Advertising a fundraiser is a large task, but it can be accomplished successfully if you are deliberate. Since there are many avenues to take when advertising, it can be difficult to know which ones are right for your event: flyers and posters make great advertisements, but mailers and phone calls are also effective. Here are some great tips for advertising your fund raiser that will help you to know what methods of advertising are right for you. Continue reading »
Tips for Advertising a Fund Raiser Event
Absolutely (and not so absolutely) Free Stock Photos for Commercial Use
As a small business owner, you may find yourself at a loss when needing photos for brochure or poster printing. You can do a search online for free stock photos, but the only problem is that many of the sites that come up in such a search do not really offer their photos for free if used for corporate or commercial materials. Below are a few of the best sites for free stock photos, along with a brief explanation of the terms of use each site puts forth. Continue reading »
How to Design a Poster that Shines
Creating designs that help a poster to really shine is all about the graphics, but a great image is only the start of a great print poster. So, then what’s next? First select a graphic that gets the attention of the viewer. Then state your message and just tweak it all from there.
Get the Viewer’s Attention
There are several ways to get attention on print posters. Big and bold, or a little bit of shock and mystery work well to get attention. Going big and bold isn’t just using a larger poster, but also placing a bold image on a poster that cannot be ignored. Shock and mystery will create a desire to figure out what is being advertised.
Say What You Mean
Lead the viewer to successfully understand your message by stating the obvious. The “keep it simple stupid” or KISS method applies here. If you want to convey the convenience of your product, show the convenience in the image and use a statement such as, “Wouldn’t you like this to be just as easy for you?”
Choose Your Text Carefully
The amount of copy included on the print poster should be minimal, but that’s not to say that you shouldn’t pay special attention to the selection of your fonts. The font color does not have to be casual. When matched to the theme, the use of exotic fonts will add to the overall design of the poster.
Balance It All Out
After placing images, check to see if your print poster is balanced. View the right side versus left and top versus bottom. If one portion is visually “light” on content, this is usually the best place to add your text. If the text is already placed or does not fit, add other elements or adjust the placement of the images.
Lead the Viewer to the Message
Often, the message is placed at the bottom of the poster, especially when the image does not automatically lead the viewer to it. If the images chosen allow it, connect the image to your message. Shapes and lines, a straight highway or road, or even tree roots or waterfalls are all parts of images than can draw the viewer along. Color can also be used to point to the message of the print poster. You can use a bold color to stand out or a change in hues to lead more subtly.
Persuasive Marketing Techniques
Effective marketing with print posters does not have to cost a fortune; it just needs to have the right persuasive techniques employed. By using these persuasive marketing techniques, you will create advertising that will increase your brand recognition and increase your revenue. The principles just ahead of you will show you the persuasive marketing techniques with which any business can advertise through print posters and see growth.
Be Frequent and Consistent
Many small businesses become discouraged when their poster printing and advertising efforts do not bring about the desired results. There are no marketing techniques for “instant” results, but with regular use on a frequent schedule over a continuous period of time, these techniques will pay off. Effective advertising requires getting your persuasive message in front of your market as often and consistently as your budget allows.
Create Comprehension
The first principle in creating a persuasive print poster is comprehension. Readers should be able to instantly understand the message of your print poster. To create instant comprehension:
- Make sure your message is clearly stated with text and illustrated in the graphics.
- Use the principle of repetition to emphasize your message.
- Keep the message simple.
Continue reading »
Reasons Why Your Brand Just Doesn’t Stick
Whether you are a new company looking for ways to make sure your brand is successful or a company that has tried and tried again but just can’t seem to get your brand to stick, there is a solution. When a brand flops, it is usually due to the same few mistakes. Your business can create a successful brand simply by knowing the most common reasons for branding failure and know how to correct them.
No Memorable Image - Some companies make the mistake of creating a logo without a memorable image. Make sure that the image in your logo is something that is uniquely yours and is appropriate for your company. The Nike swoosh image not only is one-of-a-kind but also appealing to their target audience - the swoosh looks athletic.
