Integrated Marketing – Page 6

April 3, 2012

Co-Op Cash is Out There: Get Money to Help Pay for Your Advertising!

For many small businesses, co-op advertising is an untapped well of funding. Whether from product manufacturers or other agencies, arrangements for cash reimbursements for a percentage of your advertising costs on certain items are out there. The funding helps you advertise – the advertisement helps the manufacturer sell more product. Everybody wins.

What is Co-op advertising?

When a manufacturer wants to increase sales volume of a particular product line, reach a specific target market, or as part of their plan for brand recognition, they will make money available to retailers to share – in part or sometimes in whole – the cost of advertising that product in your local market. Many of these cost sharing arrangements will be for a limited time and will of course have specific limitations and requirements for participation. But you can be reimbursed for a percentage of the cost of your advertising – a very lucrative deal for your business, and a wise investment for the manufacturer. Everyone in the co-op chain benefits.

How do I find out if my suppliers have co-op money available?

Ask. It is really that simple. And when you begin to look around you may find other untapped sources of financial backing for your marketing. Depending on the specific nature of your business, look into grants or funding that could be available through trade associations, chamber of commerce, local entrepreneurial groups, or government assistance for start-ups, agricultural businesses or tech groups. Large entities like the state, local and national government as well as large corporations have many programs designed to stimulate economic activity in a general field or of a specific product. Sometimes, the raw materials used in the production of certain products also have marketing campaigns that could be helpful. Got milk? Cotton: the fabric of our lives. Pork: its what’s for dinner. And so on….

Often the requirements of the co-op funding are little more than placement of a logo on your print advertising and a proper claim submittable. Check with your suppliers – it never hurts to ask. And remember that a good print/marketing provider will be able to help you with the implementation of the co-op requirements as well as the claim submission and billing for the advertising funds. It’s a deal too good to not investigate.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

March 20, 2012

15 Years of Rapid Change for the World of Print

Today ImageSmith surprised me with a little celebration for my 15th anniversary with the company and a very generous gift of a brand new iPad. Our discussion at the gathering centered around the changes in our business over the past 15 years and the vast differences technology has created in that relatively brief span of time. Back in 1997, hardly anyone at work had a mobile phone; few used the internet or even had a home computer.

Oddly enough, I had been reading online this very morning about the new issue of Newsweek that highlights the return of the show “Mad Men” with a retro 60s issue and an amazing recreation of retro print advertising from that era. The rate of change in this industry from then to now has exponentially increased. Print quickly adapted to new computer technology in the ’80s, drastically altering the way graphics are created, business is done and ultimately the very heart of what the printing industry is today. From my own experience here at ImageSmith, I could see the major ways technology has created this rapid change:

THE INTERNET

In the 90s, the art department was completely a Mac platform (Mac certainly led the way with graphics software and innovation) and the only other computers were PCs used for the front office and accounting. Files were transferred on floppy disks or zip disks. Proofs were faxed or hand delivered. The idea of communication or doing business via the internet seemed fanciful.

TODAY: communication inside and beyond the company is via the internet. Computers network through a wifi connection and a central server. Orders are placed online, files transferred, deliveries scheduled and tracked… to do otherwise would seem painfully slow and unprofitable.

SOFTWARE

The change in graphics software is always rapid and amazing. In 1997, we were using Adobe PageMaker for our layout (it had only recently been acquired by Adobe from Aldus). PhotoShop and Illustrator were used for photo and graphics manipulation, but only minimally integrated with the actual desktop layout duties of PageMaker. Many clients created their jobs in QuarkXpress, Microsoft Word, Corel Draw – and the confusing task of the art department was to try to handle and image these files cross platform from PC to Mac without disastrous font conflicts and software glitches. The idea of a “portable document format” or pdf was on the horizon.

TODAY: Adobe Creative Suite provides virtually flawless integration of PhotoShop, Illustrator, Acrobat and InDesign. A totally pdf workflow moves client jobs seamlessly from desktop to press or web. Print design can be cross-purposed to web pages, mobile apps, e-books, etc.

PRINTING TECHNOLOGY

Many jobs were still created physically on paper and then photographed. “Paste-up” was the means of gluing into position different page elements. It all seems very primitive now. The process of making plates for offset printing also relied on photography. Negatives were imaged, stripped into position, manually color separated, and burned onto plates.

