*Shout about it!* Celebrate your business' success.

In Britain we're often discouraged from shouting about what we're good at. We're all very good at self-deprecation but why not shout about what we're really good at and make it work for us?!

As a business it's important to give your customers faith in your products and services, and to meekly blend in to the background hoping passers by will try you on the off-chance isn't really a strategy that works!

It's quite a simple idea-if you see a company who has won awards or has accreditation it makes you think "yeah, they must be good! I'll use them". What we often take for granted is that they have put themselves forward for such awards, applied for that accreditation and have committed to letting people know just how good they are.

Locally and nationally there are awards for just about everything so why not claim your stake of the prize! From Best Local Food Producer to Best Sports Brand to Best Regional Marketing, there's guaranteed to be a category or an award that suits your business!

It shows a commitment to change, improvement and will give your business credence. Plus, such events are well publicised and offer your business some great free PR and the opportunity to network with some very useful people. 

It's great for your web presence, positively Tweet-tastic and tells people you really mean business! A great place to start is by 'Googling' your local area and the word 'awards' and a multitude of opportunities will arise!

So, get your business name out there, we've listed some great benefits below:

•Gets your business name on the radar

•Free PR

•Great networking

•Improves your business' credentials

•Great staff morale booster

•Avoids a business plateau!

•Some pretty good prizes too...

Visit http://www.smarta.com/advice/sales-and-marketing/pr/how-to-win-awards for more useful information.

★POSTER POWER!★

Since the late 1700's when the development of Lithography allowed poster printing on a mass scale, posters have become part of our culture. Originally the majority of posters were used for political purposes but posters have now become an art form all of their own.  

"For over two hundred years, posters have been displayed in public places all over the world. Visually striking, they have been designed to attract the attention of passers-by, making us aware of a political viewpoint, enticing us to attend specific events, or encouraging us to purchase a particular product or service"  Max Gallo, French Historian.
 

With so many other promotional tools out there, it's easy to forget just how effective a good poster can be. Cost effective, easy to distribute and when used well, a tool like no other!

We always love to seek a bit of good ol' design inspiration, and when researching a project in the office, we came across http://www.posterheroes.org a competition dedicated solely to the world's best 50 x 70 posters. 

A simple concept that puts some BRILLIANT design ideas in the spotlight. A brief is set and designers get to work creating their masterpieces.

Three of our favourites are shown below. We'll definitely be watching the progress of the competition and in the meantime, if you're thinking about going poster-design-crazy, we've got some simple tips for you to follow...

Our top poster design tips are:
★Before designing, be sure about exactly what you want your poster to say.

★Display your message clearly. There's nothing worse than an idea that is so genius, passers-by just don't get it!

★Be innovative! Don't just think top, middle and bottom; think left, right, off center, angled...! 

★Research and be inspired! There's nothing wrong with learning from the success of others.

★Often the temptation is to create a really big leaflet-don't! Please use space wisely!

★Think about your poster's role as part of a wider marketing campaign not just a stand-alone item.