Posted by Chris Higgins on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 @ 08:19 AM
Sunday morning; things are quiet, people are moving slowly, sleeping in, taking a break from the just finished week of work while gearing up for the next. Many businesses are closed and almost every marketing department is off for the day, but printing continues to work 24/7 promoting your brand and embedding it into the sub conscience of consumers and buyers everywhere.
Recently I came across a unique and novel way to win the race for eyeballs on Sunday morning; package the Sunday paper in a full color custom printed package that promotes your brand and products. These days with the race for eyeballs raging everyday, getting there first is almost as important as getting there at all. When the first thing someone sees on Sunday morning is your logo and your brand you've won.
Not only do you win the race but like other forms of promotional merchandise or promotional advertising you control the audience and you can even measure the results. Like a desk pad calendar or a personalized USB you decide who receives your promotional message and you can include a direct response mechanism to measure your results.
The printed package that landed on my doorstep was a full color advertisement for mayonnaise of all things. The bag holding the paper was a full color advertisement and it included two extra compartments one for an actual product sample and the other for a bar coded discount coupon that you can bet can measure the effectiveness of the promotion down to the zip code if not the actual address.
Printing is everywhere, it can be loud and bold, or soft and discreet, but most of all it provides a way to completely control your advertising and brand promotion. Unlike TV and Radio with printing you control the audience, you decide who receives your promotion and with printing theres no limit to the way you deliver the message.
Printing is everywhere, it's one of the most versatile ways to promote your brand. Have you seen any unique and unexpected ways printing is used to grab your attention and convey a message, if so let us know we want to check it out and let everyone else know.
Posted by Jack Valentine on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 @ 08:59 PM
The printing revolution went edible years ago; We're all familiar with how our local supermarket bakeries can reproduce photographs on thin layers of sugar paper for cake decoration. But printing on pizza is a brand new phenomenon.
Who'd want a company logo slapped in the epicenter of their large extra-cheese, basil, tomato and garlic pie? Well, the NBA is betting that team-branded pizzas will be in huge demand at their concession stands, with fans eagerly coughing up an extra five bucks for a souvenir that will be inside their small instestines within minutes.
You know what advertising medium works far better than gimmicky pizza branding -- and also lasts a lot longer?
Customized desk pad calendars -- especially when they are tailored to your customers' specific industry and contain relevant job-related dates they won't want to forget.
Desk pad calendars, given away free to your most valuable clients, never get outdated. Well, they naturally do, at the end of the year (or 15 months, depending on what you choose). But when that last month is about to torn off, your customers hopefully will be expecting a replacement from you.
Featuring your logo and contact information, desk pad calendars allow you to be part of your next repeat customer's work environment 24/7. It's not annoying and aggressive advertising, like telemarketing. Desk pad calendars are patient: they say "Hey, I'm here whenever you need me."
Personally, I love to use a desk pad calendar. I'm a doodler and a scribbler and am always frantically searching for scrap paper to jot down a phone number. And at the end of the month -- WALLA! -- clean slate.
Check out some of these desk pad calendar designs for ideas on how to silently put them to work for you. There's no pressure to be sexy (these calendars by another printer are really over the top). You just need to come across as helpful.
And the best thing about desk pad calendars? Unlike printed pizza, these calendars won't burn the roof of your mouth! No calories, either.
Posted by Robert Higgins on Sat, May 29, 2010 @ 10:51 AM
Among the simplest, lowest cost,and most powerful brand promotion tools available is right in your hand: your business card. Simple, inexpensive, easy to carry, and expected in any encounter, the ubiquitous business card is your brand image in your pocket. It's probably the most common form of brand advertising, and your most common marketing opportunity. It's the staple in the stable of your business printing.
Business cards open doors. They serve as tangible reminders of those you've met, and they generate future business. Adding photos of your people to your company's business cards reinforces and cobrand your company's face with the human faces of your sales reps. Photos transform business cards from flat, two dimensional images into dynamic multimedia tools by tapping into the associated memories of your encounters with that person. They reinforce your pride in your people, and show your people's passion, and how your people love their work.
Print on demand has made full color business cards downright cheap. They're so simple to order now too. Companies can set up online business card programs where the cards can be ordered and proofed online in just a minute or two. Once ordered, the cards are delivered in just a few days.
Business cards must be at the heart of your marketing campaign and brand building. There's no better tool to get your marketing moneys worth.
Business cards are the face of your business, why not make it a human face by adding photos of your people on this powerful branding tool.
