Ad space available - Knights bingo sheets

Time for another run of 1,000 Knights of Columbus bingo tally sheets. You can include your 3" x 4" ad for just $15, or 3" x 8" ad for $30. We're printing this run on Thursday, so call or email ASAP if you want in. - EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com, 719-390-5080. More details here.

Stratmoor HIlls Newsletter ads, Colorado Springs

The Stratmoor Hills Neighborhood Association publishes two newsletters each year. One in August and another in November. We are currently working on the November edition.

600 newsletters will be hand delivered to residents at the end of November. We have several business card ad spaces available at $35 each. The newsletter is 12 pages, black and white. Deadline for ordering ads is noon on November 26th.

Stratmoor Hills is roughly the area between B Street and Cheyenne Meadows Rd and from Eastmeadow to Venetucci Blvd.

To reserve your ad call Easy Street Designs at 719-390-5080 or email EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com

Marketing Lessons from the 2012 Presidential election

By Ed Duffy

As I've said before, political campaigns, especially Presidential campaigns are a great case study in marketing. In most commercial marketing, companies try to influence decisions on an ongoing basis. You may not choose to buy X Brand chewing gum today, but maybe you'll buy it tomorrow, or the next day. In Presidential elections, your target makes one choice, one time, every four years. If your marketing effort fails just once, it's game over. You're out of business.

Republicans were feeling pretty good going into the election. It seemed like Romney was on a roll. The President's performance record was pretty bad and Mitt thought he had positioned himself as a viable alternative. What went wrong? What lessons can be learned?

Lesson one - Know your customers. The President caught a lot of heat in some circles for doing "fluff" interviews on shows like The View, David Letterman, Jay Leno, MTV and such. It was said he should be doing serious news shows and talking about "real issues". The American voter wanted substance, not fluff. This argument totally missed the mark.

Most American voters do not watch several hours of hard news every day. They watch The Voice, The Cardasians, Leno, The Daily Show, and other amusing entertainment shows. You have to go where your audience is, not where you want them to be. The biggest political TV event of the campaign drew 70 million viewers (the first Presidential debate). That includes children, foreigners and non-voters. There were about 120,000,000 votes cast in the election. I think it's safe to say that over half the voters didn't even watch the big event.

President Obama went to where the voters live. Mitt Romney did not. Voters were familiar with Obama. Romney was a guy they heard about, but didn't see much.

Lesson two - Engage your customers. President Obama won the overwhelming share of the minority vote. Is this because minority voters are genetically Democrat? Of course not. But Democrats aggressively recruit candidates and voters by putting boots on the ground in minority communities. If Republicans ever want to get a significant share of the minority vote, they'll have to go get it. It's not enough to sit in a studio 100 miles away from an ethnic neighborhood and say "Look, we have some black guys and Hispanics in our party."  You have to show up. The crowds might be sparse and the returns small at first, but if you don't make the investment, you're just going to maintain a big piece of a shrinking pie.

Most American voters are not economics majors or experts on cultural issues. They're focused on work, family, hobbies, sports, playtime and generally going about their daily lives. If you want to reach them in a national political effort, you have to insert yourself into that routine. Otherwise, it's like having a website but not advertising it. Yes, technically everyone can access it, but what's going to bring them to it? You have to go where they live and tell them about it.

Neighborhood Values postcard IV

Our 4th edition of the Neighborhood Values direct mail postcard is in print today, heading to 1480 addresses in 80911, on either side of Fontaine Blvd.

Next up will be 80925. We currently have 2 ad spaces available on that one.

To find out how you can direct mail your full color ad to around 1500 local residents for just 10 cents per piece including layout, printing and postage, visit - http://www.southsidebusiness.com/Neighborhood Values Postcard.html

Advertise to new Fort Carson area residents and feel great about it

The Student2Student program at Fountain/Fort Carson High School in Fountain, Colorado is offering local businesses the opportunity to promote themselves, while getting free distribution and supporting military families.

Click here for more details.

If you're in other parts of the country, you can get more information and find out if there's a Student2Student program in your area Here. 

Easy Street Designs has a number of inexpensive products that would be ideal for this kind of welcome bag, including magnetic business card notepads, calendars, magnets, pens, hacky sacs and more. Of course we can also print up your coupons, flyers, brochures, "important area numbers" postcards or whatever you like. Remember, part of the mission of the program is to make incoming families familiar with what's available in the community, including your business.

Easy Street Designs would like to encourage your participation by offering 10% off your order if it's for the District 8 Welcome goody bags. We'll even arrange to have them pick it up if you like. The district says they go through about 200 or more bags in a school year, so we'll make 200 the minimum quantity for this offer.  Our prices are already pretty low, so for example, given this deal you could get 200 half-page, full color glossy flyers for $23.40 + tax. Add to that free distribution to brand new residents and it's a no brainer.

