Making Sense of File Types
Our Class in a Flash Membership is all about downloads. In every issue, we provide to you all the resources you need to successfully market your business and classes. We provide files in several different file types to meet everyone’s needs. Below are some explanations of the different file types and the advantages to using them.
You downloaded all the different resources to your computer’s harddrive. Now you are wondering, what’s the difference between CIAF-CustomerInstructions.doc and CIAF-CustomerInstructions.pdf? The content is the same, you just use the file in different ways. For more details see below.
File Definitions:
ZIP – file that contains one or more files that have been compressed into the ZIP format. Also called a “ZIP archive,” “zipped file” or “zipped archive,” the ZIP algorithm is the most popular compression method in use. Think of it as a physical folder that has many documents inside that you can label and file.
If you have a fast internet connection and are familiar with working with ZIP files, we recommend you use the Download All Files (ZIP). This large file contains all files neatly packaged into one file. Simply unzip the files into your monthly folder on your computer hard drive. Once downloaded, you can “unzip” or “extract all files” onto your hard drive.
If you have a newer PC, your computer should be able to handle this type of file. Sorry MACs, there is not default software. You will need software to unzip the files. See WinZip
TXT – Plain text with no formatting. Most software can read this type of file including Notepad and Microsoft Word.
PDF – The Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Systems. It is read by almost every computer. We have included updateable fields in some of our PDF document for you to add your contact information to. Please look for a button labeled Highlight Fields on the top right hand of the document. You will need a free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
DOC – DOC or doc (an abbreviation of ‘document’) is a file extension for word processing documents; most commonly for Microsoft Word. You will need Microsoft Word 97 or a later version to read these documents. Don’t have Microsoft WORD? No problem, we have copies of the same file in PDF format referenced above.
HTML – All Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mosaic, Safari) will be able to read these files.
JPG or PNG- This is a picture file. You could use these file to upload to DBWS gallery, send invites to your class using the DBWS e-Invites, add the pictures to your blog or facebook accounts or just send them via email to your customers.
GIF - A gif file is very similar to a JPG or PNG mentioned above except that gifs can be animated, like a blinkie. Perfect picture to add to your blog sidebar.
Need more assistance? Contact Us
No Time? No Problem!
Each month, in our Class in a Flash Class Planners, we provide great materials that are ready to use as eye candy or informational content in your marketing. Use the following items for email newsletters, blogs and/or your DBWS and you will find that you can save time. As well as providing your customers and readers with great content that will keep them coming back to you, the expert.
PHOTOS:
We all love eye candy, and for stampers that comes in the form of photos of great projects. Each month we provide high quality photographs of our projects on the “Pictures Page”. Photos include shots of grouped projects, single projects, alternates, sidebar graphic, animated GIF image, advertising graphic, and even card template photos. Whew! To use any of these photos simply click on the “Pictures Page” link in the bar on the right side of your monthly class planner newsletter. You can right click on any of the photos and save them to your computer and then upload them into whatever system you want to use them on. Or click on a photo and you will be taken to a quick form to create a picture URL. By doing this you can link to the photos without having to download them, upload them, or store them, we do all that for you! Instructions on how to take advantage of this time saver is on the page you are taken to once you click on the photo. Or read more about it in our “Marketing Classes with Pictures” Tip of the Month.
MARKETING CONTENT:
Each month you receive several great resources for marketing. The most obvious is the Marketing flyer available as a Microsoft Word Document (DOC) or as an editable Adobe Acrobat file (PDF). Use these to print and handout at events or email them to your customers to announce your upcoming class. The “Blog Text” link in the newsletter takes you to a straight text file that you can copy and paste in an email, newsletter, blog or DBWS blog or event to announce your upcoming class. A less obvious resource can be found each month in the Customer Instruction Detail document. You can copy the Overview paragraph and paste it into an email, blog, or DBWS to create interest for your class.
INFORMATIONAL CONTENT:
Popular marketing theory says that 80% of your content should be informational to keep readers interested and reading. If you just include promotional information your readers will tune you out. So how are you supposed to find time to create all that content? You don’t have to! We are big believers in not re-inventing the wheel. Use the materials you invest in to help you fill your 80% informational content. While the “Demonstrator Planner” as a whole is for your use only, you can find great content in the “Products Highlighted” section of “Selling During the Class”. Copy and paste the benefit statement quotations and use them to help inform and educate your customers about the details, uses, and benefits of our great products. Some months we also include a “How to” or “Product 101” tutorial. These are great resources that you can use bits and pieces from or give out to customers who purchase that particular product so that they can use it confidently. We know customers that use our products buy more from us!