Posted by Chris Higgins on Mon, May 24, 2010 @ 08:12 AM
In keeping with the theme of putting your brand in front of as many people as possible and keeping it there as long as possible the functional, attractive desk pad calendar is one of the best values around. How else can you keep your brand and contact information in front of your target audience 365 days a year?
Any desk pad calendar is useful but to be truly effective it should also be attractive and eye catching. Give them something nice to look at and they'll look at it over and over again, cementing your brand into their subconscious. Color and photographs are a great way to make your desk pad calendar stand out and earn a key spot front and center on your target audience's desk.
The example below shows the concept perfectly. This title company in Southern California gets a lot of referrals from real estate agents in their market area. They wanted to create a product to constantly remind those agents of their brand, in order to increase the flow of traffic to their offices. They recognized that a promotional desk pad calendar would provide the most long term exposure because people use calendars every day of the year, but they also wanted to make sure it was appealing to look at and more attractive than other alternatives.
People sitting at a desk often day dream about being somewhere else with a better view. Including photos of beautiful places won't take them there, but it's the next best thing. By incorporating their logo and brand information side by side with cool photos of their local environment they created a desk pad calendar that their target audience wants to look at and the more they look at it the more they remember the brand, that's exactly the point isn't it.
Posted by Jack Valentine on Mon, May 10, 2010 @ 09:59 PM
When you've been in the promotional printing business, you think you've seen it all.
Apparently, we haven't.
At first glance, using fashion models in leather dresses and catsuits to sell one of life's most unglamorous products -- the coffin -- seems like an odd marketing approach. But the Italian premium casket manufacturer, Cofani Funebri, has been promoting its product line with eye catching calendars since 2003.
Their slogan: "Death has never been so sexy."
These unusual fashion calendars are obviously meant for decorative purposes more than business planning. But the world of novelty wall calendars is filled with marketing lessons for any industry.
The goal of any promotional calendar is to put your brand in front of your clients' eyeballs and keep it there ALL the time. You want your brand to seamlessly become part of their office, a subconscious reminder of who to call when they need your product or service.
In order to do that, you obviously can't force product placement upon your customers! They have to WANT to keep your calendar around. The good news is that this does not require you to hire any scantily clad models or ask your employees to squeeze into costumes they may feel uncomfortable with. In all likelihood, you may not want to project that kind of image anyhow.
So, how do you make a promotional desk pad calendar as desirable as possible?
Take a look at a few examples of how various title insurance and real estate companies distribute engaging free desk pad calendars to their loyal customers and prospects. Whether it be the dates for courtroom filing deadlines, closing cost rates or important phone numbers, these calendars provide one-stop shopping for the target audience's informational needs.
A great desk pad calendaris inviting and roomy, with plenty of space for scrawling down appointments, phone numbers and even doodles. For all the BlackBerries, iPads and PDAs out there, many people still prefer to have their "To Do" list spread out in front of them all the time. No battery issues. And if you drop the calendar, it still works!
Right now is the ideal time to order customized desk pad calendars for the fall. Early order discounts are often available and the sooner you have the calendars in hand the sooner they can start promoting your brand .
Drop us a line to brainstorm how you can take full advantage of being in your client's workspace without being the least bit intrusive. Of course, there's not room on most desks for two huge desk pad calendars, so make sure you're there first.
Posted by Chris Higgins on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 @ 09:53 AM
My son is twelve years old, we recently went on a sailing vacation, on the second day he asked "hey dad what's Lewmar, are they a company that makes a bunch of stuff for boats?" He'd never heard of Lewmar and unless you spend a lot of time around boats chances are you haven't either, now he knows the company and what they do because they engrave their name on all their products. this is one of the keys to creating a brand put your name where people will see it and remember it.
Presentation folders are an inexpensive and effective way to put your name where people will see it. These days every transaction includes lot's of documents, from instruction manuals, to spec sheets, contracts to legal documents, sales sheets to quotes and FAQ sheets, almost any kind of document you can think of. Use a presentation folder or document folder to package these documents, give them to customers and your brand continues to grow.
Retailers use this strategy all the time walk into any mall and look at the bags people are carrying around. Everyone of them is emblazoned with a retailers name and logo, ultimately the bag will end up in the trash at someone's home, but until it gets to it's final resting place it does the job of promoting the brand by keeping the name where people will see it.
