Insights and inputs from our team and around the web.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
BMW did a direct mail campaign a few years ago that took direct mail for a spin... literally. They wanted to 'show, not tell' the capabilities of the BMW M6 Coupe going 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. So they turned their luxury M6 Coupe into a printing press (check out the video!) Here's how they did it.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Relationships require time and care. Everyone needs a little TLC. But.. customer relationships don't really follow normal relationship rules. Sometimes it may be difficult to know how to "maintain" or "mend" a relationship that's undefined or unclear. Without effort, relationships dissolve. Without addressing and solving issues, they tend to come to an end. Don't let that happen with your customers!
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
On one hand, using multiple fonts in a print layout can open you to a world of creativity. On the other hand, if you use too many fonts (or if the fonts you choose don’t work well together), you don’t end up with creativity; you end up with a mess.
Type often obeys the engineering law “form follows function”. That is, a typeface should be appropriate to what the typesetter designed it to do. At the same time, that form needs to be aesthetically pleasing. The basis of good typographic design is balancing the two.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Color is critical in marketing. It’s not just about making your products look great; color helps to tell your story, too. It stirs your customers’ emotions. It reflects your brand.
Just like fashion, however, trends in color change, and staying current is imperative. To stay on top of what’s happening, here are five color “hot spots” to watch:
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Want to keep your customers loyal and continuing to shop with you?
Ask their opinion... then act on what you learn.
One of the most important ways you can value someone is to ask their opinion. When you ask what they think, it makes them feel important.
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- Written by: Brianna Long
Originally posted on Small Business Bonfire.
Visual merchandising — and the eye-catching graphics and imagery that go along with it — is one of the most crucial ways to engage customers as they are shopping. Although the retail landscape is ever-evolving, tried-and-true techniques assure that Point of Purchase (POP) programs remain an essential element in reinforcing brand awareness at the store level.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Some events require lots of coordinating.
Weddings, for example, are notoriously known for just how much of a headache they can be.
You've got to call and schedule the venue, someone for the flowers, a photographer, figure out something with food/catering, go to a print shop for the invites, etc. It's a big hassle to try and call and coordinate 20 different vendors all for the same day. That's why many people hire a wedding coordinator, haha!
Well, what about opening up a new store? Besides figuring out where you'll be located, who is going to work there, there's many visual components that work into it. What's going to be on the walls, floors, and windows? How do we want to design the store?
Will the colors match? Are there signs to guide the customer to the section they'd look for? Are there signs that hang up outside of the store? What are the safety codes that be have to abide by, and what do we need to do for those?
How will we get the word out about our new store? What do our employees wear, just name tags or uniforms? Will we have any do-dads to give out with our name on it? Or letterhead when we print out things?
Do we need brochures to help present our information and have something that customers could take home and look into more? Do we need work book manuals for new hires?
And many of these questions carry over into maintaining a business!
Whatever the occasion may be, don't let your business give you unnecessary headaches. Simplify your life and bring all your printing needs to a one stop printer.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
The other day Frank Sinatra’s LOVE song came on and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here’s your cheesy love inspired blog.
Whether you want to wow or woo your clients this Valentine’s season.. here are four things to keep in mind as you are creating and planning out the content and design of marketing collateral to ensure you get the bang for your buck.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
The small details speak volumes. Of course, as with every business, the big things like product, price, marketing, location, etc. are determinants of what type of customer you attract. The small details like brand consistency, customer service, personalized emails or appreciation, are what keep them coming back.
Business stationery can be an easily overlooked detail; it’s just notepads, binders and pens, after all. Who even notices, anyway?
This is one of those small details that speaks volumes about your brand.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Does print buying stress you out? There are so many details that can make or break a print job. Then you have finishing, mailing lists, dealing with the USPS... and oh, yes, schedules. Print buying can be a daunting task. Try these 4 common sense strategies to make your experience more predictable and (hopefully) stress-free.
1. Get into the printer's ears — early!
By involving your printer early in your project, you will get a high quality result while saving time and money. Tell us your concept, then we will suggest colors, papers, layouts, and finishes that can minimize production time at the best cost.
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- Written by: Heidi Walker
Think print is starting to “lose its cool” in the age of digital marketing? Actually, the opposite is true. With the growth of digital, print has solidified its place as a channel that marketers cannot ignore. Here are five print marketing statistics that every marketer should know.
1. Some customers can only be reached by print.
Even in today's digital age, there are still large groups of consumers who cannot be reached through digital channels. According to the Pew Research Center, 11% of Americans have no Internet access at all, and among certain populations, such as older Americans, rural Americans, and those without high school diplomas, this number is significantly higher. (Source: Pew Research Center, 2018)
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Are you currently building? Or in the process of starting to build? We know there’s lots on your mind with permits and making sure that building codes are followed, hiring both for the construction job and who will now fill the new building. It’s very possible you haven’t even had time to think about how to optimize your construction process as marketing candy. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.
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- Written by: Karen McCleve
Millions of business cards are printed daily; they’re an essential marketing tool for any business, big or small. Here are a few short tips to remember when designing and using business cards!
Select Sturdy Paper
First impressions are crucial. A common correlation among research shows that first impressions are made within the first 7 seconds, however, recent studies by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov show it might only be a tenth of a second! a tenth of a second! This little piece of paper is what a future client or customer is left with, how do you want your company portrayed? Selecting the right kind of paper can be as important as what is on the business card. Search for a deal that’s economical, but don’t be afraid to spend the couple extra cents for good material.
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
For nonprofits, every dollar they spend on overhead, administration, and marketing is a dollar not spent on their mission. Not surprisingly, there is an intense focus on which marketing channels are most effective. So which channel works best for nonprofits? A study by YouGov provides the answer: direct mail. In a survey of more than 1,150 U.S adults, YouGov found the following:
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
Recently, a question was posed to a group of printing and marketing professionals: “Why do you love print?” It is an intriguing question. What draws people to the world of paper and ink? What makes them fall in love with this medium when there are so many others available?
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
What happens when you optimize and test your print and mail marketing? You watch your results soar. A nonprofit organization that went from a 68% drop in year-over-year registrations for its annual conference to a 933% increase in registrations.
How did they do it? Let’s look at the step-by-step process used and that you can apply to your marketing, too.
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
At first, you might see labels as a simple product. They need to stick to your envelopes and mailing boxes, your bottled products, or your folding carton packaging. They need to look nice, give the buyer information, and reflect your brand. But if you think this is all there is to it, think again.
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
Far from being an outdated method of advertising, print continues to push the envelope and offer new and cutting-edge opportunities for marketing. Want proof? Just look at a recent advertisement from Toyota.
The ad was designed by Saatchi & Saatchi for the 2018 Toyota Camry. By tapping into the unique capabilities of print, the ad did something that digital advertising cannot do—it teased all of the reader’s senses.
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
Marketers should be paying attention to today’s trends in education. The same tools that help young readers learn and absorb information help the target audiences for your marketing campaigns learn and retain marketing information, too. One of these tools is paper. In a new report, “Third Annual Back to School Annual Report,” the Paper and Packaging Board has gathered a vast number of statistics that show just how vital print remains to learning.
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- Written by: Ivania Garcia
What is the most important real estate on your mailing envelope? It is the upper left-hand corner, the location of the return address. It is here that your prospect will often decide to open your envelope... or not.
Here are three reasons this space helps recipients decide to open your envelope:
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