For example: our July “6 Ways to Watercolor Card Set” class planner included a “Watercoloring 101” tutorial that covered watercoloring basics, how to watercolor, watercoloring techniques, and watercoloring tools and materials. You could use each section as a series of blog posts about watercoloring and you would be providing great informational content with little effort on your part.
Now you don’t want to (and we don’t allow you to) give away the whole enchilada by posting the full content of the Class in a Flash planners or tutorials. But by grabbing and sharing bits and pieces of the materials from Class in a Flash you can save yourself time and sanity while effectively marketing yourself, your services, and your products! Talk about getting value for your money!
Like this tip? Please share your thoughts below!
Card Stock Cost Calculation
The new Stampin’ Up! year is fast approaching and we are thrilled to have received the new catalog! We are a busy working on plans for a variety of exciting planners to help you share the new products with your customers. We would love to
hear your ideas and suggestions.
With the new year, you will find that some of your current Class in a Flash planners include products that will no longer be available. They still have immense value and many of you will be re-creating some of your favorite projects with an updated look. This could be as simple as changing out the stamp set, ribbon size or color of the card stock or a total new color renovation from our previous tip of the month.
With the new catalog, we have a change in the way our card stock is packaged and priced. With our 8-1/2″ x 11″ packs, there is a slight increase in cost. We hear from many of you how valuable our cost analysis tables are in our class planners, so this month we want to give you a resource to make calculating the cost to re-create your older planners.
We’ve crunched the numbers to come up with a per sheet cost estimate you can use to find the adjusted price for producing your projects.
Here are the figures:
20010-2011 Whisper White & Very Vanilla Card Stock 8-1/2″ x 11″
United States adjustment per sheet: 0.024
Canadian adjustment per sheet: -0.017
2010-2011 Colored Card Stock 8-1/2″ x 11″
United States adjustment per sheet: 0.059
Canadian adjustment per sheet: 0.050
2010-2011 Basic Black, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand & Kraft Card Stock 8-1/2″ x 11″
United States adjustment per sheet: 0.100
Canadian adjustment per sheet: 0.101
We’ve also included an Excel Spreadsheet (97-2007) for calculating larger projects.
Click here to download the spreadsheet.
We hope this information will help you extend the life of your planners. We look forward to the new year and sharing some fun new Class in a Flash planners with you each and every month.
New Customer Document
It’s the season of change for demonstrators! We are very excited for the opportunities and changes that are coming up with the retired list, the Color Renovation and, of course, the new catalog. We plan our classes around these changes to help you run your business more easily. Which brings us to a change we implemented last month.
The changes with Stampin’ Up! policies regarding the use of images have caused us to make some changes that we think you will appreciate! The Card Template document that we created in the past included the A la Card template and sample from Stampin’ Success magazine. Because these samples were from Stampin’ Success you were limited on how you could use them. With the recent updates to the policy on using images we have re-invented the Card Template document. The new document, beginning with the May 2010 edition, includes a custom created card template, with measurements, that is based on the A la Card template. Plus two sample cards; one custom card created traditionally with stamps and paper and a custom card created using My Digital Studio. There is also a field for you to add your contact information to the document so your customers know just where they received the info and how to contact you! Here’s the May edition screen print.
Card Layout Document Sample
The great news is that since these are all custom created designs we can give you the rights to use them in many ways for your personal use and for your customers! Here are just a few suggestions for how you can use this document to save time while promoting your business, products and services.
New Customers:
==> Encourage new customers to sign up for your newsletter by offering them a free card template download for inspiration. Email them a link to download the Card Template document. Or if you want, set up an auto responder so that new customers receive an email once a month, for six months, each with a new Card Template document.
Online Customers:
==> Thank customers for online orders (or traditional orders outside of a workshop, class or club) with an email gift of the Card Template document. It’s simple for you to do and shows gratitude while providing inspiration.