TODAY: Computer-to-plate and computer-to-press techonology completely removes the photographic element in printing. Digital layouts are rasterized and imaged onto plates for the press in exact position. Increasingly, digital presses are replacing the offset process to meet the growing demand for short run, full color print.

DATA STORAGE

In 1997, a typical print job would fit easily onto a standard 3.5 inch, 1.44MB floppy disk. Artwork and client jobs were archived onto floppies. These were replaced by SyQuests – able to hold 44 or 88 MB or data, and then Zip Disks from iOmega with the amazing capacity to hold 100 MB. In the late 90s, most all computers, PC and Mac, came with a built-in floppy and Zip drive. Over the years, the Zip yielded to the CD and then the DVD for removable storage options.

TODAY: File sizes for some print jobs today dwarf the capacity of all of these removable data storage devices. High capacity servers and cloud-based storage solutions manage files and the process of archiving data.

With all of these changes has come a core redefinition of what small and mid-sized print operations are about. Printers have expanded to become multi-media specialists, marketing consultants and e-commerce solution providers to meet the equally drastic changing needs of their clients. Integrated marketing techniques combine the realms of print with mobile, email, wide format printing, signage, printwear, branded merchandise and social media. Looking ahead to the landscape of the NEXT fifteen years is exciting and daunting. Mobile and cloud-based technology will continue to drive the marketing into the world of augmented reality, 3-D printing, conductive ink and other as-yet unknown innovations.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

March 14, 2012

Now THAT is Integrated Marketing – Taco Bell Shows How its Done

We have all heard the discussion about what the true value of social media and marketing via Facebook, Twitter, etc. is for small and medium sized businesses. Everyone wants to know the ROI – we want hard and fast data proving this much money in, this much money out. But the reality that is gradually being revealed is a brave new tech world where the old business school models don’t always hold up in the face of “viral” product buzz. For both B-to-B or B-to-C models, the emerging evidence indicates that building a social network of customers, clients, acquaintances or like-minded individuals both locally and internationally holds an undeniably great marketing potential for any enterprise. This instant connectivity has never been possible before, and it’s value is rich.

The question for marketers becomes how to leverage this newfound social network into everything from product buzz to hard and fast profits. Take a look at how Taco Bell is making this work. They have 167,000 Twitter followers and over 8 million Facebook fans – a definitely solid base to begin a project like this with. The product being launched: Doritos Locos Tacos, which also provides sponsorship for a series of concerts called “Feed the Beat.” Packaging on the taco has a QR code to link those who scan it to exclusive video of these music concerts. An AR (augmented reality) code on other packaging lets consumers connect via a Taco Bell mobile app to view live Tweets and Facebook comments.

Now the brilliant draw in all this, even more than the online music and connectivity, is that TacoBell will be displayhing selected tweets using the #DoritosLocosTacos hashtag on digital billboards in Times Square in New York City and Sunset Boulevard in LA. The payoff for fans is to see their name up in lights (so to speak) in such iconic locations. The payoff for TacoBell and Doritos? Well you can see that clearly.

The Whole Enchilada…. er, Taco

Print, web, social media, signage, mobile marketing, product packaging… a truly integrated campaign uses all available media, and leverages that content through the connectivity of a solid social network. The best advice here for any small business appears to be develop your social network online, and then get creative about using that base to get your message out.

The development of a social network on outlets such as Twitter and Facebook is itself an asset. Many have questioned the profitability of spending the time and manpower to cultivate such a network. Enterprises like this Taco Bell campaign are blazing the trail to show how such connection can be leveraged into a big – and increasingly essential – marketing win.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

March 13, 2012

A Bloody Little Lesson about the Power of Promotional Products

I had a lesson this morning in the way promotional products have an impact above and beyond other traditional pieces of marketing. We’ve all had a paper cut. If you ever worked in the print industry, you’ve had a lot of them – and are aware of the degrees of severity these cuts can have: from the “one sheet slice” that occurs when opening a letter or shuffling papers on the desk, to the pain and hemmoraging caused by sliding your hand down the length of a stack of 100# gloss cover at just the right angle while trying to hurriedly load a digital press.

