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» Now Accepting Internship Applications Now Accepting Internship Applications LRT is a professional graphics company located in Chico California, is offering general internships for summer and fall 2010 to qualified applicants. We are looking for college students who are currently studying business marketing, sports marketing, graphic design, public relations, web development or advertising. This is a non-paying internship. Interns will be expected to assist in various tasks including but not limited to client services, administration, design and research. This general internship offers immediate exposure to the advertising and design industry. The internship will coincide with the student’s class schedule with set days each week through the duration of the internship. Candidates must be very self-motivated, able to interface with our clients in a professional manner, take direction well, and be willing to pitch in where needed in exchange for industry exposure. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Small Business Should Spend Bigger A slight recession is the perfect time for smaller business to increase their marketing budgets. What, you say? I know it sounds a little crazy, but if you break it down, it makes complete sense. The majority of large corporations will have a knee jerk reaction to a recession by slashing retail prices to jump start business or decrease their marketing budgets to save money. As a small business it’s difficult to lower your prices due to the cost of goods related to your production levels. However, you can benefit from a recession by actually increasing your marketing budgets and gaining more industry exposure. When big businesses decrease their advertising dollars it typically means that they buy smaller media spots, produce less print ads, and cut sponsorships. This can benefit them because their budgets tend to be so large that a drastic cut in dollars will show a big saving on paper. In comparison, small businesses have equally small marketing budgets, so decreasing them doesn’t equate to the same savings. By increasing their advertising budgets, small businesses will become more visible in the market. This evens the playing field on an economic level, and allows niche companies to earn new business that would normally be swayed by big businesses advertising. As long as you have a strong brand identity then the business you win during a recession will continue to support you when the economy strengthens. Good business means having the fortitude to look left when everyone else is looking right. By taking a calculated risk, you can generate a long lasting reward; recession or not. LRT is a professional graphics company for all your businesses marketing, design and communication needs. Whether it's primary signage at your location, full color vehicle wraps, business stationery, t-shirts and hats, to full service graphic design, web design and marketing, LRT has got you covered. Communication Strategy on Every Level It is easy to have a thought or an immediate reaction to a situation and feel compelled to express this information instantly. But what’s the cost of delivering a message without acknowledging your desired outcome? Whether you are writing an e-mail, making a phone call, or developing a marketing campaign, you should always be conscious of two fundamental ideas; how are you delivering this message and what are you trying to achieve? E-mails, instant messaging, and text messages have added to this decline of communication consistency. It has become too easy to write an e-mail to a boss or prospective client and hit send before reviewing the content of your message. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation have different levels of impact on readers, which is why it is important to review every piece of communication you’re transmitting. I’ve known hiring managers that don’t even look at résumés if the body of the e-mail is poorly written. Furthermore, the age-old sports adage still holds true; you play like you practice. By editing your message content regardless of the delivery system, you will start to recognize the common grammar mistakes you make. Being conscious of these pitfalls enables you to start correcting most of your mistakes as you write, which cuts down on editing. Finally, you need to understand what you are trying to achieve with your message. Countless conversations are had and meetings held where both parties leave without knowing exactly what was accomplished. Something as simple as a phone call can be made more efficiently if you have a communication plan. Who are you trying to talk to? What do you want them to know? Is there a timeline involved, and what is your desired result? Think about these questions before you try to deliver any message. If you know your expectations upfront, it is easier to adjust your message and stay on track during a meeting or conversation. You will also know if you’re attaining the desired results during an interaction as apposed to afterwards. As a general rule, there is no unimportant message, so you should treat each interaction accordingly. The consistency in your communication strategy is just as important as having consistency in your brand identity.  LRT is a professional graphics company for all your businesses marketing, design and communication needs. Whether it's primary signage at your location, full color vehicle wraps, business stationery, t-shirts and hats, to full service graphic design, web design and marketing, LRT has got you covered. A Better Different The advertising industry definitely lives on your belief in buzzwords; words that get you motivated and excited about their agency and what they can do for you. Engaging, interactive, differentiation, brand recognition, forward thinking, do any of these look familiar? I’m not against buzzwords. In fact, they’re a great way to attach a sense of emotion to an idea. The only problem is thinking that just because something sounds exciting, it is exciting; or because something is different, it’s better. Only better is better. In advertising and brand management you definitely want to stand out. The market is cluttered with “me too” companies, who thrive off putting their name into the hat and getting a piece of the “fad” pie. The only way to succeed is to stand out; to be a “me” not “me too” company. This drives the idea of differentiation and uniqueness. All agencies will throw these words at you. They’ll lead the pitch with traditional advertising is dead and there are no more mass markets. No matter how true these statements are, you still have to be better, not just different. The key to finding an agency that can deliver a “better different” is all about research. Having a company acknowledges the fact that time and research is the first steps to creating a successful brand identity or ad campaign. You have to plan the work before you can work the plan. Look for a firm that’s willing to focus on this. It may cost you a little more money in the short term, but it will save you untold amounts from re-branding in the future. A “better different” can have long lasting effects. You don’t have to ignore the buzzword tug-of-war, but you should look beyond it. Let the words deliver emotion, and then ask the appropriate questions. The whys and hows are a good place to start. Remember, different is always better. Only better is better. LRT is a professional graphics company that believes in building business relationships as opposed to signing clients. They measure their success on the success of those they work with. You should never feel privileged to work with a marketing company. They should feel privileged to work with you.  