Marketing Your Way to Success

If you're new to printing, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed—jargon, file formats, proofs, and paper stocks can sound like a foreign language. That’s why we do things differently at TGS. We make it simple, clear, and—dare we say— enjoyable . Here’s what you can expect when you work with us, step by step—no guesswork, no shame, just great results. Step 1: A Real Conversation We start with a friendly call or email to learn what you're trying to accomplish. Not sure what you need yet? Totally fine. We’ll ask the right questions to get clarity together. What we ask from you: Just bring your goal or idea. We'll help shape it from there. Step 2: Gathering the Details We’ll talk through your timeline, budget, quantities, and any artwork or messaging you already have. Whether it’s a polished design or a rough sketch, it’s a perfect place to start. What we’ll provide: Clear direction on what we need, plus help with file setup or design support if needed. Step 3: Building ...

  Gary Vaynerchuk, the digital marketing guru and entrepreneur, has a wealth of insights that can be applied to the modern workplace. His emphasis on authenticity, hustle, and customer-centricity can be a powerful tool for managers looking to improve their teams and organizations. Here are some key takeaways from Gary Vee's teachings that can be applied to workplace improvement: 1. Authenticity is Key Be Yourself: Encourage your team to be authentic and genuine in their interactions with colleagues and customers. Authenticity fosters trust and builds a stronger team culture. Lead by Example: As a manager, your actions should reflect the values you want to instill in your team. Be authentic in your own leadership style. 2. Hustle is a Habit Set High Standards: Expect excellence from yourself and your team. Set ambitious goals and encourage your team to strive for greatness. Embrace Hard Work: Celebrate hard work and dedication. Recognize and reward employees ...

  In today's digital age, incorporating personal touches in your marketing strategy can significantly enhance customer relationships and boost sales. Here's how handwritten notes and fonts can make a difference. Handwritten Notes Boost Future Spending Did you know that handwritten thank-you notes can double future spending by making customers feel valued and appreciated? This gesture shows sincerity and warmth by showing that your company cares. Customers who receive handwritten notes often feel a stronger loyalty to the brand, which is crucial for retaining customers and encouraging repeat business. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that handwritten notes are less effective when combined with discounts or free gifts. It's the personal touch, not the incentive, that drives customer loyalty. Humanizing Products with Handwritten Fonts Handwritten fonts can also have a positive impact by giving products a human touch. Making products more relatable and appealing t...

A heartfelt thank you note can be the perfect way to show genuine appreciation to your customers, creating a strong and lasting bond. But why stop there? Thank you cards allow you to seize the opportunity to extend warm wishes and heartfelt greetings to your valued customers anytime. It's a small yet powerful gesture that goes beyond words, expressing gratitude for their purchase, unwavering loyalty, and continuous support.  9 Top Tips for Crafting the Ideal Thank You Note for Your Valued Customers Writing a personalized note that resonates with your customers' experiences and showcases your sincere gratitude can leave an indelible impression on them. These thoughtful acts strengthen relationships and foster long-term loyalty. So express your appreciation and encourage your customers with a personalized thank-you note this Thanksgiving! 1. Be Genuine and Sincere Don't just write a generic thank you note; make it personal and heartfelt. Speak from the heart and tell your cu...

 Along with the cooler weather and changing leaves of Autumn comes the beginning of the holiday season. In the business world, Thanksgiving also means the arrival of Black Friday.  According to Capital One Shopping research, the average shopper spends $430 on Black Friday. This is a massive opportunity for companies within any industry to make sales!  Although often, large, well-known corporations are the first to come to mind for Black Friday sales events, in reality, Black Friday can be an extremely lucrative time for your small business, too. Planning your marketing right will become the perfect time to spread the word about your company. 3 Creative Ideas for Small Business Marketing on Black Friday 1. Create a Holiday Gift Guide 50% of surveyed consumers responded that they would spend the most significant amount of money while Black Friday shopping on gifts for others .  Since Black Friday falls right at the beginning of the holiday season, most cust...

