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If you take a look at a dozen business cards, you will see some common elements as well as a wide range of differing designs. The ones that grab your attention are the full color images and streamlined designs. Even a plain black on white can be eye-catching if the white space is used well and the fonts are well-chosen. The point is that extra care should be taken to make a great business card printing piece that represent your business well. Continue reading »

Catalogs come in a variety of sizes and styles. The choice is yours. You may make this decision based on creative ideas, or you may consider the cost effectiveness of each choice. Here are a few tips on catalog printing and mailing to help make your choice easier as well as to make the process go a bit smoother. Continue reading »

The rhythm of trends can catch anyone off guard. It seems that there is never just one trend-setter. It would appear the design community holds a collective train of thought that shifts together to create new and better design. When you find a new trend in design, you are likely to see it elsewhere at the same time.
 
In the blog Web Design Trends for 2010 there are examples of new trends being set by several designers. These certainly are not the only ones of their kind. Study these and then take a look around to find others like them. Below are some of the trends discussed in the blog, but with my own thoughts on how they affect print media as well. Continue reading »

Catalog printing is a costly process, so catalogs need to be as effective as possible. In general, your catalog needs to work like a good sales person: it should describe product benefits, talk about quality, assure customers they are making a good choice, and make it easy to purchase products. Here are some ways to improve your catalogs so they will generate more sales. Continue reading »

Once you find what works, it’s easy to keep using the same marketing ideas over and over again. The only problem is that your marketing can become stale and boring to customers and prospects alike. This is why it is so important to constantly be rethinking and improving your marketing plan. If you are having a hard time coming up with new tactics for marketing your business, here are some creative ideas to get you started.

Partner with Other Companies
Partnering with another firm can double your audience while cutting costs. Think about other businesses that could naturally partner with yours. For instance, a pizza parlor and a video rental go well together; another logical pairing would be a florist and a wedding planner; another combo might be a real estate agent and a small loan company. 

Join forces and share your advertising costs. You can put both businesses on everything from radio commercials to posters. You could also give each other coupons to pass out to customers, and offer packages combining your goods or services. This can cut costs on promotional gifts as well; for instance, both include coupons and your logos when brochure printing.

Give Out Calendars
Give out thank you gifts to your customers and put your logo and contact information on them. You could also do a calendar printing and send them out at the end of the year. Use the calendar to make a personal connection between your customers and your business by featuring an employee on each page; tell a short story about that employee and get creative with the photograph. 

Submit Articles to the Local Paper
Raise the stature of your business by writing articles related to your industry and submitting them to the local paper or to professional organizations. You are an expert in your field, so make sure others know about it.

Use Promotional Items at Events
Have lots of promotional items made to give out at trade shows, community events, fairs, and meetings. You can have mugs, erasers, key chains, and drink cozies made for little money. You could also do a calendar printing or create promotional stickers. Be sure your items are attractive and have your logo and web address on them.

Offer Free Classes on Your Area of Expertise
Host seminars at your location on subjects related to your industry. This will help people to view you as an expert. It will also give you a chance to announce the event in your local paper and give you a reason to send out direct mail inviting people to the classes.

The most important thing to remember about marketing is always be advertising your company. The best way to make your business popular and known is through consistent marketing. Just don’t get stuck in a rut with your advertisements so that customers remain excited about hearing of your new offers and promotions.

Does your company need to give promotional gifts? If you have not already asked yourself this question, then it’s time that you do. Does your promotional t-shirt, cap, pen, mouse pad, or print calendar really have an effect on potential clients? If the answer is yes, then you should start passing them out now! Here are some reasons why I - and most companies - find that the answer is yes. Continue reading »

Commercials for the Super Bowl LXIV have reached new levels of stupidity, controversy, and hilarity this year. Many of the ads poked fun at topics under serious debate on news channels, and many featured celebrities such as Betty White, Oprah, Jay Leno, Brett Favre, Danica Patrick, Tim Tebow, and more. And then some ads made you wonder why a company would place it in a million-dollar commercial slot. Here are some of the best (and not so best) ads from the 2010 Super Bowl.

