Author Archives: Judy

Decorative Concrete Seminar Specials that Sing of Savings

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As you invest in your decorative concrete business, you need to get the highest return on your money. Engrave-A-Crete can help you reach that goal.

Investing in quality Engrave-A-Crete tools and products are the foundation for the savings. Efficient work management, more safety, and fewer breakdowns all add up to more effective decorative concrete with a greater return on your time and money investment. Add to that quality tech support from someone who has ‘been in the trenches’ of decorative concrete and the value increases.

Attending our three day seminar featuring hands-on experience with the tools and other supplies while taking a project from blank concrete to beautiful is a great investment. The opportunity to train in a climate controlled environment where efficiency and safety are priorities is a great value because you go back to your customers with ability to use the quality tools. In addition, the reasonable tuition includes meals, snacks and assistance by the capable staff at Engrave-A-Crete seminar. Now tuition is headed toward the bargain side of the table.

Taking matters even closer to the bargain side, let’s look at the graduated Bring-A-Buddy deal for our March seminar.  One person can enroll at the regular fee and bring a buddy for a reduced price of $495. That’s a nice bargain and investment.

Finally, and right into the bargain basket…seminar students who make a $4,000.00 purchase will have one seminar tuition fee credited back. Call 800-884-2114 for details.

 

 

 

 

Read All About It! | Decorative Concrete Press Release Center

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Have you noticed? There’s a handy place to find our press/media releases regarding the decorative concrete business. In the right hand sidebar, in the post category listing, you will find “Engrave-A-Crete Press.” That category is intended to be a life saver for overbooked editors with ‘escape artist email’ who need another look at the information. It is also a great place to catch up on the hot-off-the-press news from Engrave-A-Crete.

We’ve had the “press box” category for quite awhile, but realized we haven’t given it a PR acknowledgment. That leaves people out in the dark about it and the good news about a new tool, new systems and more.

When we have news to announce, a press/media release is emailed to editors at various trade publications, both online and in print. Or the information may be snail mailed when needed.

If you would like to add your publication to our email list for press/media releases, please give us a call at 800-844-2114 and we’ll be glad to help you.

 

Blastin’ Betty | Floor Prep + Decorative Concrete

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Blastin’ Betty, star of Blast Force Systems, is the number one choice for floor preparation in a decorative concrete project. This easy to use blast force machine will quickly remove almost anything stuck on concrete.

Blast away —

  • Old carpet glue
  • Sealers – no matter how ancient
  • Paint marks
  • Existing acid or pigmented stains
  • Pigmented concrete dyes
  • Epoxy coatings
  • Overlay coatings

Just remember to not go too fast or you could bounce over the surface and create an uneven blast, and don’t go too slow or you could blast away more of the concrete surface than you would like.

Also, be sure to go in multiple directions on the concrete in order to get a nice evenly blasted surface.

Blastin’ Betty is a ‘powerful gal’ to have on your team. Tim Boyles of Concrete Relief in Oakland, TN, prepped 1002 sq. ft. of concrete in approximately 5 hours with Blastin’ Betty and the PulseBac vacuum system. “Blastin’ Betty Does Site Prep | Concrete Relief in Oakland, TN”

If you have any questions, feel free to call Chris Mirabal, our tech specialist at 1-800-884-2114 x106, or email him at chris@engraveacrete.com. You’re welcome to ask questions in the comment area below or on our Facebook page.

When Blastin’ Betty is done prepping the floors, she can work magic with a template to create a beautiful design on that same floor.

 

 

Getting a Little Help from a Friend | A Persona for Decorative Concrete

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Persona for Decorative Concrete

Marketing your Decorative Concrete Engraving as a business means you will be contacting potential customers in various venues.

  • Community networks such as the Chamber of Commerce in the area where you want to offer engraving services
  • Internet marketing using email, social media and a website
  • Trade or Home shows in the region where you want to work
  • Print ads in local publications
  • Printed brochures

Having a character as a ‘friend’ to speak for your business and stand between you and the public can work both for you and your market.  

Some personas (or “personae” to be grammatically correct) are fictitious people or caricatures.  Sometimes they are caricature creatures such as the ones in the picture.

Your persona or character representing your decorative concrete business can be whatever you choose.  Engrave-A-Crete has Chip Cheagle as a ‘spokesman’, while Artistic Impressions Concrete Staining has a snappy little red Gecko as part of their logo.  I expect an easy persona transition for Big Dog Decorative Concrete with their beautiful Big Dog.

You may find it easier to talk or write using your persona.  They don’t seem to suffer from writer’s block or freeze-up in timidity.   Having your business persona as editor for your blog and speaker for your Facebook page or Twitter lets you take advantage of the character’s easy ways.

Choosing a character persona to represent your business will help your contacts relate to you and remember you. You become unique and stand out over the competition.

Do you already have a persona character to act as a ‘mouth piece’ for your business?  Let us know about your character in place now or the character that you develop to be your persona. You can tell us in the comments section below or add your story at our Facebook page, Engrave-A-Crete Decorative Concrete Engraving Tools and Supplies

Facebook Profiles and Pages | Do I Need Friends or Fans?

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Do I have to become a Facebook friend to get your business information? Until Facebook rolled out the business pages (sometimes called Fanpages,) the personal profile page was the only way to promote a business.

When businesses began to get the picture of how Facebook could work for them, they had no other choice than to use a personal-type account. New updates were VERY weighted toward their business. Forced to become a friend with old classmates, customers had a difficult time learning about the business through Facebook. When they did make the Friend connection, they had to wade through reports about the dog ‘doing his business’ to get to the serious business information.

Setting up a Facebook page for a business is a violation of Facebook Rules. Read more about the rules. Facebook has been ‘soft’ on enforcement of that, but does, on occasion, close an account. Facebook has a work-around for a personal profile page that wants to go to work as a fan/business page. Friends become fans. Photos are transferred in the change, but updates are not. The change is nearly impossible to reverse, so a person would want to be certain before making the decision.  Learn more about these changes.

It does appear that the new Cover Image option for a personal page can be something that quietly and consistently promotes your business which is also your ‘passion.’

The same words “profile” and “page”, are used over and over in the Facebook and Internet culture, contributing to confusion. If you have questions about seeking ‘friends’ or ‘fans’ while setting up your Facebook pages, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or ask us on the Engrave-A-Crete page. We’d really like you to share your Facebook tips and experience with us and other readers.