My Digital Studio Customers:
==> Encourage My Digital Studio customers to use their great software by sending them a monthly email including the Card Template document for inspiration. Or encourage sales of My Digital Studio by offering a bonus of six months worth of inspiration. It’s simple for you to do by setting up an auto responder to email them a new Card Template document each month.
Club Members:
==> Give or email a copy of the Card Template document to your club members each month as an exclusive membership appreciation gift.
Hostesses:
==> When contacting a potential hostess or when coaching a hostess, email her the Card Template document as a small thank you gift. She’ll appreciate the inspiration and your generosity and expertise. Use the Card Template document or a few different copies of the Card Template document as a booking incentive. New stampers, especially, appreciate detailed information and inspiration.
For You:
==> Save time planning workshops and clubs by using the easy-to-follow template and samples in the Card Template document to create make n’ takes, workshop demonstrations, or club projects!
Do you have other ideas for using the new Card Template document to support your business? Share your ideas in the comments section. We would love to hear them.
Color Renovate Your Planners
The Color Renovation is fast approaching and we are thrilled to see the changes! Just like you we’ll experience some growing pains, but we think the benefits far outweigh the costs. When you are looking at the new colors you have to work with consider re-creating some of your favorite projects with a whole new look. To help you renovate your color thoughts we’ve provided some suggestions for updating Class in a Flash planners with new colors for a whole new renovated look!
Don’t have these planners? Just click the links to the left and check out these class planners, plus more color renovation options in our Clearance Bin.
Add Your Name to Docs
Add Your Contact Information to all Customer Documents
At Class in a Flash, our planners include loads of helpful documents to do more for your business. Have you noticed that we offer you both PDF files and DOC files. We provide you several options to help you work efficiently and prevent you from having to recreate the wheel, while still providing you with flexibility. Today, we are sharing a valuable tip on using the PDF versions of the documents, and how adding your contact information can help you market and grow your business.
PDF stands for Portable Document Format, a format created by Adobe that can be viewed on most computers regardless of their brand or operating system. Using the PDF files will allow pretty much anyone who receives your file to view it. The other advantage of a PDF file is that they are generally smaller in size, so your customers will appreciate that. Although our files work in Adobe Acrobat Readers 5.0 and above, we suggest you always have the latest version which you can download for free - Adobe Acrobat Reader.
You have the option to add your contact information to many Class in a Flash PDF documents. You will find the option to add your contact information to the Customer Instructions and the Marketing Flyer documents. Sometimes we also add the option for special documents specific to a planner. Just take a moment to open the PDF files and check for the Highlight Fields button. It only takes a moment to add your contact information, and once it’s there it serves as a reminder and reference to your customers about where they received the information and how they can contact you.
Now on to the instructions! Save the PDF file on your hard drive and then open the file. Adding your contact information to the PDF files is as easy as 1-2-3.
Step 1) Select the Highlight Fields purple button at the top-right of the document so you can see where the editable fields are in the document.
Step 2) Type your contact information in the shaded area. When completed, select the Highlight Fields purple button again to turn off shading.
Step 3) Save file by selecting the File Menu option at the top-left of the screen and select SAVE. Or use the keyboard short-cut Ctrl+S (CMD+S MAC).
Generally, you will want to use the PDF files for printing and sharing with your customers. The only reason to work with the DOC files is to change information contained in the document. We hope this cool feature that we add to each and every class planner we develop, will help you to work smart, market your business and make class planning a breeze.
Market Classes with Pictures
Want to share project inspiration with your customers, but not sure how or frustrated with the time it takes? Now it’s easier than ever to share your Class in a Flash projects. At Class in a Flash, we are implementing a new feature in March that makes sharing pictures on your blog, DBWS and emails faster and easier. And with the 20 or so marketing and project pictures we offer for each class planner, you have tons of valuable resources ready to go with just a few clicks!
From the Class in a Flash Picture Page (HTML), simply click on the picture you want to share and you will be taken to a web page like this sample:
Instructions:
Once you land on this page the Image URL and the image width will be listed for
you.
A) The Image URL can be used to import the picture to DBWS, your blog post or
to insert a picture into your email. If you simply want to add the picture, then this is all the information you need. For instance, if you want to add an image to a Blogger post, you would use the Image URL link presented in Step 4 of the instructions I posted on How to Add a Photo to Your Blogger Posts. For WordPress users,
here’s the instructions.