Easy Street Designs, 109 Kiva Rd, Colorado Springs, CO
M-F 8:30am to 6pm, Sat 10am -2pm
719-390-5080, EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com

Neighborhood Values III

Our third Neighborhood Values postcard mailing goes to the post office today, for delivery tomorrow. This one will go to 1450 addresses in the area surrounding Main Street in Security (80911).

Next up is the Fontaine Blvd area (also 80911). Click here for information on how to reach local customers through direct mail for 10 cents per address including layout, printing and postage.

October flyer special - digital coupon

Show the image of the coupon on your phone, download and print it, or email it to us to take advantage of our October Flyer Special! 250 full color flyers for just $40!

New Direct Mail postcards from Easy Street Designs

Easy Street Designs has developed a new Neighborhood Values postcard product based on the USPS Every Door Direct Mail offering.

The idea is to enable six local businesses to mail 1,000 to 1,500 neighborhood addresses for just 10 cents each including layout.

click on the image for more details.

Note: Our first mailing will go out at the end of August. We'll mail 1320 homes, roughly north of Crawford and south of Bradley Rd, in Security (80911). Cost per ad is just $132 including ad layout/design, printing and postage. Reserve your spot today. Call 719-390-5080 or email EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com. 

New at Easy Street Designs, City of Fountain Wall Maps

Maps show Security/Widefield and Fountain, Colorado w/ street index
Big = 30 inch x 32 inch
Even Bigger = 40 inch x 43 inch

Advertising Opportunity, Stratmoor Hills Newsletter, Colorado Springs

It's time for the August issue of the Stratmoor Hills Newsletter. This 16 page, black and white newsletter will be hand delivered to about 550 area residents (between B St and Cheyenne Meadows and from about Venetucci Blvd to Eastmeadow Dr.) Copies will also be provided to the Sherrifs Dept, Fire Dept and County Commissioners.

Ad space is available for just $35 for a business card size ad. They'd like to get this out within the next few days so email or call today to reserve your spot:

EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com

719-390-5080

Bookmark Advertising Opportunity, Colorado Springs

Easy Street Designs is looking for up to three adveretisers for the next run of bookmarks for The $4 Bookstore.

The bookmarks measure 8" x 2", full color, both sides on 14pt uv coated stock. Each run consists of 1,000 bookmarks which are distributed by the $4 Bookstore to its customers.

A  2" x 2" ad is just $25, including set up, or get a 2" x 4" ad for $45. If you'd like to be on the next run, email EasyStreetOrders@Yahoo.com or call 719-390-5080 before close of business Wednesday, May 30th.

Fountain Valley Street Map 2012/13

Easy Street Designs is once again teaming up with McVan Maps to produce the area's only comprehensive street map and index for 2012/2013. The maps will include the City of Fountain as well as Security and Widefield, along with complete street indexes. They'll be distributed on Fort Carson, at City Hall, utilities and through area businesses and organizations.

Full color advertising space is available on the 2,500 piece run, starting at $250 for a 2 5/8" x 3" space, up to $475 for a full panel (3"w x 6"t) space. All layout fees (if needed) are included.

Advertising space is limited, so reserve yours today. Call 719-390-5080 or email easystreetorders@yahoo.com or stop by the shop from 8:30 to 6pm Monday through Friday, or from 10am to 2pm Saturday.

Rockies and Bronco 2012 Schedules

(Note: Other teams available in minimum qty of 300 at 30 cents each)

Magnetic business card 2012 schedules for both the Rockies and the Broncos are now in stock at Easy Street Designs. Just 45¢ each with no minimum while supplies last, 30¢ each when you buy 100 or more.

Just attach your business card to the adhesive magnet and you've got an instant custom promotional that your clients, customers, prospects can appreciate all season long.

Call, email or stop in to Easy Street Designs to get yours today. Other teams also available with minimum order of 100.

Click the image to enlarge

Easy Street Designs, 109 Kiva Rd, Colorado Springs, 80911, 719-390-5080, EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com

What's in a name? Choosing a name for your company

So you've decided to go into business for yourself. You've got the plan, you've got the drive. Now, what to call it? Choosing a good name has no universal rules, but it helps to consider the product or service, the image you want to portray, your target market and your advertising strategy among other things.

If your business is a franchise like Taco Bell or Midas Mufflers, choosing a name for the ownership company is not really a marketing issue. It's probably not going to be on any of your advertising material, so have fun with it. below are things to consider for the independent business owner.

Of course, it may be good idea to mention your product or service in the company name. In the case of our graphic design/printing company, when we first started out, our primary business was graphic design and we operated out of our house, on Easy Street. Hence the name; Easy Street Designs. It also helped that the term "Easy Street" is also a common term used to convey a stress free atmosphere, so it still works, even though the shop is no longer located on that street. It also lent itself well to a catchy tag line; "Make it Easy!" We probably would not have gone with Hayes Drive Designs, had we lived there.

