The 8 Dos and Don'ts of Branding

 

Your brand is often the key to growing and keeping your customer base. 

A recognizable, identifiable brand with a cohesive look and feel helps you get the attention of a potential customer and keeps the would-be one-time customer coming back for more. You want your brand to be instantly memorable, especially when it comes to print-based marketing. This is why it is essential to make sure your brand is in tip-top shape!

How do you know if your brand is on point or missing the mark? You follow these dos and don'ts of branding.

The Dos of Branding

1. Take the Time to Update Your Brand Logo

Even iconic brands like Coca-Cola revamp their logo on occasion.

The longer you have been in business, the more likely you need to update your brand logo. You want your brand to appear fresh and relevant. You don’t have to redesign your brand logo completely; just give it a revamp. 

2. Pay Particular Attention to Detail

Designing for print leaves little to no room for error.

You want to get it right the first time and avoid costly fixes down the road. Therefore, it is usually best to start with a digital design before printing the final product.  

3. Take Advantage of Print Textures

Because print-based marketing gives the consumer something they can hold, don’t forget about using print texture to enhance your brand.

Techniques like folding, embossing, or even well-placed foiling can create a unique print experience. 

4. Respect White Space

With print, sometimes less if more.

Try to leave space between the icon and the text. Try your design in black and white before adding color. You’ll see just how impactful it is or realize you need to go back to the drawing board for tweaks and adjustments.  

The Don’ts of Branding

1. Forget to Edit

Editing is often the best friend of printing and branding.

Come up with several options before settling on something final. Brands will inevitably evolve, but spending the initial investment of time on the front end will allow you to come up with a solid brand.

2. Add Too Many Fine Details for Printing

There is a time and place for intricacy when it comes to branding.

Intricate designs with multiple colors and gradients may be amazing for digital marketing platforms but will most likely get lost in translation in print. So instead, think simple but unique for print purposes by scaling back fine details.

3. Use a Wide Variety of Colors

One of the goals of print marketing is to get the customer’s attention.

While you can do this with color, too many colors may have the opposite effect. Think about the size of your print materials and use that to guide your choices of colors. 

4. Use the Wrong Font

Think about your brand. Is it bold? Demure? Classic?

Choose a font that represents the overall feel of your brand. For example, a construction company would likely never utilize a swirly font with loopy letters. Put your font choice to the test before making a final decision. Look at it in various sizes. If it doesn’t translate well to several settings, choose another font.

Creating a brand for your business doesn’t have to be an impossible task. When you keep these dos and don’ts of branding in mind, your business can be well on its way to iconic status in no time. 

Partner With a Marketing Expert

When it comes to building a successful printing brand, partnering with an experienced team of marketing experts is crucial. With years of valuable experience, we're here to help your business shine. Contact us today to get started!Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO:www.printcafeli.com

How to Build Trust and Rapport in New Business Relationships

When Brendan Kane scheduled a Fox Business interview, he never planned to bag a presidential candidate.

Kane, a social media influencer strategist, thought his Kennedy show interview was simply another media spot. Until he landed in the green room with Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney. Kane later admitted he didn’t even know who Delaney was – he just wanted to have a good conversation. But as they visited about their lives and interests, Delaney was quickly drawn to Kane’s magnetic, genuine personality.

One warm conversation bloomed into a partnership. Before the day was over, Delaney asked Kane to help him with his political social media campaign.

Sell Yourself, Then Sell Your Products

Do you want to create a rapport that quickly builds trust with others?

This starts with meeting people organically and connecting with them authentically. Brendan Kane never tried to sell John Delaney anything; he just took an interest in his life and story. It was Delaney who eventually pitched himself to Kane!

Great business relationships start with rich personal interactions, including conversations that flow from an authentic, nonthreatening place. Are you looking to sell yourself so you can then sell your brand or product? Here are three tips to get you started:

1. Offer non-judgmental validation

People feel heard and valued when you seek their opinions and input without judging them.

Seek the other person’s opinions and thoughts without jumping to conclusions. While you don’t have to agree with what they say, adopting an attitude of acceptance means respecting a person’s feelings or values as valid, even if they are different from your own.

If this is difficult for you, taking time to imagine yourself in the other person’s place can help you be more open and empathetic.

2. Listen with your full presence

Do you ever talk to someone who seems distracted? Even as this person listens, you can see a thousand thoughts racing through his head, as if he can’t wait to cut in and speak his mind.

One of the best gifts you can give someone is your full presence and attention – to truly listen. Beneath all the swagger or struggles, everyone has a story to tell. People are longing to be seen and heard, and when you ask questions and actually hear the answers, you’ll be amazed how quickly connections are built.