B) Enter in where you would like the customer to be sent to when they click on the picture.
C) If you need to change the width of the picture, you can do that here.
D) This is the HTML code that is created based on the form information you entered. You would use the HTML code to add a graphic to a blog sidebar.
See my blog article for more details.
Take advantage of all the resources Class in a Flash offers to help you save time and sanity.
Chicks & Chocolate Workshop
Did you know we include an alternative samples section in the customer instruction documents? Every month Class in a Flash offers suggestions and photos for using alternate stamp sets and color combinations to allow you to re-create the project to your style or for other occasions! How can you use these for your business?
• Show your customers how versatile your class projects are by highlighting the alternative samples section in the customer instructions documents.
• You can use the alternate pictures to upload to your blog or DBWS gallery to keep your content fresh and your customers coming back.
• You can create a class out of the alternative samples.
For our Cookin’ up Christmas Cheer class we created a Chocolate Lover’s Recipe Book as an alternative project. It’s perfect as a Valentine’s class. Review your customer instruction detail document for supplies used.
All the pictures, information, and three delicious chocolate recipes can be found in the planner. It’s like getting two planners for the price of one. Have the guests bring their favorite chocolate recipe or send them to you in advance so you can print them ahead of time. Or have the guests create their own recipe cards and have a recipe swap. You can easily keep costs low by creating the Recipe Booklet for the Hostess only. The recipe cards are an inexpensive project and guests will be able to try out the Stamp-a-ma-jig. Entice future workshops by offering to email the customer instructions to anyone who signs up for a future workshop. Last but not least…don’t forget the chocolate tasting. It’s so much fun, you’ll have a full house.
In addition, we’ve created these two marketing pieces to help you advertise your class. As always you can update the Marketing Flyer with your contact information.
Here’s is something fun to share with your guests at the workshop. Did you know Chocolate Stimulates The Body?
This particular myth turns out to be true. Chocolate does contain a bit of caffeine and some theobromie, as well. The two combine to give eaters of chocolate a little pick-me-up. The amount of stimulants found in chocolate, however, are not considered high enough to be worthy of regulation or even concern. The added boost can help people stay awake and alert, which many believe is a benefit of chocolate and not a downfall.
There is a lot more to chocolate than meets the eye. While myths and rumors surround its consumption, some forms of this ancient treat are actually quite good for the human body.
Not Just a Pretty Face
When is a class planner more than it appears? When it’s a Class in a Flash Planner, because we offer more than just a pretty face! We design our planners not just to have attractive and creative projects (although we have those!) but also to provide you with training about products, techniques, marketing, and more. Which then you can pass on your expertise to your customers with ease.
Each month we intentionally select the products and techniques we use in our projects with the goal of highlighting different uses for products, showcasing new products or perhaps bringing to light one of those must-haves that gets lost in the depths of the catalog. By focusing on techniques and products we help you show your customers the different ways the many great Stampin’ Up! products can be used, from the traditional to the unexpected. We help you showcase a wide variety of themes, styles and skills so that you are always offering new things to your customers so they are continually excited to see what they can learn next. By doing this you can show your customers the great value of Stampin’ Up! products and the value of having their own personal demonstrator who is there to teach and support them.
We pack each class planner full of educational information that you can use to teach your customers, promote your classes, add valuable content to your newsletters or blogs, and generally make it easier for you to run a successful class!
Read on to find out more about the valuable educational and marketing tools we provide and see a few suggested ways to use them!
Training for you and your customers and marketing tools included in Class in a Flash:
- Techniques – Techniques showcased may or may not be new to you, but they are sure to be new for many customers. By educating your customers about techniques you show them that most products can be used in a variety of ways thereby increasing the value of the product in the eyes of your customer.
- Products – New and not-so-new products are used in our class planners. When focusing on products we aim to show both traditional and unexpected uses. For example the January 2010 class used the new Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch. Rather than just stopping at traditional bird cards we showed how the punch could be used to make a flower, a clown and how the negative of the punch could be used to make a reflection. Having creative and unique ways to use the punch adds value to the product in the minds of your customers.