Downright Hilarious

Betty White’s snicker ad was voted by most viewers online as one of the funniest super bowl commercials this year. And the “Don’t touch my Mom” Doritos ad was close. Of course, Simpson’s Super Bowl Coke Ad was a brilliant take on the over-the-top “life is better with a coke” theme. Bud Light aired quite a few commercials with some of the more laughable, maybe even slightly on the stupidity side, being the Bud Light Human Bridge and Bud Light Party ads. Loved the Coke commercial though.

Slightly Shocking

The “I Wear No Pants” Dockers Ad although very funny could be seen as somewhat shocking with men in underwear parading around a field. But the Career Builder Ad with an employee passing gas on a co-worker was so, um, childish? that it topped the Dockers Ad. Most everyone would probably agree, though, that the Sexy Danica Patrick Go Daddy “Spa” Commercial passes the “slightly shocking” label and even soars into the censured status.

Making a Statement

Several commercials this year seemed to be either trying to laugh off issues from this past year or promoting a cause. The Audi 2010 Green Car ad was a hilarious ad that poked fun at censoring not-so-green living. The Ed Begley Jr US Census Ad seemed to be trying to make citizens aware of the upcoming census or poking fun at themselves — it was hard to tell which. Tim Tebow and his mom starred in a Focus on the Family Ad that encouraged viewers to visit the site for more information on pro-life.

More Celebrities

Some of the ads were simply memorable because of the celebrities involved, but not all of them necessarily made sense. For instance, the David Letterman Show ad included Oprah, Jay Leno, and David sitting on a couch watching the super bowl together, and not much was said. And was Hyundai comparing itself to Brett Favre in its Brett Favre Hyundai ad? Kia Sorento’s Toy Joy Ride featured famous figures from children’s programs, such as Yo Gabba Gabba, having a night on the town, which was slightly disturbing at the least. The truTV ad showed Troy Polamalu being pulled out of a hole to see his shadow and predict more football.

Waste of Money or Just Plain Stupid?

Some commercials wavered between being a complete waste of money and so stupid that it risked annoying viewers. Denny’s Screaming Chicken may have been one of the more annoying commercials with a bunch of chickens screaming at each other. The Monster Jobs ad showed a beaver searching for violin jobs and eventually rising to fame and fortune — why a beaver? And what was up with the Kool & the Gang’s Honda Commercial? Nice choice of music but why the animated animal?Volkswagen Ad in that they were like any normal prime time TV commercial. If it wasn’t for the reliable ones such as Budweiser, those of us who watch the game for the commercials may have taken a vow to never watch another super bowl again. Here’s hoping that next year, advertisers will step it up to the level of ingenuity expected for million dollar TV commercials.

Honestly, the between-game entertainment was somewhat disappointing this year. Most of the ads seemed to be like the Volkswagen Ad in that they were like any normal prime time TV commercial. If it wasn’t for the reliable ones such as Budweiser, those of us who watch the game for the commercials may have taken a vow to never watch another super bowl again. Here’s hoping that next year, advertisers will step it up to the level of ingenuity expected for million dollar TV commercials.

When you are doing a calendar printing, there are some tricks you need to know to prepare your photographs for the printer. Great looking photos are the most important part of wall calendars, so here are some tips for getting clear, sharp images that have the colors you intended. Continue reading »

One of the more fantastic print advertising tools that marketers have at their disposal is booklet printing.  Good reasons abound for booklet printing, but one of the most important opportunities you have is to create a reference tool for your customer.  Traditionally, booklets are not as lengthy as catalogs, so you cannot be quite as thorough.  Still, a well crafted booklet can create an important reference tool for your customers. Continue reading »

The big temptation is to send your marketing message to everyone. The more people who hear about you, the more clients you will get, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. The most effective way to market your company is to direct your approach to a specific smaller group. Once you have found your niche in marketing, you find that your client lists will grow far faster then if you send a general message to everyone. Here is how to make that happen. Continue reading »