wares blog: Februari 2015

Sabtu, 28 Februari 2015

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Posted: 27 Feb 2015 06:00 AM PST

We have a lot of cool products at PsPrint. And by “cool” I mean cool. Magnets, stickers, coasters, wine labels, die-cut flyers: They are cool, fun print products. Some might even say they are sexy.

Brochures may not be sexy, but they are smart. Brochures are an important part of any marketing campaign. Brochures are a great way to share details about your business, products or services to customers in a way that is concise, yet still includes enough information to help customers make sound purchasing decisions. In other words, if brochures would just take off those nerdy glasses and let its hair down, you would see how amazing they really are.

Let me show you just how cool brochures can be. Check out some of the eye-catching brochures rolling off our printing presses this week. They have inner and outer beauty.

tisano-brochure

Brochure for Tisano designed by Milenko Podunavac

caledonia-brochures

Brochure for Caledonia Spirits

SFOperaGuild

Brochure design by Benton & Associates Design for the San Francisco Opera Guild

Camp Summit brochure designed by Britt Brown Design in Walnut Creek, CA

Brochure designed by Melissa Gillard for Email on Acid

Brochure for Jerry's Kitchen designed by Kelley Nigroni, art director Britt Larson and creative director Corey Pontz

The post Let’s Talk About Brochures appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Jumat, 27 Februari 2015

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The Best Way to Increase Wedding Invitation RSVPs

Posted: 26 Feb 2015 05:35 AM PST

wedding-invitation

Wedding invitation card design by PsPrint customer Jessica Rycheal

Planning your wedding is one of the most exciting yet stressful experiences you'll ever have, especially when it comes to collecting invitation RSVPs. Wedding RSVPs are critical to your special day; they help you make important decisions such as:

how much food needs prepared
how many tables and chairs you'll need
how much time you'll need between the service and reception
how you'll need to lay out the reception hall to accommodate guests efficiently
how much your wedding is going to cost

Though sending wedding invitations is often simple and fun, tracking down RSVPs can be a time-consuming hassle when you're trying to pull together the rest of your wedding details. Fortunately, there's an easy way to increase wedding invitation RSVPs: include a response card with self-addressed stamped envelope.

Wedding invitations are typically designed to showcase the couple to be wedded; they're beautiful expressions of the merging of people, personalities, and families via a loving relationship. They offer basic information: your wedding date, time and location, for example. However, wedding invitations are not marketing tools and traditionally do not include elements proven by marketers to motivate response. That's a shame because response is exactly what you need from your wedding invitations.

Response cards with envelopes packaged with your wedding invitations are so powerful because they allow you to design your wedding invitations however you'd like and still include what marketers refer to as a call to action. Don't worry – you don't have to cheapen your overall presentation with lots of marketing slang; the pure existence of an "action piece" helps motivate response.

A great wedding invitation response card should include:

a benefit for responding (for example, have guests select which type of meal they'd prefer, or whether they want a meal at all)
a time-limited call to action (this is your RSVP-by date, which should reinforce the idea that the response card will be used to calculate catering needs)
a bit of humor – you don't have to be gimmicky, but having a bit of fun with your request can have more impact and make it more memorable
a self-addressed stamped envelope (this makes its super-easy for guests to reply)
alternative RSVP options – your wedding website, email, text, phone, social media page, etc.
a way to track responses; you might consider assigning each guest a number on a spreadsheet and lightly mark response cards with their corresponding number to make it easy to mark RSVPs – especially for those who forget to write their names on their response cards
checkboxes and fill-in forms for names, number of guests (for family RSVPs), selected meals, whether they're coming to the wedding, reception, or both, and anything else you want to know. Make it easy to quickly respond

When you include a response card with envelope in your wedding invitations, you're stressing the importance of RSVPs and giving guests a tangible, actionable way to respond. As marketers know, this is a great way to increase response rate. Why not employ the same strategy for your wedding invitations?

The post The Best Way to Increase Wedding Invitation RSVPs appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Kamis, 26 Februari 2015

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Why Your Small Business Needs Booklets

Posted: 25 Feb 2015 05:32 AM PST

Booklet cover design by Ben Carlson for PsPrint customer Prime Software

Small businesses are uniquely positioned to take advantage of booklet marketing and spur growth. Booklets combine several benefits into single packages that help you attract customers to your brand. The following details why your small business needs booklets.

1. Booklets sell your brand

Booklets have the room to tell the story of your brand. The more you reveal about who you are and who you serve, the more likely customers will identify with you. If you have a unique story, booklets are perfect tools for telling it in a way that fosters customer relationships and long-term loyalty.

2. Booklets establish credibility and authority

Booklets allow you to showcase your expertise; you can print booklets that tell customers how to do something, such as save for retirement or care for their new pet, which in turn establishes credibility and authority. When customers trust your advice, they'll also trust your product and service recommendations.

