Successful businesses regularly focus on attracting new customers; otherwise they wouldn't be in business for long.

• Successful businesses also do a good job of showing their appreciation to loyal customers so those customers become their biggest fans. One way to attract new customers is by getting your fans to refer other people who could use your products or services.
• Other businesses can also be a source for new customers. Most likely your business already has working relationships with other businesses; these can be tapped to form mutual partnerships. If you offer to distribute other companies' brochures or business cards to your customers, those companies will more than likely reciprocate by distributing your marketing materials to their customers.
• And don't forget that you can use well-designed marketing materials to get customers to refer themselves.

Whatever approach you decide to use to attract customers, Publisher can help. Using one of the pre-designed publications, you can quickly put together a referral postcard, brochure, letter or other publication.

Get referrals from loyal customers

Once you've decided to launch a customer referral campaign, there are many creative ways you can use Publisher to create marketing materials that will motivate your loyal customers to bring in new business.

• Use a referral card, a tear-off card that offers a discount to both a customer and a friend. You reward a regular customer and entice a new one at the same time.
• Offer gift certificates during the holidays to make gift giving easy for your customers and give them additional discounts for themselves with a coupon.
• When you have a big sales event, send a postcard or flyers to your steady customers inviting them to bring a friend to the sale and get an extra discount.
• E-mail a letter or a special offer announcement. If the e-mail gets forwarded to a friend, the friend gets the discount too by bringing in the printed e-mail.
• Use print or e-mail newsletters to give loyal customers regular information about styles, trends, or the latest technology so they can pass the information on to others.
• Use coupons as rewards and incentives to bring in new customers. Buy one meal and get a second one for half off. Buy one manicure and get a second one for a friend at a discount.
• Make in-store referral cards that customers can take to friends, who get a discount when they fill out the card and bring it back to the store.
• Invite loyal customers to a customer appreciation event. If they bring guests, both people get a special gift.

Get referrals from other businesses

Most businesses rely on other businesses for products or services. Restaurants, for example, have food suppliers and wine merchants. A realtor works with appraisers, inspectors, contractors, architects, mortgage brokers, loan officers, interior designers, gardeners, painters, and others. Any of these partners has the potential to provide customer referrals. Here are some creative ways you can collaborate with your business partners:

• Get other businesses to host a link to your Web site on their site and offer to do the same for them.
• Find out if a trade association you belong to has a Web site listing businesses in your area and get your business contact information on their site.
• Ask a complementary business to refer customers by displaying your business card or brochure at their front desk or lobby. Be prepared to do the same for them.
• Go one step further and ask a complementary business to hand out your business card or brochure when they know a customer could use your product or service. A realtor, for example, might recommend a loan officer or contractor for a remodel.
• Join other businesses in sending out group mailers advertising special offers and discounts.
• Ask other businesses to post flyers for you advertising your products or services especially if what they do complements what your business does.
• Use tradeshows or conventions to hand out product catalogs and business cards to other business owners who might use your services or recommend you to others.
• Send fax messages to new businesses announcing overstocks or older merchandise that they can get for reduced prices.

Get new customers to refer themselves

Once you've developed a precisely targeted mailing list, you're in a great position to launch a direct mail campaign. You can send potential new customers the same publications you send to regular customers notifying them of sales and special offers. You can also get information out to new customers by sending them your newsletter or product brochure.

If you have a Web site, put up a guestbook page asking visitors for information about themselves. Offer a gift or a discount on their first purchase if they fill out the page. Give visitors the option to sign up for regular mailings to get the latest news about your business or industry (make it easy for them to unsubscribe as well). Put your business Web site address on all printed or e-mail materials you send out. This gives anyone who receives them the opportunity to follow up for more information.

Choose a publication design in Publisher

No matter what method you decide to use for attracting new customers, Publisher can support that effort with one of its professional-looking, easy-to-use print or electronic publication designs. You can use:

• One of the many pre-designed publications available for each publication type.
• A publication design that matches a Master Design Set, if you've used such a Set to establish your company identity and brand.
• One of the new templates available on the Office Online Web site.

Tip   You can also design a publication from scratch. In Publisher, in the New Publication task pane, under New, click Blank Print Publication.

To use a pre-designed publication

• Start Publisher. In the New Publication task pane, click Publications for Print or Web Sites and E-mail. Click the publication type you want, and then, on the right, click the pre-designed publication you want to use.

To use a publication from a Master Design Set

• Start Publisher. In the New Publication task pane, click Design Sets, and then click Master Sets.
• Click the design you want, and then, on the right, click the publication type you want to use.

Tip   You can use a unique design for a direct mail publication and still keep the color scheme and fonts that reflect your company identity. With the publication open that you want to use, on the Format menu, click Color Schemes. Under Apply a color scheme, choose the color scheme that you use for your Master Design Set. On the Format menu, click Font Schemes. Under Apply a font scheme, choose the font scheme that you use for your Master Design Set

To use a template from the Office Online Web site

1. On the Help menu in Publisher, click Microsoft Office Publisher Help.

    Note   The Publisher Help task pane opens.

2. Under Search for, type "templates" and then click the green arrow.
3. Click the link at the top of the list called Templates for business reports, cards and banners, databases, and more.
4. On the Templates site, search for the publication type you want.