Inconsistency - In every single item that is associated with your company, whether color posters or packaging materials, consistently use the same core branding aspects. The same logo, company name, tagline will reinforce your brand over and over to the public. For the same reason, you will need to give employees the same business card design for further branding consistency.
Advertise Successfully with Posters
Advertising is a sound investment for any business, but these days everyone is evaluating the bottom line. Poster printing is a great way to advertise effectively on a budget without giving the appearance that you are on a budget. Here are some tips for advertising successfully with poster printing.
Use a variety of sizes
One way to get your posters noticed is to have them printed in a variety of sizes. This allows flexibility to advertise in small or large spaces when placing your posters. The difference in size also breaks up the familiarity to persons who have already seen it. That is, they may have a greater tendency to dismiss a second poster of the same design in the same size but not recognize quite as quickly that they have already seen the poster when it is a different size format. This gives you more advertising time.
State the benefits of your products
The best way to advertise successfully with poster printing or any advertising campaign is to educate consumers on the benefits that your product offers them. Rather than pointing out features that your product possesses, tell the consumers that make up your target market how your product is going to make their task easier and more productive.
Vary your designs periodically
Variety is the spice of life and advertising. Adding a little variety to your poster printing designs will attract more “views” from passersby. Design variance builds on the two previous points. 1) Having a variety of designs increases the likelihood of a second look. And 2) you can use different designs to highlight different benefits. Make an even greater impact by hanging the posters close together.
Build on your brand identity
One of the most important elements to any poster printing campaign is incorporating the brand identity of your business. Do not over crowd your design, but be sure to include the established look of your business as well as your logo and tagline in every poster design. Maintaining consistency across all advertising venues is the key to quick brand (business) recognition when consumers spot your poster.
Keys to Successfully Advertise Your Small Business
As a small business, it is recommended that your advertising budget be 5% of your gross sales. The challenge for most small businesses is using these limited resources successfully. Small businesses can realize a return on their advertising investment by following a few simple rules. Here are the keys to successfully advertise your small business. Continue reading »
Why Repetition Is Key in Marketing
When designing any type of marketing print materials, use repetition to engage readers and reinforce your message. Repetition in design is important for creating an attractive and cohesive piece. Repetition also helps people to read the printed material and tells their eyes where to go next.
Repeat the Layout for Recognition
Designers use a grid to keep the layout of the pages of a print piece consistent. For instance, if there are columns, they should be the same width, or if there is a side bar with additional information, it should be in the same place on each page and be the same size. You’ll want to also repeat the amount of white space on each page. Having consistency is especially important for a piece that extends over several pages, such as in a magazine or brochure printing. If the layout of the article looks the same, readers can easily recognize the article by its layout as they flip through the pages. On the other hand, if a reader can’t find the rest of the article, those pages will have no chance to make an impact.
How To Promote Your Business Effectively in the Summer
Summer is a great time to connect with people and attract new customers to your business. The sunshine improves every one’s mood, and people are outside and accessible. Take advantage of the summer time to promote your business by trying a few of the fun summer promotional ideas below.
Sponsor a Swim Team
Even small towns have swim teams for children that compete at regional swim meets. You can check at your local swimming pool to find out who is in charge, and ask to sponsor the team. You could purchase their swim gear and have your business name printed on their swim caps. Not only will this help get your business name out there, it will show people that you are involved in the community.
Leave Brochures at Hotels
When you go on vacation, you can leave business brochures at your hotels. You can also leave them at the different restaurants you eat at. Just be sure that your printed brochure has all of your contact info, including a web address, email address, and Facebook or Twitter info.
Keeping it Real in Graphic Design
Obviously, every graphic designer would love to create the perfectly original design for every client, and in a perfect world, this would be possible. Designers would have unlimited freedom in their creations, clients would love to be original, and advertisements would be appreciated for the art form they are. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and designers very often have to forgo unique designs and their creative flair for a canned design that their client desires. In all reality, commercial design just is not the place for showing off artistic talents.
With this in mind, the question arises, how do you as a designer keep each project from looking like the last one? When you get an amazing idea, it’s hard not to want to keep using it for every client, but for your future clients’ and your career’s sakes, you cannot just copy the best idea you’ve ever had into every project. Keep your work original for each new client by following these tips below:
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