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Home > Resources by Kev > Articles
Wow Your Customers With a Wall Calendar
© 2005 by Kevin Wirth - all rights reserved worldwide
Word Count: 1533
Updated 01/18/05
Do you know what kind of impact handing out a wall calendar to your prospects and customers could have on your business? Almost everyone appreciates a wall calendar that relates to a theme or topic of interest to them. Why not discover what if of interest to your prospects and customers and then use that to create a personalized 'theme' calendar they will rush to hang on the wall?
Wall calendars are passive members of your sales force that work for you all year long, quietly telling people who you are and what you do - and how to reach you if they need to.
Of course, the calendar will include your name and contact info (and perhaps a brief blurb telling them your USP) to remind them of how you can help.
Why a Wall Calendar?
You might be wondering why I'm writing about something as low tech as a wall calendar. The reason is because - it's a very effective marketing tool. In fact, I think it's one of the best. Let me show you why...
First, here’s a question: Let’s pretend for a moment that you’re an avid boater who spends almost every weekend during the summer months on the water. When someone hands you a wall calendar in December for the coming year, and it includes photos of your favorite types of boats, perhaps even YOUR boat, what is your response likely going to be? Will you use that calendar or throw it away? Be honest. Won’t you probably be thinking “This is really nice, I think I’ll put THIS calendar right next to my desk to remind me of what I love to do in my spare time.”
Next question…
Have you ever started the New Year thinking ‘Wow, I don’t have a wall calendar that I really like – I better go buy one,” and then go looking for a calendar that has your favorite theme on it? Ever go looking for marked-down calendars in January (or even later in the year?).
OK, you just answered the question about why a wall calendar is such an effective form of advertising. Any way you slice it, wall calendars are sought after and referenced constantly all year long, and present you with a great opportunity to reach your prospects and customers. And, a wall calendar is a SUPER way for you to connect with people in a positive way on an emotional level.
Your customers appreciate your thoughtfulness when you give them one tailored to their interests, and though they do see a photo or image of their favorite theme when they use it, they are also fondly reminded of YOU all year long.
That's powerful stuff.
Plan Ahead
So, if you’re smart, you’ll start thinking and planning a new calendar (or calendar series) long before the first of the year to make sure you’ve got a huge selection for a solid connection with your prospects and customers. It's never too late to start planning for this. Let's face it - if you start planning this now for next year, you'll have all the time you need to do it. Chances are pretty slim you'll have time during the busy holiday season. And remember – if you give your customer a calendar before anyone else does, YOU usually get top placement in the office or home. The best time to send a calendar is about 10 days before the end of the year – right at Christmastime. In fact, what better time than Christmas to give them a personalized wall calendar? (or two!)
Here's what you need to do:
1) Get the Right Tool. To create a calendar yourself, you'll need to get a calendar creation software tool. Some very good ones are found at the following sites:
EASY CALENDAR MAKER 1.0 With Easy Calendar Maker, create and print photo calendars using your own or professional photographs in seconds. See any changes you make immediately in the calendar preview window. You can create standalone calendars and quickly change the height, width, and position of calendars simply by clicking. A selection of premade calendars and styles also are available.
FREE to try, $29.95 to buy.
MY PHOTO CALENDARS 2.0. This software enables the user to create fully customized photo calendars. All elements of the calendars can be customized, including images, text, dates, and languages. Text and images can be inserted in dates, and the user can select from 36 optional national and religious holiday overlays. The user can change the language of days and months, and start the calendar at any month and the weeks at any day. This software works worldwide, supports U.S. and European paper sizes, and includes templates and information through 2007. If you decide to check out this tool, click here to pick up a 2005 calendar I created for you using my own nature photos - 'Butterflies and Bugs' (I'm an amateur entomologist who appreciates the beauty of bugs). You can view it during your free trial period.
FREE to try, $29.95 to buy (Note: though you can create a calendar on your computer using this software, you can only print one yourself if you purchase a license. Also, though rated well by download.com, I found the functionality to be limited in some areas (such as text management), and much less than what I expected in a calendar tool).
SMARTDRAW. If you're serious about cranking out LOTS of calendars, then you really should check out SmartDraw. Calendars are quick and easy to create using their Gantt Chart and Calendar tool. And, unlike many other software companies, technical support with SmartDraw is always FREE!
30-day FREE trial, $198-297 to buy - NOTE! for a limited time you can save $50 on the Gantt Chart and Calendar tool ($147 instead of $198), or get all 6 tools and save $100 (a steal at $197 instead of $297!). Actually, if you purchase the 6 tool suite edition, you'll be saving over $700 that you would have paid if you purchased each tool separately.
LULU.COM Go to Lulu's site, open a FREE account, and create your calendar for free - and when you're done, you can even market it online for others to purchase and YOU make money! She even has a forum where you can interact with others on calendar making issues. How good is that?! Use the software and publish your calendar for FREE. Cost to print your own calendar on demand with LULU: about $11.95
2) Finding Just the Right Image. When you create your calendar, you're going to need a sourch for excellent images. You can either use your own digital photos, or get some royalty free images to put in your calendar. These images should match the special interests of your client. Good sources for royalty free images include:
FREE IMAGES.COM Over 2500 stock photos for FREE.
ISTOCKPHOTO. No monthly fee for stock photos - just a small per photo charge ranging from about $1-5 each. Thousands of photos to choose from.
SHUTTERSTOCK. Select from thousands of images you can download images you're sure to find something to match your needs.
US GOVERNMENT PHOTOS. Did you know that US Government photo collections are huge and are Copyright FREE? Select from some of these agencies and you will find an abundant storehouse of stock photos.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. Includes stock photos from the Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife, USGS, Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service. Thousands of photos of wildlife, artwork, and scenic shots.
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). A collection of more than 9000 NASA press release photos spans the American manned space program, from the Mercury program to the STS-79 Shuttle mission. Includes other links as well, plus video and audio.
NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Includes many photos of sealife, weather related, rockets, submersibles, satellites, etc.
HUBBLE Telescope. And talk about eye candy! Some of the most dazzling, impressive, stellar!, and out of this world images you will ever see come from Hubble. They look like fantastic art renderings, but they are actually photos of what's really 'out there'. To pick up my personal favorites that you can use to create your own calendar with, click here.
Some other useful image sources include:
www.freephoto.com
www.hemera.com
www.imagefarm.com
www.photoessentials.com
www.photosphere.com
www.photospin.com
www.stockmarketphoto.com
www.superstockimages.com
So there you have it - everything you need to set up a calendar for your customers and prospects. So what are you waiting for? Discover their passion and then delight them with a calendar built around that theme. You just never know when that favorable impression just might turn into a sale.
I've already received a calendar from my vet, my insurance agent, and a calendar postcard from Joel Christopher so far this year.
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Kevin Wirth is the owner of KEVS-KORNER ezine, a free online newsletter offering articles, tips, resources, and insight on over 150 different marketing tactics. He is bringing together a growing community where you can work with others to create and market products online.
You may freely distribute and reprint a text-only version of this article as long as the text and links remain unchanged. This article was created using Instant Article Creator.
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This document was first, published on January 10, 2005 and made available by Kevin Wirth as part of the KEVS-KORNER website.
This document may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time
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