First thing this morning I inflicted the bleeder seen above. Not huge, but painful (why do paper cuts hurt as bad as they do? Read up on that here.) – and as I’m right-handed, it pretty much makes everything you do impossible until you stop the bleeding. A few cuts like this and you learn to show respect when handling paper. A good supply of bandages is always smart to keep close by in a print shop, but today I was out of the ones I keep at my desk. Then I remembered ImageSmith has a handy bandage dispenser as a promotional product: imprinted with our logo and contact information, and even containing zebra-striped adhesive bandages to promote our marketing tagline “Earning our stripes… every day.” A supply is displayed up front to give to customers.

Finding this bandage dispenser at the right moment was a clear lesson to me in the impact that branded merchandise can have. Most folks will hang onto this item as they know its handy to keep a few bandages nearby for an emergency. Your logo and message are refreshed in the person’s mind each time they notice it at their workstation. At the moment of need… when you really do need a bandage to stop the bleeding… the message of the product is a powerful one.

What message is this product implying when it functions in this way?

“I’m helpful.”
“I’m close at hand when you have a serious need.”
“I was thinking ahead, knowing you might need me some day.”
“I stay one step ahead, and can help you.”

Pretty powerful messages, right?

Think about how branded merchandise could be used for your company to put your logo and message directly into the hands of your public. Make it a gift that they will want to use, find helpful and keep handy. The longevity of these items outstrips other promotional media by far, as people have a need for the items beyond their marketing message. The variety of products available is HUGE. Enter a search term here and take a look at what you can order.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

March 12, 2012

Spring Forward with Branded Merchandise

The swag bags given away at the Oscars this year were valued at over $62,000 each. That investment would never be made by these masters of marketing if there was not a solid return on such an investment. These folks understand the power of promotional products! Giving away branded merchandise that is relevant to your business, desired by your customer base and branded with your mark, colors and message is a proven way to increase customer loyalty, attract attention and get noticed.

Branded merchandise keeps your company name right in the hands of your customers for far longer than other media – a steady reminder of your quality and generosity. The variety of products you can choose to brand is HUGE… select something appropriate for the season, for your current promotions, or based on your customer’s interests. In spring and summer, products that appeal to the athlete or outdoor lover work great: drinkware, lanyards, sunglasses, caribiner clips with bottles of sunblock or skin lotion. Finding a product that is relevant to your business and desired by your customer base should be easy… in fact the hard decision will be narrowing down which item you want to invest in to promote your business. These promotional products branded with your color, look, and logo will go far in helping you create brand loyalty and recognition in a way other media cannot match.

To browse through a huge selection of promotional products that are available for branding, go online at online store. You may also want to read our other blog articles for information and ideas on branding, promotions and integrated marketing. Remember, the more useful and desired the item is, the longer it will stay in the hands of your potential customer. A banner ad on a website is seen for a few seconds – they can hang onto that handy flash drive or water bottle bearing your logo and compliments for months to come.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

February 24, 2012

There’s Something About Paper. Or, about that pdf diploma…

We love technology – the instantaneous flow of information and data, the interconnectedness of people who would never otherwise meet, the crowd-sourcing of digital solutions. In our line of work, we have marveled at the seismic shift in the ease and innovation of creating graphics and images, the global opportunities that opened when file transfers and commerce moved online, and the digital transition from plates and darkroom photo processing to computerized pdf workflows. It all makes for an exciting age in which to live. Technology has quickly, and not always painlessly, transformed the print industry from one about ink and paper into one of interactive communication, new media and data interpretation. And yet…. there’s just something about paper.

At the heart of this human love for paper is the physical, solid, stackable nature of the thing. It is organic. It has weight. You can hold it in your hand and point to the truth – “See? It’s right there in black and white.” Or color. Whether it is centuries of reliance on the physicality of having the “written word” in your hand, or whether it is something more primal, paper and printing hold a powerful place in our psyche. Think about it: your birth certificate, your child’s first crayon drawings from school, report cards, your ticket stub from a favorite concert, a treasured valentine or love letter, a “welcome home” sign, a sketch of a great idea, an autograph of your hero. At all the important, memorable moments of your life, paper has played a central role. It is usually the means by which you remember and treasure those events – unplugged.