 As the retail landscape evolves, a well-conceived offline marketing strategy remains critical for attracting and retaining customers in brick-and-mortar stores. To achieve this goal, a well-crafted offline marketing strategy is essential.  Harness the Power of Offline Marketing to Improve Foot Traffic to Your Business Here are ten strategies to help you drive foot traffic into your store. Have a Clear Brand Voice Your brand voice sets you apart from other businesses. Establishing and maintaining a consistent tone of voice will help customers recognize your store. Host Events Promote events within your store to get people in the door. Try hosting workshops, classes, or community-oriented activities like movie nights or local artists' exhibitions. Join Local Organizations Get involved in your local community by joining organizations and networking with other businesses. This will help you drive foot traffic to your store and increase your visibility within the comm...

 Regardless of your business type, customer feedback is one of your most valuable resources. Make no mistake: your customers have opinions. There are aspects of your operations that they love and want more of. There are aspects that they could be more enthused about. Disregarding this actionable insight would mean missing out on an opportunity to enhance future interactions. Thankfully, that doesn't have to be the case.  Soliciting customer feedback  not only provides a roadmap for continuous improvement but also demonstrates a genuine concern for their input, thus increasing customer loyalty at the same time.  Here are three practical approaches for collecting customer feedback and helping them feel comfortable sharing their opinions with you. 3 Ways to Ask Customers for Feedback  1. Email Surveys  One easy way to ask customers questions and get legitimate answers involves sending out surveys. Make the survey brief enough, or you risk overwhelming s...

 Print products play a vital role in creating an excellent customer service experience. Whether printed brochures, business cards, or promotional items, print can make a lasting impression on customers, helping businesses stand out from the competition and build long-lasting relationships. Printed materials do more than impart knowledge; they can also improve the customer's experience with your business. They aid in helping your potential customers decide whether or not working with you is right for them, offering an ideal way of prequalifying yourself and your business. If excellence in customer service is your goal, check out how you can use print to make it happen more effectively. 8 Ways to Excel at Customer Service Using Print 1. Show Appreciation A thank you letter or card expressing appreciation for your customers is a great way to show how much you value their business. Print products are also perfect for creating loyalty programs and offering rewards to keep custo...

Customers make or break your business. And while companies focus their budgets and time on attracting new customers, they often lose sight of their most important asset: Current customers. Companies across the U.S. are losing $62 billion per year due to poor customer service. Don't let that happen to your business. 5 Valuable Ways to Make Customers for Life 1. Start a Loyalty Program Did you know that about 68% of loyal customers will join a loyalty program if offered ? Customer loyalty programs, sometimes called customer retention programs, effectively increase purchase frequency because they spur customers to buy your product or service more often. 2. Offer a Discount for Returning Customers Everybody likes to save money. So, tuck a coupon into the bag when you're ringing up a sale, and tell the buyer about it, so they don't miss it. Not only will these offer help improve your sales, but they'll help improve loyalty among customers. According to Statista, 9...

Don't you wish you could read minds? That would make marketing so much easier.  But it's not possible, or is it? There are some legitimate ways you can get inside the minds of current and potential customers. Take a look at the top three ways to do this.   3 Top Tips to Get Inside the Mind of Customers 1. Talk to Your Customer Service Representatives Customer service staff have the inside scoop into what customers want and need. Interview them to find out what customers are calling about, what issues need to be resolved, and what products are the most popular.   Here are some sample questions to ask your customer-service employees. What expectations and disappointments did customers express? What improvements did customers want? What value were customers hoping to find, and what price were they willing to pay? 2. Analyze the Data  You probably have spreadsheets of data and information on your customers' buying habits. Take a look at these car...