Booklet cover photo by arquiplay and design by Lara McCarron for Association of Marshall Scholars

3. Booklets lend a customer connection

Booklets are excellent vehicles for presenting customer case studies and testimonials, which work to create customer connections. When customers see how you've helped others solve the same problems they're having – and they see the third-party validation of your brand – they'll be more likely to want to do business with you. They will know that you're the company that can help them achieve their goals, whether those goals are business growth or a clean carpet.

4. Booklets market your products and services

Booklets provide multiple marketing opportunities, from including your products and services in your editorial advice, to focused advertising pages, to follow-up opportunities via newsletter subscriptions, app downloads, and website visits. The end-goal of any good booklet is to market your brand; what makes booklets such powerful marketing tools is the ability to connect with customers and earn their trust while you're marketing.

5. Booklets are tangible and valuable

Unlike so many digital marketing tools, booklets are tangible, physical objects that can be held and read anywhere. Great booklets are also valuable, dispensing need-to-know information and in some cases can even serve as long-term references customers go to again and again – each time exposing them to your marketing.

Small businesses need to focus on growing their brands in order to attract the kinds of loyal customer bases that fuel sustainable growth. Booklets are marketing tools that are perfect for that purpose. How can you leverage the power of booklets to grow your small business?

The post Why Your Small Business Needs Booklets appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Rabu, 25 Februari 2015

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How Postcards Can Transform Your Business in 3 Months

Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST

postcard-featured-1

Postcard by Red Monkey Design for LuLu's on Main

Did you know postcard marketing has the potential to transform your business very quickly? Indeed, with a strategic approach you can attract new customers by launching a dedicated postcard marketing campaign. The following details one way postcards can transform your business in three months.

The scenario

Let's say you have a new product or service to promote, or one of your flagship products or services is currently available for a significant discount. You'd like to land as many new leads as possible over the next three months so you can convert them into sales. Postcards are excellent tools for this type of scenario because they allow you to reach a well-defined audience with a convenient, tangible marketing piece designed to command attention and motivate response.

Great mailing lists are money

Perhaps the most critical step in the process is to develop a winning mailing list. Start by listing the traits shared by your top customers so you can identify a "best customer" demographic profile. Then, build a mailing list comprised only of people who match those demographics. In this manner, you can send your postcards only to those who are likely to buy what you sell. PsPrint has a mailing list builder tool you can use when you create your postcard marketing campaign.

Develop your offer

The next step, also critical, is to develop your offer. Since you'll be sending multiple postcards over a three-month period (repetition is important), you might make your offers increasingly more attractive. For example, your first postcard might offer 10 percent off, your second 15, and your third 20. The idea is to send the first postcard with an offer expiration a few days after your third and final postcard will be delivered; each postcard will feature a slightly different pitch:

Postcard 1: Your product or service will be presented with a time-limited discount
Postcard 2: This postcard serves as a reminder for customers to respond before it's too late; it might also make the offer more attractive with an extra incentive
Postcard 3: The "last chance" postcard, which might also sweeten the deal to motivate the "fence-sitters" to take the next step in the purchasing process

Of course, these are generalized examples; you should tailor your offer to your company and customer base. Plan to send your first postcard immediately, your second 30 days later, and your third 15 days after that. You will send all three postcards to the same mailing list (less those who have already responded). Keep in mind that repetition is important for direct-mail marketing, so sending three postcards over a two-month period and spending the third month on follow-ups and conversions can have a significant impact on your ultimate success.

Print and mail your postcards

Your postcard design should command attention, your copy should create desire and motivate action, and your postcard printing should be of premium-quality. Your postcard printing company can likely handle all of these for you (PsPrint does), in addition to addressing and mailing your postcards at bulk rates.

Once your postcard mailing campaign is set in motion, it's practically on autopilot: all you have to do is follow up with customers who respond and scratch names off subsequent mailing lists (you don't want a customer who just bought from you to get another postcard with a better deal – it's wasteful and could cause hard feelings). It should go without saying that you need to track your response rate and return on investment so you can determine the success of each mailer.

Transformation complete

If you can develop an attractive offer and use postcards to deliver it to a well-targeted audience, then follow up with repetition and increased incentives, you can attract new customers that propel your company to the next level. That's how postcards can transform your business in just three months.

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The post How Postcards Can Transform Your Business in 3 Months appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Selasa, 24 Februari 2015

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25 Facebook Marketing Tips for Graphic Designers

Posted: 23 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST

photo credit: An Education in Facebook? Higher Education and the World’s Largest Social Network via photopin (license)

Facebook might not be the first social media platform you think of when it comes to B2B marketing, but if you're a graphic designer you can leverage the power of Facebook to promote your services to thousands of potential clients. Just because a client isn't on Facebook specifically to find graphic designers doesn't mean they won't notice great work – and follow up when they get back to work. With that in mind, the following lists 25 Facebook marketing tips for graphic designers.