Today, technology is clearly altering some of that relationship. The recent bankruptcy of Kodak seems to many of us who grew up in the last half of the twentieth century to be unthinkable. Yet they have announced they are going out of the film business. The woes of the USPS are a result of email and digital communications usurping the role of snail mail. Newpapers and magazines are struggling with the transition from paper to online versions. But paper still carries the word and image of our culture in ways that electronic media is not yet able to – by its very physical nature and our historic appreciation for its reliable, tactile properties. It is still capable of putting your message right into someone’s hands regardless of internet providers or the accessibility of a wifi signal.

Still not convinced? Watch this great video from Domtar’s “Paper because…” initiative that spotlights the contradiction between students who at first say they want to live in a paperless world – until they are told their diplomas will be handed out in pdf format.

An electronic diploma would convince most all students that paper has a clear place in our lives and futures. Maybe the tech future will gradually change this romantic attachment we have to the beauty and functionality of paper, but I doubt it will erase it anytime soon.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

February 22, 2012

If You Have The Right Printer, You Have Your Marketing Consultant

Running a small business demands expertise in many, many divergent fields. You must excel at finance, employee relations, marketing, sales, and of course the specifics of the type of business you went into in the first place. In a large corporation, each duty or specialty is handled by an expert in that profession – or an entire heirarchy of experts: production, sales, marketing, human resources, R & D. As a small business owner, that’s all on you. Technology is only making that landscape even more challenging, daily.

To bring in help or advice on any of these areas is costly and risky. When it comes to marketing, however, your best resource is right at hand. And – this is by far the best part – it is FREE! If you have the right printer, you already have a highly trained marketing consultant who knows print, branding, direct mail, web strategies, social media and has years of experience in both high and low tech marketing approaches that work for businesses just like yours. The most assuring part of this partnership for you is that the print/communications company only succeeds when your marketing succeeds! Start taking advantage of this asset – the print industry itself has had to reinvent itself in this new high tech economy. They know what works.

Even if you have a background in marketing, the rules of the game over the past 10 years have changed DRASTICALLY. (Check out this amazing and exhaustive infographic on the History of Marketing.) The marketing success that got you and your small business to where it is today will most likely not take you to future success in the emerging economy and IT world. Do you have the time and resources to become an expert in web design, SEO (search engine optimization), interactive online marketing, web metrics or analytics, to position your operation to embrace the new and as yet unknown technoligies that are right over the horizon? In most cases, the answer is no – and unless your business IS marketing, you should not have to. Turn to your printer for help.

The term “printer” is misleading. Today, printers do far more than put ink on paper. They have become marketing and communications specialists, and they are your closest and most knowledgeable sources for consulting with you on your overall marketing strategy. A good printer will understand your budget, your marketing goals and be able to suggest many options for creating results: integrated marketing strategies, direct mail, targeted variable data printing, promotional products, signage, branding, website development and e-commerce, social media marketing techniques, and unique design ideas. Discuss with them your target audience, who your consumer is, what your mission and specific goals are for the year. These are the facts your sales rep needs to recommend specific marketing strategies that you can use to translate into profit and customer recognition of your brand and your work. So the question is: why drain your energy trying to learn the new world of marketing on TOP of running your business when you already have a marketing consultant waiting to talk with you?

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

February 13, 2012

Color Makes Sense: On-Demand Color Printing

People pay more attention to marketing in color. It’s just a fact. And in the past, the cost of high quality color printing could be a deterrent to many firms with a limited marketing budget. Full color print was only cost effective for long press runs of large quantities. Those days are over. New digital print technology has risen to meet the need for short run, on-demand, variable printing that fits most anyone’s marketing budget. Targeted, personalized mailings working in concert with web and email outreach have truly revolutionized marketing and the resulting ROI for all budgets and enterprises. Understanding some basics about color printing techniques will help you make the best choices in print buying.

Color Printing: The Bright Way to Do It

Offset printing is still the choice for print in large quantities, or on very large press sheets. Offset presses maintain very high quality in image reproduction and can match true PMS or spot colors with great accuracy. Turnaround time is generally longer, allowing for press set-up and for the finished product to dry before finishing.