Some businesses like real estate, mortgage or insurance are highly competitive as well as highly regulated, and there are not a lot of barriers to entry. That means the primary difference between one firm and another lies in the characteristics of the agents or individuals who work there. This is why so many people in those industries feature their photo on their advertising. Your main marketing asset, over the long term is your reputation. Consider attaching your name to the company. Putting your name on the line can inspire confidence in the mind of a potential customer. Real life examples would be Harris Group Realty or K.W. Schramek Landscaping Material (another commodity type industry).

If you expect the vast majority of your customer base to be from a tight geographical area or neighborhood, incorporating a regional name might be the way to go. Something like The Widefield Bar and Grill (fictional) might be a good way to go if you're planning to cater to local folks and don't expect a lot of people to travel 20 miles to stop in for a beer and some curly fries. It also immediately tells people where you are as well as what you do.

Atmosphere is another consideration. In a business like home decor or example, a name that brings to mind images of the products you offer can be helpful. Examples might be "Grandma's Attic" or "Future Shock" (both fictional, as far as I know).

You can be more creative if you have a big enough advertising budget. Company names like Google, Amazon, Xerox or Yahoo don't tell you anything about what they do. They spent billions of dollars educating people though, and now their names are nearly synonymous with their product. If you don't have billions of dollars, you might want to go another way.

Using the alphabet may still be effective if your main source of advertising is an alphabetized directory. This still may be true of some industries. However, with the rise of Internet advertising, where searches are based more on relevance than alphabetical order, something like AAA Gromets (fictional, I think) may not be as attractive as it once was.

Avoid the inside joke or personal reference that most people outside your family and circle of friends aren't going to get. I'm sure you love your dog, but unless his name is "Bear Claw", naming your doughnut company after him probably isn't a good strategy. Even if his or her name is "Bear Claw" using the dog's image on your advertising is likely just going to leave potential customers scratching their heads.

A good name choice can be very helpful. However, your long term success is going to depend on execution. Your name can help you get people in the door, on the phone or to your website, but quality, service, value and ethics are what's going to bring them back.

New at Easy Street Designs, hand crafted greeting cards by Patricia Bardua

Now at Easy Street Designs, in addition to the Leanin' Tree and Easy Street Designs lines of greeting cards, you'll also find hand-crafted greeting cards by Patricia Bardua.

As the name implies, each card is a one-of-a-kind original, hand-made in the U.S.A. by Patricia Bardua of Palm Coast, Florida.

At $3.75 each, they're a little more than our other cards, but still a great price for an original piece of art that you can share with someone you care about.

When someone else's problem is your solution, that's cooperative marketing waiting to happen

I was talking with a customer about business cards the other day and she happened to mention an arrangement she had with a local restaurant. I thought it was a great way for both her and the restaurant to address their needs very effectively without any big cash outlays by either party and asked if I could share it here. This exact model may not work for everyone, but it’s a great example of how cooperative thinking, outside the box can lead to greater efficiencies and help everyone involved leverage their marketing budgets. (Did I work enough buzz words in there?)

Becky Hume is a certified colorist by Color Me A Season and has a background in TV makeup for live talent for PBS in Tucson, Showtime Comedy Network as well as for national commercials. She’s also designed and created costuming and makeup for local productions while living in Tucson during the late 1980's and early 1990's.

These days, Colorado Springs is her home and she’s still in the business of helping woman look and feel good through her business, Spa By Candlelight, which features products from BeautiControl and PartyLite. Her business relies heavily on direct sales and word of mouth. Building a customer base in these types of businesses often means exhibiting at events and expos and going to one on one or group appointments. While these can be effective forms of marketing, they can also be costly and don’t always reach the right demographic. What if there were another tool in the arsenal?

Meanwhile, at a nearby Applebees, a manager wants to offer some kind of customer appreciation perk. Giveaways and contests can also break a budget and don’t always have the desired, long lasting effect. What if there were another way?

Well, Becky and the folks at the Southside Applebees, 4001 W. Northern Ave in Pueblo, came up with an arrangement that suits both their needs, as well as the women who show up for Ladies’ Night on Wednesdays.

Applebees invited Becky to greet the ladies and offer them a free “mini spa” treatment/demo. The luxurious pampering includes a demonstration of Becky’s mobile day spa products from BeautiControl® with “instant manicure” hand treatments and sweet chocolate candy. An assortment of the beauty treatments and products are also on display and offered at a special price throughout the event. Ladies can also book free personalized spas and win door prizes during the evening.

There are no fees on either end of the agreement. It’s just one hand washing the other. It’s a good example of what a little imagination and cooperation can do to promote efficiency, effective marketing and customer retention.

