PSPINC Official Company Blog

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 137 “Content Marketing”

Oct

13

As a business, it’s important to build trust with your customers. But it’s even more important for small businesses. While your website may have an “About Us” or perhaps even a “History” page, it may not be enough for potential customers. People want to know more about the companies they buy from. Especially younger generations. Customers increasingly want to buy from brands that have the same values that they do. And it’s why we see big brands support different social issues, even if they are controversial.

For small businesses, one way to build trust easily is through content marketing. Content marketing involves creating and sharing content online, through social media, videos, and/or blog posts. The content itself isn’t explicitly promoting anything though. Instead, it demonstrates your company’s expertise. This blog post is an example of content marketing, by the way. And while website traffic is the only directly measurable thing you can track, it will undoubtedly grow your business sustainably. So, while creating content that isn’t directly selling may seem counterintuitive, it’s well worth it in the long run.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #contentcreation #contentmarketing #customers #digitalmarketing #growth #marketing #marketingtps #newsletter #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #smallbusiness #socialmedia #video #web #website

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 136 “Taking Risks as a Small Business”

Oct

6

Business success rarely ever happens overnight. But a lot of successful endeavors include some form of risk. And larger businesses can likely recover easily if it doesn’t pan out. However, it isn’t as easy for small businesses. But a business will never grow if they play it safe forever. The key is taking small but calculated risks. And doing it often.

A big risk, while it can lead to a big reward, can also be detrimental if it doesn’t work out. Instead, take smaller risks frequently when it comes to your small business. That way, it’ll give you a better idea of what works and what doesn’t. In the workplace, encouraging creativity is a great first step. But it’ll only make a difference if you execute some of your employees’ ideas.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #officetips #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #risks #risktaking #smallbusiness #technology #web

5 Ad Campaigns Every Business Can Learn From

Sep

27

Creating successful ad campaigns can be tricky. It consists of striking the perfect balance between targeting the right people, producing creative content, and ensuring it’ll resonate with your audience. But a big part of marketing consists of trying new things and learning from other businesses’ successes. So, here are five successful ad campaigns that every business can learn from.

Nike: Just Do It

In 1988, Nike aired its first commercial that used the now-iconic tagline, “Just Do It, which came from Dan Wieden, the founder of ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy. Everyone else, including the people at Nike, didn’t think they needed a tagline. But eventually, they let Wieden try out his idea. After the commercial aired, the success was conclusive and immediate: people loved it. In the years following it, Nike focused the tagline on female empowerment ad campaigns, where it thrived even more. Today, “Just Do It” is a staple in Nike’s marketing efforts and the brand continues to focus on inclusivity. While that wasn’t the original idea, “Just Do It” applies to all athletes, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender. So, focusing on inclusivity helped Nike thrive off this slogan.

California Milk Processor Board: Got Milk?

The idea behind the “Got Milk?” campaign revolved around the inconvenience and frustration that came with running out of milk. Previously, the milk industry marketed itself as the healthier drink option, promoting the calcium and protein benefits. But in 1993, Jeff Manning, California Milk Processor Board’s new executive director, realized consumers knew milk was good for them. The problem was that they didn’t care. So, he tried a different approach: this campaign focused on what people lost rather than what they could gain. And it’s something you can try for your next marketing campaign.

Skittles: Taste the Rainbow

Whether you like it or not, you’ve probably seen at least one of these Skittles commercials. People remember these ads because they’re too weird not to remember them. And the imagery they use of placing Skittles in unlikely or impossible scenarios sticks out. The “Taste the Rainbow” commercials are untraditional, to say the least. But it works for them. And at the time, it was a very risky move to show Skittles in strange or even disgusting situations. But if there’s one thing that this overall campaign has taught us, it’s that creative ads work. Even if they are unconventional, they’ll, at the very least, will be memorable.

Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

The Old Spice ads are ones everyone recognizes. The commercials portray a sense of humor that proves to their audience that they’re not afraid to make fun of themselves. Plus, they targeted their ads toward women, even though they’re selling men’s body wash. In 2010, ad agency Procter & Gamble pitched this concept to Old Spice after discovering women made up 60% of men’s body-wash purchases. If they hadn’t done any marketing research, they would’ve never thought to market a men’s product to women. While it’s fun to be creative in the marketing industry, it also has to be backed up by research for it to work effectively.

Always: #LikeAGirl

For a long time, the brand, Always, led the feminine-hygiene sector. But around 2010, they realized they were losing out on the 16–24-year age group. Unfortunately, it’s also the time when women exhibit more brand loyalty over ones they like, according to their research. So, while they knew their products were great, it wasn’t enough anymore. When conducting research, they discovered that girls’ self-esteem drops twice as much as boys’ during puberty. They just had to figure out why. When they did, Always used that to their advantage by connecting it back to the brand’s core values, which consisted of self-confidence. And it worked in inspiring and encouraging a conversation online about what it means to do something “like a girl”. A lesson we can learn from Always is to double down on brand equity. Especially if you can inspire a conversation the way Always did.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #always #blog #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #gotmilk #justdoit #likeagirl #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #nike #oldspice #sales #skittles #smallbusiness #tastetherainbow #tech #themanyourmancouldsmelllike

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 133 “Serving Your Customers”

Sep

15

As a business that sells to other businesses, it’s hard to sell and retain those customers sometimes. But what we’ve found very helpful is taking the focus of our company. Instead, we put the focus on our customers. It’s not about trying to get what we need from them; it’s about giving them what they need. When asking them how we can help them, it shows how much we care about them rather than just trying to push our products on them. While we do still want to make money, customers don’t like feeling like that’s the end goal.

If what you’re selling fits with what they want and need for their business, that’s great. But if it doesn’t, the relationship with them doesn’t have to end there. The customer’s best interests should still be at the forefront of how your sales team deals with customers, even if it means they won’t buy from you right now. In turn, they won’t only remember your business, but they also might recommend you to other people just based on their friendly interaction with you. This overall effort will, at the very least, give customers a great perspective on your business. They’ll see your business as one that genuinely cares about the well-being of their customers, even if it doesn’t result in a purchase.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #brandperspective #business #businesstips #customers #customerservice #customersupport #marketing #marketingtips #newsletter #officetips #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #retention #sales #selling #service #smallbusiness

What is Experiential Marketing?

Sep

6

Experiential marketing is, in essence, marketing your product, service, or brand through an experience. In today’s digital age, many consumers hate ads. They disrupt their overall experience and keep them from the content they wanted to see. There’s a reason why ad blockers have gained so much popularity in recent years. Experiential marketing counteracts that by promoting your brand in a non-intrusive way. The perfect example is Coca-Cola’s Happiness Machine campaign from 2010. The overarching idea behind it was that happiness is contagious. And they proved their point when people shared their various items with people from the otherwise ordinary Coca-Cola vending machine.

Framing your brand’s marketing strategy with an experience is a completely different approach from traditional advertising. Many marketing tactics aim to get the most amount of viewership. But experiential marketing focuses more on customer engagement. To do that, brands need to focus on evoking an emotional response from people and using technology to make that experience memorable. The best way to do that is by telling a captivating story while incorporating relevant brand elements. And around that story, the visual details need to reflect the brand’s overall vision and deliver a stimulating customer experience.

Benefits of Experiential Marketing

two coca cola vending machines placed next to each other

For businesses, experiential marketing differentiates them from their competitors. And for truly great experiences, customers will not only remember your brand, they’ll perceive your brand in a positive light. And customers feel special about experiencing something unique that many people haven’t experienced before. If they enjoy the event, they’ll recommend your brand to others, essentially creating brand advocates. And even with all the different marketing avenues out there today, word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective marketing tactics. Additionally, the customer engagement that experiential marketing provides leads to increased return on investment (ROI), customers, and sales.

