyond the final whistle. Partnerships with nearby businesses—such as restaurant and brewery bundles or retail pop-ups—multiply exposure and make life easier for visitors. At the same time, capturing emails or SMS sign-ups, offering “come back next time” discounts, or promoting shipping and online ordering helps convert one-time visitors into long-term customers. By tracking foot traffic, average order value, and engagement, even a modest boost can prove that a smart Super Bowl strategy is well worth repeating the next time the big game comes to town.


AN ADWORDS CAMPAIGN DONE WELL

January 25, 2017 by

(2025 review – lots has changed over the last ten years, but you can see, much remains the same.)

Our client wanted to attract new customers for a high-value treatment they provide, and to help pay off the high-end equipment they just purchased.

If only one method of online advertising to get new clients is possible due to budget constraints, we always recommend Google AdWords campaigns, which reaches the largest audience in a targeted area, such as within a ten mile radius of your location.

We set up the campaign and wrote the ad copy, made a landing page, chose quality keywords and a specific method of keyword matching to maximize their daily budget.

We measure whether the ad is performing well in a few ways. (Please refer to the graphic below for the numbers in parentheses.)

  • Placement on the results page: Ideal positioning is either the first, second or third place on the page (6).
  • “Click Through Rate”: The percentage of time someone clicks on the ad (3) compared to the total number of times the ad is displayed. Above 0.5% is considered very good. It means the keywords we selected are a good match to what the user is seeing in the ad copy and is responding well to it.
  • “Conversions”: This is a big one. There are a number of ways to measure this, but it always refers to a way of tracking when the user takes a desired action. In this case a conversion is counted when the appointment form is submitted (7). The cost per conversion (8), is the total number of conversions divided into the total amount spent. In this case the cost per conversion is currently $89. Considering that the treatment being marketed typically brings in a few thousand dollars in revenue, paying ninety bucks for a likely new high-value client is money well spent.

adwords-screenshot

It should be noted that conversions don’t measure all of the success. Visitors who click on your ad may also call your business for an appointment from your phone number on the landing page (the page we create specifically for the ad offer), and even if they don’t call or make an appointment right away, they have seen your company name and your offer. Repeated exposure to your business is one of the keys to brand layering and attracting new business, so every click to your site furthers your efforts.

We realize most of our clients aren’t seeking such high-value clients where $90/conversion is a reasonable number. This is just one example. A reasonable cost for a new customer or sale depends on your business. And it is not always possible to track just how much new business you are getting from any sales promotion, but a well-executed AdWords campaign should be high on your online marketing agenda.

There are many more important aspects of Google AdWords, enough to fill books, but the info presented here is the very core of how to measure the success of such marketing campaigns.


SWITCH YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT TO A BUSINESS PROFILE

September 29, 2016 by

If you use Instagram to promote your business you can take advantage of new business-only features by converting your account. We are recommending that all our clients who have an Instagram presence do this.

instagram accounts for business
 

When you switch, you will have the following new features and tools:

  • A “Contact” button is automatically added to your public Instagram page. You can choose to provide a phone number, email link, business address or any combination of these.
  • You can connect your Instagram account directly to your business Facebook page and invite your Facebook friends to follow you on Instagram right from your Instagram account.
  • You can learn more about your followers and see how your posts are performing with Instagram’s metrics tool, “Business Insights”.
  • You can create promotions and ads to help grow your business.
  • Instagram is promising more features in the near future.

Upgrading to a Business Profile takes some effort, and requires connecting to your business page on Facebook. Please contact John if you would like us to upgrade your account.