- Product Based Class Suggestions (in Demonstrator Planner) – Use these suggestions to increase your sales, speed up your classes and get the products you are using in classes into the hands of your customers.
- Holding the Class (in Demonstrator Planner) – Tips for running your classes efficiently, suggestions on products that you may want more than one of and ideas on how to do that in a budget.
- Possible Substitutions (in Demonstrator Planner) – Suggestions for changing stamp sets, patterned paper, themes or just stepping-up the projects.
- Products Highlighted (in Demonstrator Planner) – Use the benefit quotes and product information to educate and sell during your class or include it as informative content on your blog or newsletter. Useful both as educational content and great marketing material.
- Hostess Appreciation Ideas & More (in Demonstrator Planner) – Ideas to help you get even more value from the class planner by incorporating pieces of the projects into your hostess appreciation, workshops and more.
- Alternate Samples (in Customer Instructions) – Fast and easy reference showing different ways the same basic projects can be re-created using different colors, stamps, patterned papers and/or accessories.
- Bonus Ideas (in Customer Instructions) – Ideas for ways your customers, and you, can use and re-design the projects in the class planner in fun ways that will help with gift planning, encourage creativity and show the value of the products and services you offer.
- Templates – When included, templates are a fantastic resource that you can offer as incentives or use to re-create the projects in different colors, styles and themes for different events or seasons.
- Marketing Flyer – Add your contact info, class info and email, send by snail mail, post during your events, post on community boards at local churches, schools, recreation centers or add as a download or link to your newsletter or blog.
Distribute Documents
How To Distribute Documents to Your Customers
At Class in a Flash, we provide three main documents in Microsoft Word 97-2007 format for our members: Step-by-Step Customer Instructions, Customer Summary Instructions and Marketing Flyer. See our benefits page for more information.
We have found most of our customers simply update their contact information on the Adobe (PDF) files provided and email them off to their customers. We offer the same documents in the word format in case you want to change the supplies used or say you want to offer a card class, but not make the box portion of the project. You could also change the photo and text in the Marketing Flyer to show an alternate project and text.
Using the DOC file you could modify and/or remove portions from the instructions. But, most word processing software programs don’t come cheaply. Microsoft Word 2007 comes at a hefty price tag if it wasn’t preinstalled on your computer. If you don’t have Microsoft Word installed on your computer consider using the Google Docs software which is absolutely FREE.
Google Docs is Google’s answer to a web based documents system. To use the software all you have to do is have a Gmail account or go to
docs.Google.com and register for a Google account. It’s free. In addition to word processing, you can create spreadsheets, forms, and presentations.
Once at the Google Docs website the rest is easy.
Step #1 Click on the new document tab in the upper left hand corner.
Step #2 Choose the type of document you want to create. If you’re familiar with Excel, MS Word, and PowerPoint, these document types will look and feel familiar.
Step #3 Once you’ve made your document choice a new document will open. If you have, for example, chosen to create a text document you’ll see the same type of toolbar at the top of the page. You can format your content the same way you would a Word document. You can choose your font type, size, and formatting. You can justify the page right or left, highlight, list items, and include text links.
Step #4 The final step is to save your document and here’s one of the ways where utilizing Google documents really pays off. You’ll save your document as a Google document. It won’t really ask you how you want to save your document. And it will store the document in a main folder or you can create sub folders, label them and organize them how you see fit. Whenever you sign into your Google or Gmail account you’ll have access to your Google documents.
Step #5 If you want to export the document and store it on your desktop or hard drive all you have to do is click on the file menu and choose “download as” from the pop up list. There you’ll see you have the option to download the document as HTML, Open Office, Text, Word, RTF or PDF. That means if you’re sending the document to your customers, you can download it as a PDF doc and send it to them quick and easy.
Step #6 Here’s the final reason Google documents is a great resource for Class in a Flash members, you can share your Marketing Flyer document by simply clicking the word “Share” in the upper right hand of the document toolbar. There you’ll see you have a number of options including sending a link to the document to a person, emailing the documents to a person or persons, inviting people to view the document or publishing as a web page. This makes marketing your classes really easy.
We are always on the lookout for ways to make marketing your Stampin’ Up! services easier. Google documents is one of those resources that makes creating, editing and sharing documents quick and easy and perhaps best of all, it’s extremely user friendly and it’s free.