The advantages of digital printing lie in fulfilling the need for quick, personalized prints in smaller quantities at an affordable price. The high quality of digital printing has grown so rapidly in the past years that it is often indistinguishable from offset. It also requires no drying time before cutting, folding or otherwise finishing like offset printing does, if time is of the utmost importance. A couple of drawbacks to digital printing are some inexact matches for PMS colors and slight shifting of position in paper feeding over the course of the run. These issues are, however, being addressed to the point that they may be a thing of the past as digital technology progresses.

Printing revolutionized the world by the 17th Century — Wooden-framed 17th century printing presses were replaced by the early 1800s with iron-framed presses.

Check out our previous blog posts relating to both the technical and design aspects of the power of color printing:

Color Printing 101: The RGB and CMYK Gamuts

Print: the Heart of Integrated Marketing Campaigns

Pantone’s 2012 Color of the Year is Tangerine Tango

The Psychology of Color: What Do Colors “Mean”?

What is a “moiré”?

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

February 9, 2012

Setting Yourself Apart: Harnessing the Power of the Hand Written Note

We are connected today in every way possible – smart phones, texts, tweets, phone calls, mobile GPS, even blogs. But can you remember the last hand written note or card you received? I bet you can! And that is important – it shows the powerful impact of a handwritten note. They always find their way to the top of the mail that is piling up on your desk.

Taking time to do hand written notes may be a struggle, but the benefits can be huge. As we all know in this challenging economy we are all looking for something that makes us stand out. This small inexpensive detail will speak volumes. A note to say thank you for a great meeting, happy birthday or even just thanks for your time shows that you are ready to give clients the personal service that they are so hungry for. They can act as a relationship builder or the stepping stone to your next order from your client.

Personalized note paper or stationery is a smart choice once you get into the habit of note writing. Having the paper and envelopes at your work station will save time and remind you to write a note when the time is right. They should be branded with your company look and feel, including your contact information

How ever you plan to use this powerful tool, just remember to be consistent. Keep a roll of stamps with you. Write the notes while conversations are fresh on your mind or their last order just shipped out the door. This is one time that you can keep “time on your side” by mailing when you are still fresh in the minds of your clients. And if you are really feeling ambitious, send all your customers a note wishing them a Happy Valentine’s Day, or even just “Thanks for being a great Customer.”

The power of this secret weapon lies in it’s sincerity. In a world that is often OVER-connected, a personalized, hand written note speaks louder than any digital communication can. Receiving the note in the mail is an actual physical interaction – something not yet possible online. Read more at these links about the power of hand written notes and the lost art of note writing. Sometimes, low tech is still the best choice.

ImageSmith is a full-service print and marketing provider located in Arden, North Carolina. Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.

January 16, 2012

Think Big, Print Big: Wide Format Banners, Posters & More

Big ideas, big dreams, big plans? Then you need big printing. Large, glossy, full-color wide format is increasingly a smart marketing choice for making a bold, clear statement. Think about the visual impact you could make in your business with banners, adhesive wall clings, car wraps, event signage, posters, window graphics, floor graphics. High quality design and signage is now affordable for every budget and versatile for every structure or medium. It is also easy to change up to reflect new information and stayfresh in the public eye.

Take a moment to look around at any of your large blank walls, windows or spaces in any public area of your business and you begin to realize how that visual canvas is not being utilized to represent your brand, your message, your mission. It is being seen… it should be getting noticed and remembered! And not all wall coverings need to be advertising copy or photography. Perhaps you can simply use shape and color to “brand” your walls or windows for visual interest, keeping them in accordance with your brand’s palette.

Consider what might very well be your most valuable advertising real estate: storefront windows, waiting room and lobby walls, even shop floors. They are encountered by every customer or client, and even others just passing by – you should be using that marketing opportunity to relay your message and reinforce your brand. When you start looking around you will discover many creative ways to use large-format printing:

banners
removable vinyl wall graphics & murals
car wraps
event signage
posters
floor graphics
window clings
mounted trade show displays
sale announcements or information
directional signage
product exhibits
decorative designs and murals to compliment your brand

Thinking big will grow your business and sales in the new year, and wide format printing is a versatile, affordable and smart component of that winning marketing strategy. It allows you to see your your business with an artist’s or architect’s eye. Enjoy being creative with your marketing.

Contact us at ImageSmith for quotes on all your marketing projects, and more useful tips on how to create custom, effective, high impact marketing solutions.