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Showing posts from March, 2021

4 Intelligent Ways to Combine Print and Digital Marketing

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Imagine a college campus on a warm fall day, as freshmen are moving into the dorms for the first time. There are loads of students buzzing around and getting settled. As they unpack and get their bearings in a new community, many realize they’ve forgotten a lamp or shelf to make their dorm room a bit cozier. No problem! A strategic, targeted digital ad whisks across their screen on move-in day. Two days later, a mailed piece is sent featuring lamps, rugs, and closet accessories. This venue's campaign (a combination of digital and print marketing) snags interest in a fleeting moment then follows this digital hook with a more robust mailed piece. The Successful Marriage of Digital and Print Print marketing is powerful. Digital marketing is powerful. When you combine them... well, the result is dynamic.   Want to create a more strategic relationship between your print and digital marketing efforts? Here are four strategies to build momentum: 1. Create Distinct Online Landi

Stand Tall with 6 Sharp Embossing Techniques

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Have you ever run your hand over an antique, textured wallpaper? With its authentic sense of depth and detail, you almost can’t help but touch it. The raised relief is as appealing to your imagination as it is to your fingertips. Embossing has a similar effect. Embossing and debossing are two print techniques used to add texture to a design. An embossed pattern is raised against the background, while a debossed pattern is sunken into the material's surface (but might protrude somewhat on the reverse side). These popular finishing techniques – used for business cards, menus, invitations, foil stickers, notepads, and more – are ideal for bringing a fresh, contemporary look. Take Center Stage Embossing elevates your design from the background and can be used to create geometric patterns, add borders, or produce a custom seal for product packaging. The texture and sculptural quality that embossing creates makes for a memorable user experience. Add elegance and stateliness to

Glamorize Your Products with Illustrative Package Designs

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Natural Life is a retailer focusing on women’s Bohemian clothes, accessories, and gifts. Its founder, Patti Hughes, says the business was inspired by her mom, who ran a crafting studio out of the family basement, and was rarely seen without sawdust in her hair or a paintbrush behind her ear. Modeled after global artisan markets, Natural Life believes its products are more than just commodities. The brand calls these products “treasures” because they are things you stumble upon – things you just can’t resist – while you are out and about. Whether it’s moving artwork or a special surprise for that one-of-a-kind friend, Natural Life inspires people to “give and live happy.” Natural Life’s Boho Bandeaus are one of its most irresistible items. Bandeaus can be styled as face masks, hair bandanas, scrunchies, halter tops, armbands, ponytail holders, and more. While Boho Bandeaus come in gorgeous floral, tie-dye, and camo prints, the packaging nearly trumps the product that is wrapped a

5 Strategies to Overcome Nerves in Public Speaking

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From Abraham Lincoln to Winston Churchill, some of the world’s greatest leaders had one thing in common: the fear of public speaking. Glossophobia, or speech anxiety, affects 77 percent of the population at some level. This can range from sweating and an accelerated heart rate to dizziness, nausea, or a “fight or flight” response. As a shift to remote working has become more prevalent, more communication is taking place online rather than in-person. And video chatting can make many people (who aren’t normally nervous) more anxious whenever they speak up . Want to conquer your butterflies or gain confidence when you’re on the big stage? Here are five tips from the public speaking experts: 1. Practice Aloud in Advance The best way to reduce your anxiety is to rehearse until you feel comfortable, and you will really settle into your message if you share it aloud several times before the big day. Practice by yourself, before a mirror, in front of a video camera, or even with a

Build Customer Confidence: 4 Brand Identity Essentials

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Trust builds confidence. That is why a strong corporate brand identity can make or break a business. Brand identity is more than key values or approved color palettes; it is the collection of all elements that a company creates to portray the right image to its consumer. Here is one helpful way to describe it: Brand identity is the image or character of your business as people relate to it. For example, the BMW image of elite luxury has grown naturally from customers’ repeated exposure to BMW’s ads, endorsements, and products. Brand imagery is the aesthetic appearance of your brand’s core identity and messaging. This results from all the visuals (from billboards, print ads, or product packaging) that represent your brand’s identity. When a company has a strong brand, it is easily recognized, which grows people’s trust. Trust builds confidence, and confidence begets loyalty. When a business has built superiority in a particular niche, repeat customers are more willing to buy i

Build Customer Confidence: 4 Brand Identity Essentials

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Trust builds confidence. That is why a strong corporate brand identity can make or break a business. Brand identity is more than key values or approved color palettes; it is the collection of all elements that a company creates to portray the right image to its consumer. Here is one helpful way to describe it: Brand identity is the image or character of your business as people relate to it. For example, the BMW image of elite luxury has grown naturally from customers’ repeated exposure to BMW’s ads, endorsements, and products. Brand imagery is the aesthetic appearance of your brand’s core identity and messaging. This results from all the visuals (from billboards, print ads, or product packaging) that represent your brand’s identity. When a company has a strong brand, it is easily recognized, which grows people’s trust. Trust builds confidence, and confidence begets loyalty. When a business has built superiority in a particular niche, repeat customers are more willing to buy i

Show-Stopping Print Ideas to Compliment Your Digital Marketing

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Does your brain ever feel tired? Some days, that’s probably due to information overload. Today, researchers estimate we are exposed to over 5,000 brands per day or around 600-625 ads per person . If you add in pop-ups and YouTube ads, who knows how high the number may soar! But amidst the explosion of digital advertising, industry reports remind us that print holds steady. 70% of Americans prefer to read on paper, and 67% prefer printed materials over digital. Additionally, 55% of consumers say they trust print marketing more than any other advertising messages. Want to evoke emotions with your next masterpiece? Draw from three creative examples of print ads that recently stole the show. C&A: The Real “Like” Leaderboard Nothing builds excitement like a little competition! In a partnership with Microsoft and Tim (one of Brazil's biggest fashion retailers), C&A created an interactive print advertising campaign to engage clients and collect feedback on designs pitt

Use Customer Lifetime Value to Plan Your Direct Mail Marketing

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What is the value of a customer? What profit can they bring this week? This year? Over a lifetime? It may seem like a simple concept, but many small businesses have no idea what a regular customer is worth to their business. This creates two problems: 1. Ambivalence about customer retention. Many businesses are uncertain about how much to spend on customer retention. With a metric for measuring customer values, you can navigate appropriate parameters for retaining these people or expanding their business. Research shows that increasing customer retention rates by merely 5% increases profits by 25% to 95% ! 2. Uncertainty about effective marketing. What is the number of new customers you’d like to attract, and what is an appropriate budget to do that? Defining customer value will guide your marketing strategies. When acquiring new customers, estimating Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) provides a way to estimate their future revenue contribution to your company and how to use dire

4 Direct Mail Tips to Attract Gen Z's "Digital Natives"

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Generation Z—those who follow Millennials—includes people born between 1998 and 2015. Sometimes known as the Digital Natives (or the iGeneration), this is a demographic that rivals that of the entire Millennial generation, comprising 70 million people in the United States alone. Gen Z currently includes people in their early twenties and many teenagers with substantial discretionary income. If you want their patronage, your marketing needs to appeal directly to their needs. Who is Gen Z? Here are a few defining characteristics: They are more racially and ethnically diverse than any other generation. They are on track to be the most well-educated generation. Individuals in Gen Z have little or no memory of the world as it existed before smartphones. Their attention span is around eight seconds. Many people in Gen Z are competitive, entrepreneurial, and financially-focused Gen Z views time as a valuable asset, and your business needs to work hard to earn this commodit