It's simple really keep your name, logo, brand in front of as many people as possible and keep it there as long as possible; it will be remembered and your name recognition and brand will grow. Whether it's a presentation folder, a document holder, a desk pad calendar, or a personalized usb drive, each time you put the brand where people will see it, the brand continues to grow. If you question whether this strategy works walk into a Starbucks and ask yourself why they bother to imprint their color logo on every napkin in the store.
Posted by Jack Valentine on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 @ 05:27 AM
Imagine that your favorite clients, the ones who keep giving you repeat business, gave you permission to put a giant promotional billboard in their offices -- reminding them to call you.
Well, in many cases, you not only have permission, but your advertising will be wholeheartedly welcomed. Amazingly, you only have to pay for the billboard and not the advertising space itself!
Despite the popularity of BlackBerries and computer calendar programs, nothing keeps employees more focused than a desk pad calendar. It's more personal than a computer screen, won't crash if the power or Internet goes down, and gives you a quick visual overview of everything on your plate.
Plus, it's a giant doodle pad, giving employees a place to jot down phone numbers and password reminders (encrypted, of course) they always want to be in front of them.
This Oregon title company went one step further and gave its real estate clients a handy directory of municipal phone numbers and zip codes that are used every day. Give away a useful promotional item to your clients and they honestly won't even see it as intrusive advertising.
Handsome desk pad calendars are mounted on thick, heavy cardboard and reinforced with durable plastic corners to keep everything neat and tidy. You can customize them with 4 color printing for much less than you might think, photographs and vibrant colors will really make your desk pad calendar stand out.
So what do you want your theme to be? This same title company's California office opted to combine American patriotism with a handy chart of their rates. First American's bald eagle logo seems to be a logical fit with the Stars & Stripes.
Customizing your promotional calendar offers a wide range of creative opportunities for layout. Check out how this title company utilized the empty calendar boxes to showcase vibrant photographs.
If you are a real estate agent who specializes in luxury homes, why not fill these boxes with some of the properties you have sold over the past year? If you sell life insurance policies, these spots are perfect for family photos of grandparents and grandchildren, weddings, birthday parties and life cycle events.
Savvy marketers seize every opportunity to put their brand in front of their customers. In addition to reminding clients who their service rep is, Stewart Title also gives them a solid reason to want to keep this calendar on the desk over any other. It has convenient reminders for when the courthouses are closed and monthly deadlines for refinancing.
Customers appreciate when you cater to their specific needs and don't treat them as a generic revenue source. Customizing desk pad calendars by industry makes a lot of marketing sense.
Embracing its Florida location, this agency chose to embrace a cheery disposition. But it also good-naturedly acknowledges the disadvantages of living in the Sunshine State -- especially from an insurance perspective.
The rainy months of April, May and June include reminders to check up on flood insurance coverage and tips on preparing for Hurricane Season!
Right now is actually Calendar Buying Season as many sales staffs like to hand out brand new desk pad calendars in the fall. Often you can find early order discounts for promotional calendars, which offer a phenomenal return on investment considering they provide nonstop -- but subtle and unobtrusive -- advertising for your business.
Put desk pad calendars on customers and clients desk's today and generate business and inquiries all year long.
Posted by Chris Higgins on Tue, Mar 30, 2010 @ 12:24 PM
A customer recently decided to utilize our Web To Print solution for their business cards. The original goal was to reduce the cost of the cards. they quickly realized a Web To Print solution could provide even more valuable savings by revolutionizing their entire ordering process.
Before Web To Print they had to create group orders of cards to get the lowest price, look at the steps they went through just to order business cards.
Manager sends an email to all employees asking who needs business cards.
Manager follows up to make sure everyone responds.
Manager gathers all the responses and contacts the printer with a list of employees that need cards.
The printer spends the next week creating proofs of each card and sends the proofs back to the manager.
Manager emails the proofs to each employee asking them to approve the proof or make changes.
Manager follows up on all the proofs because many employees don't respond.
Manager collects changes on all cards that are not correct, sends the changes to the printer and the entire process is repeated.
Ordering business cards took 3-4 weeks and created irate employees. The process was not only inefficient, it drove the manager and the employees crazy.
The Web To Print solution changed the process to one that is complete in minutes.
Look at the process using Web To Print.
Employee logs in and either views their existing card or creates a new one. They make any needed changes and view an electronic proof within seconds, they submit the order and they're done.
Manager receives an email that an order is waiting for approval, the manager logs in, approves, changes, or deletes the order, once approved it goes right to production.