1. Showcase your work

Facebook's photo sharing features are awesome, so make sure you showcase your work whenever possible. Focus on detailed closeups to demonstrate your mastery of design.

2. Boost posts (with targeted audiences)

When you showcase your work, spend a few dollars to boost those posts. Create well-defined audiences and boost only to appropriate audiences. When you create audiences, think of who the actual buyer is: another designer might appreciate and share your work, but they're not going to hire you. A small business, agency or marketer, on the other hand, would be an ideal client.

3. Update frequently

Don't let your Facebook page languish for weeks without updates; if you don't have new artwork to share, tell a story, run a poll or otherwise, post interested content your clients will be interested in.

4. Schedule posts

Try HootSuite, PostPlanner or any number of other automated scheduling apps to make posting to Facebook quick and easy. Maximize your efficiency to get the most out of Facebook marketing.

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5. Place your portfolio on Facebook

There are host of apps that allow you to post your portfolio on Facebook, typically in a tab, but you can use Facebook's photo albums for the same purpose.

6. Fill out your profile

Make sure your contact information is filled out to make it easy for interested parties to get a hold of you. You'd be surprised at how many businesses forget to publicly display a website URL or phone number.

7. Respond to comments

Respond to fan comments quickly and in-depth, when necessary. It's all about engagement.

8. Hold contests

Contests are fun and easy ways to engage your audience and get more likes and shares. You don't have to give away the farm to run a contest, either; sometimes, just having a chance to win is enough to make fans happy.

9. Run polls

Polls are a great way to engage your fan base. You might, for example, offer two designs up to see which one your fans like best.

10. Brand all posts

Whenever you post artwork, make sure your logo and company name are prominently displayed. You can also include your URL. The goal is to make your brand synonymous with great design and to boost brand awareness.

11. Promote new blog posts

You do write a blog, right? Promote your most recent posts on Facebook to bring traffic to your website and establish credibility and authority.

12. Post videos

Videos are becoming more popular on Facebook and offer plenty of opportunity for creativity and authenticity.

13. Post client testimonials

When clients give you kudos, share their thoughts for third-party validation. Consider video testimonials, too.

14. Post case studies

Post case studies other potential clients can relate to so they can see how you can help them with your design services.

15. Make your own page pop

Learn how to design a great Facebook page, and incorporate sound design principles into an attention-getting page that sets you apart from your competition.

16. Freebies

Give away free stuff. It almost always works.

17. Capture leads

When you give away free stuff, require fans to like your page or sign up for your email newsletter. There are plenty of apps that automate this process.

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18. Participate on other pages

Like, follow and participate on other pages that share the same target customer base. Offer value and insight, and you'll attract more users to your own page.

19. Only post what matters

Never post just to post – always share something that has a purpose. You don't want to be viewed as the company that constantly posts time-wasting fluff.

20. Study your competition

Shares and likes are publicly displayed for every post; see what works for them and consider how you can use that information to your advantage. You can even follow pages within your own Facebook account to see how you stack up.

21. Post useful links

Original content is always best, but if you're short on time or don't have anything good to say you can defer to links that have value for your target audience.

22. Report industry statistics

Demonstrate your authority and expertise by posting industry statistics your clients can use to make important decisions. For example, you might compare average response rates of postcards versus emails.

23. Be human

Social marketing should be, well, social. Don't be afraid to show your human side on your Facebook page. It will help endear you to fans.

24. Track and tweak

There are many tools available to help you track your Facebook post reach; review what works and what doesn't so you can focus on sharing content that's well-received.

25. Have fun with it

Have a creative idea? Something that's a bit zany? Don't be afraid to try it on Facebook. Social marketing is serious business, but it should be fun, too – and having a little fun lends itself to sharing character and good branding.

Do you have a great Facebook marketing tip for graphic designers? Share it with us in the comments.

The post 25 Facebook Marketing Tips for Graphic Designers appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Sabtu, 21 Februari 2015

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Stormtrooper Posters, Pet-Friendly Invitations and More

Posted: 20 Feb 2015 06:00 AM PST

We are well-established “Star Wars” nerds here at Hot Off The Press. So it should come as no surprise that we were drawn to this colorful poster featuring the usually all-white stormtrooper by Alex Hull.

You are almost guaranteed to get attention with posters. Make you get positive attention by choosing a high-quality paper stock. Hull’s poster is printed on our 13-point recycled matte. We also print posters on 15-point velvet stock, which is a heavy paper with a velvety smooth finish, and our super-thick 16-point paper stock.