SMART goals help you identify areas you'd like to improve and clarify your objectives for a successful social media campaign. They act as a guide to data collection and help your team know which tasks to prioritize.  SMART Goals SMART is an acronym for…  Specific . Use statistical values to narrow down what and how much you'd like to achieve. Measurable . Attribute values to non-numerical indicators of success, being precise in how you'd like to measure.  Achievable . Look at past campaigns and use them as a base for how much you think your business can achieve. Realistic . Similar to achievable. Make sure your goal is relevant. Timely . Set a date for when you'd like the goal to be completed.  Setting SMART goals acts as a base for your social media campaign. Create a Social Media Campaign With SMART Goals SMART goals help create a stellar social media campaign that works for your company.  Step 1: Set a goal using the SMART goal method, making su...

Excellent customer service is an essential aspect of your most valuable asset: your customers. Customer service is so vital that it can be a powerful competitive advantage. 70% of Americans have spent more money on better service, according to Forbes.  Excellent customer service is not solely for the customer service representatives. Instead, everyone on the team should practice exceptional customer service because every job ultimately affects the customer.  Below is a list of concrete ways your team members can exceed your customer’s expectations.  Customer Service Excellence: Hire Smart Certain personalities and strengths are better suited for customer service jobs. Hiring the right people will set the company and employees up for success.  When hiring, look for people who excel in the following traits.   Problem-solving. Give the interviewee a scenario and ask how they would proceed. Communication. Ask the interviewee to explain a complex topic. L...

Managers can make or break the workplace atmosphere, seeping into a company’s outputs.  Unfortunately, good management can sometimes be hard to find. Poor management costs $7 trillion globally, or  9-10% of the world’s GDP. This staggering number can decrease if companies hire and train better-equipped managers.   Below are the top 4 skills required for advanced leadership in the workplace.  Advanced Leadership Skill 1: Communication Clear communication prevents workplace hiccups.  Communication requires the ability to properly convey sometimes complex ideas to a wide range of people. Age, background, skill level, and personality can prevent clear communication.  Sometimes the most difficult skills in life must be mastered through trial and error. However, you can keep a couple of critical aspects in mind when communicating.  Actively listen. If you catch your mind thinking about your extensive to-do list, stop and bring your focus back ...

To be successful, you need dedication, determination, and hard work. You also need some up-to-date skills. Below are the Top 5 skills for professionals. 5 Essential Skills for Professionals 1. Soft skills According to LinkedIn data analysis, in 2019, companies looked most for these soft skills: creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, and time management . Soft skills, such as communication and management skills, are the traits that make you good at almost any job. Hard skills, in the meantime, are more teachable and measurable. In a Linkedin report, 57% of senior leaders today value soft over hard skills. 2. Creativity So many things have changed—think cell phones instead of pay phones, internet instead of card catalogs. It takes a creative person to think outside the box. Sure, some things are great, but how much better could life be if we tried a new way? Businesses are always looking for fresh thinkers to do things in a new way. 3. Communication Communication...

The buyer’s journey lays out the process the buyer takes when buying a product or service. Understanding this journey allows you to be better prepared to meet your customer’s needs each step of the way.  Stage 1: Awareness  In this stage, the customer is made aware of a problem they would like to alleviate. They research this problem so they can better identify it.  Actions you can take in stage 1. You can provide the prospective client with information to educate, entertain, or inspire them. For example, your company could provide information through brochures, blogs, website content, press releases, videos, and social media. Not only will you inform your client base, but you will also grow your clients. According to HubSpot, blogging increases your website traffic by about 55%.  Stage 2: Consideration Now, the prospect has identified the problem and begins to research ways to alleviate it. The prospect will start to compile a list of products and brands....

  Above and beyond customer service leaves customers satisfied and impressed.  Customer service is essential for many clients in determining their overall satisfaction with your company. Most customers have little patience for poor customer service. Customers with a bad customer service experience are more likely to leave than those unhappy with prices. That’s a primary reason why 89% of consumers switched to a competitor after a poor customer experience. Customer retention saves your company money. Repeat customers spend more and in larger amounts while also bringing in more customers. Customer service is at the forefront of keeping customers happy and coming back for more. Providing top-notch customer service is imperative for the success of your business.  Check out the qualities that make for great customer service.  1. Customer service skill: positivity Often, customer service representatives are dealing with angry customers. It’s important for them to ...