With so many distractions out there today, experiential marketing breaks the traditional marketing mold of disrupting customers’ experience. Instead, it elicits an emotional response through engaging visual storytelling. And while traditional methods strive for increased reach and awareness, experiential marketing aims to grow engagement and maintain interest memorably. In the end, customers are happier throughout the entire customer journey, and it results in higher retention rates. For small businesses looking for more long-term marketing success, experiential marketing is worth a try.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #brand #brandadvocates #branding #brandperception #business #businesstips #cocacola #customerengagement #digitalmarketing #engagement #experience #experientialmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #smallbusiness #tech #technology

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing

Aug

16

Sales and marketing are commonly used interchangeably in business, but they don’t mean the same thing. Sales and marketing work in tandem to increase revenue. When both strike a perfect balance, businesses benefit in the long run. So, it’s an understatement to say that those in sales and marketing can learn from each other.

Although they are different, it’s not surprising that many people think they’re the same. Mostly because they have the same end goal, and that is to generate revenue. What makes them different is how they go about it and what parts of the customer journey they affect.

Marketing Professionals and Salespeople

In short, marketing is how potential customers become aware of the company and what it’s selling. Those efforts, when done effectively, encourages customers to engage with the company to purchase or at least show interest in the product. Sales, however, pushes them across the finish line. Neither can work without the other.

Marketing efforts target much larger groups of people who may be or become interested in what the company’s trying to sell. Therefore, marketing professionals focus on long-term strategies, and they aim to meet customers’ demands. Those efforts are all done through indirect methods like advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, etc. Then, it creates a trigger that will lead customers toward sales.

Salespeople, however, are more often working directly with customers after they’ve already made contact with the company. Sales aims at understanding and meeting customers’ demands and desires. While their goals are generally more short-term, arming the company with more information about what customers are looking for only helps with future sales efforts.

Sales and Marketing Working Together

To remember the difference between marketing, think of them as the internet and email. They both use the same technologies, but one can’t exist without the other. Bringing awareness to products and driving interest through marketing efforts lead potential customers closer to the purchase stage. Sales comes in at the end to meet customers’ needs. Therefore, facilitating both to work well together will allow businesses to reach prospects no matter where they are in the customer journey.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #branding #business #businesstips #customersupport #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingprofessionals #marketingtips #sales #salespeople #smallbusiness #tech #technology

How to Create a Brand

Aug

2

A brand and a company, while used interchangeably, are not the same. A company is the name of an organization that engages in business activities, like producing and selling products. A brand, however, is about how people perceive your company through identifying brand attributes like your logo, name, and products. To remember the difference, think of it this way: a business owner, founder, and/or CEO owns a company whereas the people own a brand. While there’s significant influence coming from whoever’s in charge, the people are the ones who derive meaning from what you have to offer.

Starting a company can be as easy as setting up a great e-commerce website and selling products. However, creating a great brand isn’t quite as easy to do. Setting up your company website is a great first step because it forces you to figure out the essentials needed to run a business. If you’re just creating a business, it’s easy to go on from there by designing your website, adding your products, and advertising said products. A brand, however, also requires a vision and mission statement. A mission statement tells people where your company currently stands and what it does. A vision statement is more aspirational and tells people where you want to see the company go in the future.

After creating your mission and vision statements, it’s time to determine your brand’s values. This is what you want your business to stand for. More importantly, this is what you want your business to be known for. Truly successful brands keep all of those in mind in every experience a customer has with them. Look at Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most successful brands. But it isn’t based on the product alone. Coca-Cola’s brand is about refreshing the world in a way that makes a difference. While their drink is known to be refreshing worldwide, Coca-Cola also actively works toward its commitment to making the world a better place. And this can be seen through multiple sustainability efforts by the brand.