And now, let’s take a look at some of other customer artwork that we feel are strong with The Force this week.

stormtrooper-poster

Poster by Alex Hull

humane-society-invitations

Front and back of invitations designed by Lora O'Connor for Humane Society of Western Montana

Business card for Renee L. Castro

Postcard designed by David Polka

illustrator-businesscard

Business card designed by Diana De la Nuez

The post Stormtrooper Posters, Pet-Friendly Invitations and More appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Jumat, 20 Februari 2015

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This Single Page Boosts Booklet Response

Posted: 19 Feb 2015 05:30 AM PST

photo credit: A3 + Trifold Brochure + Flyer + Business card via photopin (license)

We've discussed how you can print booklets to use as powerful marketing tools that lend brand authenticity and motivate customers to take the next step in the purchasing process. In this post, let's look at a single booklet page that can boost your response rate and make it easier to continually market to your potential customers: what I call the "freebie page."

Depending on your industry and audience, your booklet marketing most likely focuses on offering helpful information potential customers can use to make purchasing decisions, to accomplish a goal, or to simply learn more about the benefits of doing business with you. Regardless of the rest of your content, a freebie page can help you get more email subscribers, sales appointments or other desired responses by providing a free incentive in return for said response.

Here's how it works:

You develop a value-added freebie, accessible only when customers take a certain action.
You create a booklet page dedicated to promoting the benefits of your freebie and motivating customers to take the action required to get it.
Customers want your freebie, take the action and then you can follow-up with permission-based marketing.

For example, let's say you run a SEO company and print a booklet that showcases your services. One page presents customers with a time-limited opportunity to download a free DIY SEO guide – all they have to do is subscribe to your email newsletter. Your guide is packed with great information, but it's likely they'll quickly find they don't have the time or expertise to optimize their own sites. Your follow-up emails will continue to promote the convenience of your all-inclusive SEO service.

By providing a free incentive, you're able to build your mailing list (thereby boosting booklet response) and earn permission to continue marketing your products and services to qualified customers. That's powerful marketing, achieved by including a single page in your booklets.

The post This Single Page Boosts Booklet Response appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Kamis, 19 Februari 2015

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Graphic Design: Custom vs. Customization

Posted: 18 Feb 2015 05:00 AM PST

photo credit: Habitat business card, memo, envelope via photopin (license)

As a graphic designer you take great pride in your custom design work, and rightly so: the ability to visually express the essence of a brand or motivate emotion and response is a considerable talent. At the same time, not every project requires custom design; and even though purists might argue for the sanctity of custom design, there's a reason thousands of templates are bought by designers every day. In some cases, you can offer your clients greater value by choosing customization over custom design.

What's the distinction? Custom design is when you start from scratch – a blank slate, if you will. You manually create each design element to pull your project together. Customization, on the other hand, is when you start with a template and edit, add, remove and reposition the artwork to make it meet your project goals.

Custom design is always best when it comes to branding, but when it comes to clients with tight budgets or projects that need completed yesterday, customization can prove quite useful. In many cases good designers can customize a template so its unrecognizable from the original.

Business cards are a great example. You can take a business card template and customize it with unique text, images, logos, and colors. You can even change the font; by the time you're done, your business card design looks original, and you've saved half the time. Event posters and flyers are also perfect candidates for customization over custom design.

Another example? CMS themes for platforms such as WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. There are many themes out there that were created specifically to be customized. This saves the designer the trouble of coding, which is best left to a programmer or developer anyway.

Customization isn't for everyone, but there's no question it can save time and money. Some resources, such as the PsPrint Design Library, allow you to make all customizations via an online platform and go straight to print – thereby skipping tedious file setup.

Of course, always make sure your clients understand the difference between custom and customization so they can make an educated and budget-minded decision. Even with heavy customization, some clients would prefer custom design. In my experience, small businesses with small budgets tend to lean toward customization, while larger companies and corporations invest in custom design.

Do you ever customize existing templates, or do you craft strictly custom designs? Let us know in the comments.

The post Graphic Design: Custom vs. Customization appeared first on PsPrint Blog.

Rabu, 18 Februari 2015

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30 Fan-Designed Alternative Movie Posters

Posted: 17 Feb 2015 05:00 AM PST

Ever see a poster for a famous movie poster and think "I can do better than that?" So have legions of film fans, many of them graphic designers who have created their own alternative movie posters. Fan posters often hinge on a famous element or scene, making their designs great for unique décor or simple design appreciation. The impulse to out-do original movie poster designs is so strong there are even websites dedicated to alternative movie posters, most notably AlternativeMoviePosters.com and RePostered. The following showcases 30 of my favorite fan-designed alternative movie posters from those sites.

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