Maui Printing Company

Have you ever heard the phrase, "a one-trick pony?" Researchers believe the "one-trick pony" phrase comes from an entertainment background. According to research, the earliest reference was associated with circus ponies used to perform a trick or feat that impressed audiences. The ponies involved could do an amazing act, such as walking on their hind feet, but that was all they could do. Eventually, the audiences got bored with the show. In one version of the story, a pony had a dog partner that would ride on it. While the audience got sick of seeing the pony do the same thing every time the circus was in town, the dog gained fame because it learned and began to perform new tricks. In time, the dog became the star, and the pony was relegated to hauling circus carts. Is Your Business A One-Trick Pony? The moral of the story here is not to allow your business to get stuck on only one good thing. It's tempting to think that if you have something good go...

In a world barraged by marketing channels, there is nothing like seeing a customer face to face. That’s why trade shows remain a critical part of companies’ marketing strategies. But how to get those customers and prospects into the booth? Let’s look at some best practices for creating a booth presence that draws a crowd.  1 Use outstanding graphics. You want your booth to be highly visible and stand out in a crowded space. With today’s wide-format technology, you can do this by creating high-resolution graphics in eye-popping color.  • Pop-up and back wall displays • Banners • Booth wraps • Tabletop displays • Large-format posters • Backlit signage Use bold images to catch attention. Use large, easy-to-read fonts so people can read key text from a distance. Want something really different and fun? Try cutouts of people, local landmarks, or brand products. Send us a digital file, and we can create a life-size (or larger) image on Gatorboard....

To say that communication is important in the workplace is an understatement. This is true regardless of the type of business you're running or even the industry you're operating in. One study from McKinsey Global Institute found that not only does active communication bring people closer together in the workplace but in these types of situations productivity tends to improve between 20% and 25% on average. At the same time, there is no "silver bullet" method to communication that will instantly get everyone on the same page. Only by looking to your employees as individuals, and playing to their own individual strengths and preferences, will you finally be able to see the communication gains that you so richly deserve. Let the Employee Be Your Guide Perhaps the most important thing for you to understand is that communication no longer means face-to-face conversations, -or at least it doesn't exclusively. This is particularly the case regarding introve...

The temperature is soaring, steaks sizzle on the grill, and kids play in the pool, but not everyone is thinking summer. Back to school season is starting earlier than ever for big retailers and the impact trickles over into all aspects of marketing. Both Office Depot and Land's End launch back to school campaigns at the start of summer - in some cases before school even ended in some parts of the country. This is a change even from last year; according to AdAge , 2016 saw back to school marketing head into full swing around the middle of July. Time magazine cites the need for retailers to make as many revenues as possible during the highest spending periods as the reason Black Friday, Halloween, and Back to School promotions are being scheduled earlier than ever before. When does Back to School Begin? Big retailers working on the premise that earlier is better have begun pushing back-to-school marketing back each year. Back to school is big business for retailers, since...

Have you ever heard of Indra Nooyi? Maybe not, but you've probably bought her product at one time or another in the past year. Ms. Nooyi is the CEO of Pepsi-Co., the makers of the popular and well-known Pepsi soda brand. However, her position at Pepsi is not necessarily what is the most amazing fact of her story. Granted, reaching the status of being a Fortune 500 company CEO is huge and significant, but how Ms. Nooyi got her start is the real story. That's because she risked everything with no safety net to fall back on. Some Compelling Advice Indra Nooyi came to the U.S. like so many other great minds, arriving as a student immigrant. Ms. Nooyi jumped to a slot in Harvard's master's degree program in business. However, graduating wasn't her biggest challenge. It was translating her academic success into a result: getting a job. Ms. Nooyi's first real interview was total failure - no connection, no rhythm, no job. However, she received a piece of advic...

Have you ever noticed that, whether in print, on television, or online, most marketing appeals to people’s emotions? This is because much of our decision-making comes from the subconscious mind.  M arketers can throw a lot of facts and figures at their prospects, but ultimately, people often make decisions based on emotion. That’s why Johnson & Johnson doesn’t sell Band-Aids based on their adhesive properties. The company shows a crying child being soothed by a loving parent. It is tapping into the emotion, “I want to take care of my child.”  Here are three ways you  can tap into emotion in your marketing. 1. Think beyond the rational mind. A recent Harvard Business Review article argued that there are two types of sales: simple and complex.  Simple sales are those for which people can make quick, easy decisions based on numbers: This product is 10% cheaper than that one. That product offers 25% more longevity than the one I have. With c...

When you are trying to reach a wide demographic for your business, you must get on social media. By developing a following on social media and learning how to use text messaging to get customers interested in your brand, you'll be on your way to building up a solid customer base. Do You Have Followers on Your Facebook Page? Most businesses use their Facebook page to post links to informative blog posts on their website or to share relevant news about their industry in general. To gain followers, you will need to get people to share the posts that you create and to gain interest by advertising your page. You can also gain followers by creating printed marketing materials that provide information on how to find you on Facebook. Almost all of your printed marketing products should contain information on all of your social media accounts to encourage customers to sign up. Utilizing an Opt-In Texting Campaign Think about how you currently communicate with your customers....

Every day but Sunday, the mailbox delivers surprises. Of course, much of what arrives in the mail is expected, but that element of surprise never wanes. The mail might contain a card from a loved one, a check you didn't expect, or a great offer from a local company, via direct marketing. Successful direct marketing campaigns don't happen by accident, but a small business doesn't need to pour substantial amounts of money into such an endeavor to achieve a good result. That means rather than mass marketing, modern direct mail campaigns concentrate on targeted marketing. When businesses use effective direct mail marketing, they not only boost their bottom line, but add excitement to the routine of picking up the mail. 1. Set Your Goals As a business, what do you expect this mailing to accomplish? Have a firm plan in mind ahead of time. What is your budget for this mailing? What kind of ROI do you think you'll receive? Crunch the numbers before embarking on a direct...

The major goal of any piece of marketing collateral is to connect with your audience in a deep, meaningful way. This is true regardless of the specific type of marketing you're talking about - from that terrific new flyer you just designed, to a banner, and beyond. Presentations are a particularly valuable format in this regard as they give you a nice opportunity to really dive a little deeper into certain subjects in a way that other mediums don't allow. However, the format is only a means to an end. If you really want to make sure that you're crafting the most compelling, emotional presentations possible, there are a few key things you'll want to keep in mind. Find That Theme Because presentations tend to be long form documents (at least in comparison to something like a flyer), you always want to make an effort to keep your "eye on the prize," so to speak. Every presentation has a topic. That topic should be reinforced again and again by your pr...

If you're the type of person who wants to improve your time management skills, there's a good chance that what you really need to do is improve your organizational skills. We spend so much time each day trying to remember where we put that important memo, when that upcoming meeting got rescheduled to, or simply trying to get our heads around what obligations we have today. All of this is wheel-spinning certainly isn't driving your productivity forward in the way you need. Thankfully, modern technology can be a huge benefit in terms of improving your organizational skills. You just have to keep a few important things in mind. If You Can Add A Digital Version, Do So One of the most important ways to use technology to help improve your organizational skills involves finally embracing some of the "digital" versions of "hard copy" techniques you may be holding out on. Case in point: an astounding amount of American adults own a smartphone, a devic...