What used to take far too much time and too many resources is complete in minutes with Web To Print.
The customer saved close to 40% on the cost of the business cards, which for a company of 500 employees is significant, but the real value is the amount of time they saved, and the increased productivity they gained by changing the ordering process. In fact they are so happy with what Web To Print did for their business cards they are exploring ways to implement Web To Print for their document holders, presentation folders, overnight packages and envelopes. If they can get the same efficiencies as they did with their business cards, its like money in the bank.
Posted by Jack Valentine on Fri, Mar 26, 2010 @ 05:09 PM
We freely admit we are biased.
If we were the judges in an Advertising Genre Beauty Pageant, it is safe to say we would vote for the print medium as the most beautiful form year after year.
To our knowledge, there is no such thing as an Advertising Genre Beauty Pageant. But ironically, we happened to recently stumble across all 53 Miss America contestants during a promotional fashion show a week before they competed for the crown.
The contestants were all seated for a traditional "meet-and-greet" with shoppers at a Las Vegas mall. All of them had gorgeous promotional postcards to autograph. But not all of their cards were designed to fully maximize the power of branding and to increase the chances of the beauty queens getting hired for future paid appearances.
Some of the postcards were simply one-sided photos with the contestant's name and home state. Others, such as the Miss Missouri souvenir above, used the back of the card to trumpet the Miss Missouri scholarship organization, the printing sponsors, Tara Osseck's personal charity and phone number contacts for hiring her.
There is no greater way for Miss Missouri to promote her career and the national pageant than with a smile and bat of the eyelashes in person. However, her photo postcard -- this one printed on a thick quality collectible stock -- extends the value of her promotional appearance for weeks, perhaps even months.
A postcard like this one likely winds up on the kitchen refrigerator, greeting everyone that comes into the house. It continually reminds people about visiting her Website or how to contact Miss Missouri to appear at a promotional event.
In short, give people a reason to want to keep your postcard or color brochure (coupons do wonders when you don't have a celebrity autograph to create value) and they will. And you will be on the short-list of phone calls when they need your goods or services.
A fabulous way to beautify your real estate documents or legal paperwork is to dress them up in a snazzy, fashionable presentation folder or accordion folder. Instead of reaching for a drabby manila envelope, your clients will appreciate how neat and organized you've made a potential paperwork mess.
Our document folders might not be as sexy as the swimsuit or evening gown competition, but there is nothing more beautiful than someone staring at your company logo and later calling you or dropping you an email.
And just like the fashion show, our presentation folders come in a variety of dazzling styles and colors!
Posted by Jack Valentine on Wed, Mar 17, 2010 @ 04:57 PM
The Boston Globe just documented why the Boston Red Sox are not only talented on the field, but happen to be some of the savviest marketers in the sports and entertainment business.
If you happen to live in New England, you know that Red Sox tickets are nearly impossible to buy at face value. Unless you get lucky with occasional Website lotteries, you absolutely have to know somebody or know somebody who knows somebody to even have the opportunity to purchase overpriced box seats.
So if Fenway Park sells out every night, why are the Red Sox bothering to advertise at all -- let alone turn a mundane moving van into a marketing/branding billboard on wheels?
The reason is that you can't rest on your laurels. Every opportunity needs to be maximized as a marketing opportunity. The Red Sox, with scouts in Korea, Japan and throughout the Carribbean, are a global brand with a global fan base. Every motorist who lays eyes on that truck -- from Boston to Florida -- ia a potential customer of Sox hats, jerseys, sweatpants, etc.
The Red Sox, heavily pushing a sponsorship deal with Jet Blue, also went crazy with promotional giveaway items such as these foam sports fan #1 fingers:
If you want to give away a fun souvenir at your marketing event, context is everything. At a sports event, foam fingers make all the sense in the world. People will naturally be drawn to them and won't need any prodding to use them and get your branding message out there.
On the beach, opt for printing your logo and slogan on a personalized umbrella and watch the mobs scramble for shade under your marketing pitch. At a computer or biotech trade show, potential clients will gobble up promotional USB flash drives.
At a seminar where participants are being bombarded with documents and paperwork, perhaps a branded presentation folder or accordion folder will make you somewhat of an organizational hero.
Remember to brand yourself the Red Sox way. Even the most mundane events, such as a truck moving equipment from point A to point B, can present itself as a tremendous marketing opportunity!
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Photo credits: The Boston Globe's "Red Sox Truck Day" Slideshow