To contact Becky call 719-632-4410 or email humetopwick@gmail.com. you can also visit spabycandlelight.com. To experience the demo, show up at the W. Northern Ave Applebees in Pueblo on a Wednesday night.

Bingo ads available

We have ad space available on the next run of Knights of Columbus Bingo tally sheets.

info Here.

$15 to $30 depending on size.

The key to customer retention

At Easy Street Designs, we recently made some plastic keytags for KW Schramek Landscaping Materials in Fountain, Colorado. The tags feature their logo on the front and a handy reference table on the back. It shows how much of various types of materials one would need to cover a given area and a given depth.

That alone is a good way to keep them "top of the mind" with many of their customers, especially contractors, who can quickly pull their keys out of their pockets and estimate how much material they might need for a job.

But the Schramek's took it one step further. Now, when you show your keytag at KW Schramek, you get 5% off your order (except for railroad ties). The tags last for quite a while (I think I had my King Soopers tag on my ring for about 8 years before it finally fell off). It's a great use of an inexpensive promotional product to not only provide useful information, but reward loyal customers as well. Nicely done.

KW Schramek Landscaping Material is located at 7395 Southmoor Drive in Fountain, Colorado, just north of Hwy 16 on Hwy 85/87. Visit them on the web at www.Schramrock.com.

Flag Football sponsor opportunity, Colorado Springs

Marcus Amos and Suave barbershop would like to offer your business the opportunity to become a valuable sponsor of the Suave Barbershop flag football team.

"We are asking for a donation of $250 or more and in return Suave barbershop will produce a patch with your logo and have it sewn on the jerseys of all 22 players.

We appreciate your contribution and we vow to satisfy you as a sponsor and hope to build a great working relationship."

If you have an question you can contact Mr. Marcus Amos Jr. at 719-243-6331.

Advertising Opportunity, Bingo Tally Sheets, Security/Widefield

We have space available for advertising on an upcoming run of Knights of Columbus bingo tally sheets.

Your ad can appear on 1,000 sheets for as little as $15 (approx 4.25" x 3") or $30 (approx 8.5" x 3". The sheets are given to each bingo player to keep track of which games are being played and what the prizes are. 1,000 sheets typically lasts the Knights about 3-4 weeks, depending on attendance.

If you'd like to be on the next run, call 719-390-5080 or email easystreetorders@yahoo.com

QR Code Posters Help Customers Connect

You've probably heard something about QR codes. But have you found a good use for them yet?

If you haven't heard of them before, they're essentially UPC codes for websites. Most smart phones and tablets now come with software that will read these codes off posters, labels, flyers or wherever you print one. You simply click like you're taking a picture and the app takes you directly to the website for that particular QR Code.

One no-brainer use for these two-dimensional hyperlinks is in-store posters for your social pages. Social pages can be a great way to stay in touch with customers, alert them to sales, new products, remind them of upcoming events, etc. But getting them to "Like" or "Follow" you can be a challenge. What if they could do it while they were standing in your shop or office, with the click of a button? You're already on their mind (they're in your store) and there's a big ole QR code right in front of them. Nothing to type. Nothing to remember. Just point and click.

Easy Street Designs now offers these posters, full color and laminated. Initial set up is $15 and includes up to 4 QRStuff.com QR codes. You can use your own QRStuff.com or other QR code generating account, or Easy Street can generate codes for you. Once the poster is set up and on file, a laminated print is just $2.50.

As quick as taking a picture with a cell phone, customers can surf to your main site, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or check in on Foursquare. Make it easy to stay connected. Call or email Easy Street Designs at 719*390-5080 or EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com

It's Time! Don't Miss Out on the 2012 Fountain Valley Community Guide

Work on the 2012 Fountain Valley Community Guide is underway. Ad spaces are still available, but space is limited. Don't miss out. Call 719-390-5080 or email EasyStreetOrders@Yahoo.com to reserve your spot today!

More Details Here

New - Bookmark Advertising from Easy Street Designs

Easy Street designs is pleased to announce our new bookmark
advertising product.

Bookmarks are a great way to make a lasting impression on
potential new customers, and to perpetuate “top of the mind” awareness among existing
customers.

Our first project is in conjunction with The $4 Bookstore at 2515 Airport Rd in Colorado Springs, where you’ll find hardcover books for $4 or less and paperbacks for $2 or less.

Bookmarks are full color, 2-sided, 14 point glossy stock and measure 2” x 8”.

Ads are available for $35 for a 2” x 2” or
2 spaces (vertically or back to back) for $60.
Price includes layout if needed. Price covers one run, which is 1,000 bookmarks.

Bookmarks will be distributed free to local customers by
The $4 Bookstore.

Get your space today! Call
Easy Street Designs at
719-390-5080 or email
EasyStreetOrders@yahoo.com.