Lastly, with so many other small businesses out there, it’s important to consider who your competitors are and what makes your business different. To succeed, your business needs to be different in a way that’s attractive to your target market. And creating customer persona to figure that out will help immensely. After figuring all that out, then come all the recognizable elements of a brand like designing a logo and determining a color palette. While developing a brand can be a lengthy process, it’s not impossible. And great brands tend to change and evolve, so just remember that when trying to create your own.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#advertising #blog #brand #brandidentity #branding #brands #business #businesstips #businesstools #cocacola #digitalmarketing #logo #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingonline #marketingstrategy #marketingtips #smallbusiness #success #tech #technology

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 125 "Starting a Business"

Jul

21

Starting and building a business isn’t always the easiest thing to do. But it’s easier if you start with one thing first. For example, Pacific Software Publishing Inc. (PSPINC) got its start introducing already-established U.S. software to Japan. Since then, we’ve expanded to create our own proprietary software. And now, PSPINC sells products and services all to help small businesses grow online. And that initial focus has also given us a specialty in localizing software for our customers in Japan. And we’re not the only company that’s done this.

Take Amazon for example. Customers can find almost anything on Amazon nowadays. But did you know it actually started as a small bookstore? Slowly, over time, Amazon started selling other products until it became what it is today. Focusing on one thing allows your business to build up a loyal audience, which will make your future marketing efforts easier in the long run.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #branding #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #dreamersi #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #products #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #services #smallbusiness #tech #technology

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 120 "Cultivating Meaningful Business Relationships"

Jun

16

A vital part of maintaining a successful business is cultivating meaningful relationships. Loyalty from your customers is essential to build a truly sustainable brand. Sales transactions are great, but what you’re really looking for as a business owner are customers who continually come back. It shows people that your brand and the products you sell are reliable. And it’s a big reason why the most successful companies in the world are as successful as they are. When our customers call PSPINC, they know they aren’t just calling our company. They know exactly who to ask for because our support team is full of experts who know how to build that relationship with them.

But this doesn’t just go a long way toward potential customers. The business community is enormous so having solid connections within it is also important. Business relationships help establish your reputation in the business world. And the best part is that they can also foster long-term and even lifetime friendships with others. From that, beneficial partnerships can form and bring in new and repeat customers. Meaningful business relationships open the door to incredible opportunities for success. And it’s why we value it so highly at PSPINC.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #customerfeedback #customerservice #customersupport #digitalmarketing #marketing #networking #pacificsoftwarepublishing #partnerships #pspinc #relationships #smallbusiness #technology #whatsnewnewsletter

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 118 “What Problem Does Your Product Solve?”

Jun

2

Your business can make a hundred different products and still generate a meager number of sales. And there can be a variety of reasons why. But an important facet that you should consider when creating and marketing your product is this: what problem does it solve? Truly successful products give customers a solution to a glaring problem that your competitors haven’t figured out how to solve thus far. Take the invention of insulated water bottles, for example. For workers, these bottles keep their coffee warm on cold days. For hikers, it keeps their water cold throughout their entire trek.

But the measure of true success with insulated water bottles is the fact that many refer to them as a thermos. Would you be surprised to know that the term didn’t exist until the company, Thermos, came out with these insulated water bottles in 1904? It didn’t happen on purpose, but Thermos became synonymous with an insulated water bottle. Now, Thermos makes plenty of other products, namely other types of drinkware as well as food storage containers. But Thermos will forever be known for how they revolutionized the drinkware industry. So, if you want to be truly successful with your business, think about what kind of problem your products and services will solve for the customer. If you do, you might find yourself standing alongside successful brands like Thermos.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #brand #branding #business #businesstips #example #insulatedwaterbottles #insulation #marketing #problem #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #solution #success #technology #thermos #waterbottle #waterbottles

PSPINC Official Company Blog

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What’s New Newsletter Vol. 137 “Content Marketing”

What’s New Newsletter Vol. 136 “Taking Risks as a Small Business”

5 Ad Campaigns Every Business Can Learn From

Nike: Just Do It

California Milk Processor Board: Got Milk?

Skittles: Taste the Rainbow

Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

Always: #LikeAGirl

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 133 “Serving Your Customers”

What is Experiential Marketing?

Benefits of Experiential Marketing

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing

Marketing Professionals and Salespeople

Sales and Marketing Working Together

How to Create a Brand

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 125 "Starting a Business"

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 120 "Cultivating Meaningful Business Relationships"

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 118 “What Problem Does Your Product Solve?”

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