LRT is a professional graphics company for all your businesses marketing, design and communication needs. Whether it's primary signage at your location, full color vehicle wraps, business stationery, t-shirts and hats, to full service graphic design, web design and marketing, LRT has got you covered. Fear Driven Branding? It’s no secret that the Internet has stimulated the small business boom. Compared to a decade ago entrepreneurs can easily create a website and promote a product. Unfortunately, this boom has devalued the entrepreneurial spirit by inspiring an influx of businesses that are vying for the same customer. Search doggy day care on Google, and you get 1, 940,000 results. That number will probably double in a year. Narrow your search by adding your zip code, and you’re still faced with tens of thousands of websites to sift through. The Internet, in all of its glory, has cluttered the marketplace with hopeful start-ups and eager business owners. So who decides who stays and goes? Myth would have you believe that nine out of ten start-ups fail. Even though there is no clear definition of “failure,” the number of businesses that close their doors after the first couple of years is closer to 50 percent. The question that still remains is why. Beyond lack of capital or having an inferior product, one huge reason revolves around fear driven branding. A company’s brand involves the sum of its parts. It includes the company name, logo, color scheme, uniforms, environmental design, etc. But most of all, it’s what the consumer thinks of it. A business owner can paint whatever picture they want for their company, but the bottom line is if your customers don’t see the same picture, your brand is in crisis. Fear based branding involves four basic concepts: Fear of spending money, Fear of looking too different, Fear they won’t understand, and Fear of being duped. By succumbing to these pitfalls, a new company turns out a brand that lacks character and is easily lost in a sea of logos and websites. Fear of spending money – We all know that you have to spend money to make money, but that doesn’t make the task any easier. Why pay a design studio to create your brand identity when you can do it yourself? Why fork out cash to have a full service firm name “your” baby? Why spend money on having someone else create your image? The answer is because that’s what they are trained to do. You have developed an amazing product and drawn up an efficient business plan, so why cut corners on your brand identity. Contractors build houses, chefs cook food, and racecar drivers go fast. We are all trained to do certain things well, and that’s why we pay experts to do what they’re trained to do. Fear of looking too different – If my product is similar to his, then why would I want to rock the boat by looking completely different? If it isn’t broke does it need to be fixed? If it works for them, then why can’t it work for me? These are the trap doors of today’s marketplace. These ideas, although flawed, were more relevant before the internet boom. But the fact of the matter is that there is so much competition today, you have to be completely different to stand out. Have you ever gone to a meeting where everyone exchanged business cards? The odds are they all look the same; same size, same color, same typeface. Companies have increased their spending on brand identities by 800 percent over the last ten years for a reason; differentiation it works. Fear they won’t understand – You don’t mind being different, but you’re scared a creative firm is going to push ideas your consumers won’t understand. The opposite is actually true. Like I mentioned before, creative firms operate under detailed processes that allow them to dissect your core beliefs and philosophies. They research your consumers and trends in order to design something that not only represents your company and its ideals, but reaches your target market on an instinctual level. Fear of being duped – Even if you want to work with an agency, how do you know you won’t get taken to the cleaners? The same way you know what kind of car to buy. You talk to your prospects, ask questions, compare models. Most agencies are more than willing to sit down and evaluate your goals and needs. They want to make sure you’re a good fit for them just as much as you do. The real question is how do you find a company that is willing to work within your budget? Yes, you can spend $50,000 on a name and logo, but there are also agencies out there that specialize in working with start-ups. They can give you original, engaging work for a fraction of the price by working with trusted freelancers to execute their plan. Success does not have to be a one out of ten shot in the dark, but you have to give yourself the best chance to succeed. People often dismiss clichés, but they don’t go away because they are embedded with undeniable truths. If Columbus had been too afraid to sail, there would be no America as we know it. If Lewis and Clark were afraid to go west, there would be no Portland, Oregon. As we know it. If you were too afraid to follow your dreams, you wouldn’t have started the business you’re trying to nurture now. Success doesn’t just happen. There’s no magic involved, but you can’t let fear based branding start you off with one foot in the grave. Luck is for wimps. Greatness comes from working harder, learning faster, and becoming more aggressive.  LRT is a professional graphics company for all your businesses marketing, design and communication needs. Whether it's primary signage at your location, full color vehicle wraps, business stationery, t-shirts and hats, to full service graphic design, web design and marketing, LRT has got you covered. |