3. Establish a time constraint early in the conversation

Have you ever been sitting in an airport or your office chair when someone unexpectedly approaches you to start a conversation?

This scenario can be unsettling for many people because no one wants to feel trapped in an awkward, unplanned discussion (especially with someone they don’t fully trust). To quickly set an associate at ease, preview the end of a conversation before it starts.

Say something like, “I’d like to visit with you about ____, can I grab 10 minutes of your time?” or, “I’m on my way out, but before I left, I wanted to ask you _______.”

Enlarge Your Influence

Building rapport is critical for nurturing strong relationships and amplifying your influence on others.

When you build relational bridges, you will engage people on a human level, foster transparency, and fuel a culture of innovation, loyalty, and collaboration.

Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO:www.printcafeli.com

                  Do Your Print Marketing Materials Need an Upgrade?

There is a great deal of time, effort, and energy placed into updating your print marketing materials.

You need to cover all the relevant information in a very limited space. This means you need to fully optimize your messaging and make sure your materials attract attention.

With all this thought going into ensuring packaging and flyers and postcards are fantastic, you may be unwilling to make regular updates. Unfortunately, this can allow your message to become stale or even allow inaccurate information to be shared with customers over time. 

Time to Make a Change! 

Donna, a local florist, realized it had been more than 6-8 months since she reviewed and revised the messaging on her printed materials.

She knew it was probably time to make some tweaks. Businesses can change dramatically over time, with shifts in hours of operation, updated special offers, and more making an appearance. 

Regular reviews to ensure your messaging is still on point helps keep your marketing materials fresh and interesting for repeat customers. Plus, it ensures that any new prospects have your best offer in front of them at all times.

Donna worked with her local print shop to update her messaging, and her customers certainly noticed! She received many positive comments and new clients from an updated postcard and flyer combination that she designed and had printed locally.

Update Graphics and Colors

Has your logo evolved a bit over time?

It's not unusual to spread out all of your marketing materials on a table and find that you have several iterations of logos or color schemes represented. Viewing your marketing materials together as a whole can add necessary cohesion to your brand. 

While you may not want to follow on-trend color schemes or make changes based on the seasons, you may want to do a quick update to your color palette. Ensuring that your brand look stays fresh and current is an important part of brand management. 

Put Your Best Offer Forward

Are you placing your very best offer in front of clients and prospects? Do you need different offers for individuals at various stages of the buying journey?

Now is a great time to look at your audience segments and see if you can fine-tune any graphics for eye appeal while meeting their unique needs.

Whether you're looking for options to create branding materials for a new company or simply refreshing your current options, your local print shop is here for you! We work with organizations of all sizes to ensure you have access to exceptional resources to promote your brand.  Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO:www.printcafeli.com

                             6 Tips to Improve Your Printed Newsletters

Online ads, digital promotions, and e-newsletters bombard recipients daily.

Much of this information is being deleted or filtered out without ever being read. Because of this, printed newsletters are making a comeback, and more businesses are using them to keep their customers current with what is happening. 

Regardless of whether the company is already sending out a newsletter or debating on starting one, it is good to learn new ways to improve it. Here are some tips to help improve printed newsletters. 

6 Tips to Improve Your Printed Newsletters

1. Exclusive Information

Offering exclusive information in a newsletter or a special incentive for signing up can help increase the mailing list and encourage recipients to read it.

Information can include unique advice from the CEO, advance notice for special announcements, or information someone can only receive if they read the entire newsletter. Special incentives can include discounts for products or services, gifts, or invitations to special events. 

2. Article Focus

When writing articles for the newsletter, it is essential to make them fun to read and provide valuable information.

By offering valuable information, readers become informed about products, services, or events, which lead to future sales. Encourage employees to contribute and write articles to provide more variety in writing styles and topics. 

3. Add Personalized Content

Create newsletter articles for the individual needs of specific groups.

Writing for targeted groups may require multiple newsletters to achieve; however, it may be worth the investment if a business targets multiple groups of people. For example, a major real estate company may want to create two newsletters, one for those who need real estate information to buy or sell homes and then a second newsletter for real estate agents. 

4. Use Color

Color attracts the eye and draws people in, encouraging them to continue reading.

Color animates everything, and one of the most popular newspapers — USA Today — implements lots of color in its papers. Use color to complement the article topics and other images within the newsletter. 

5. Placement of Images

In addition to using color to attract readers, the placement and use of images and photos will help draw readers.

Many will look at images and read their captions first before reading the article. Use photos and images that help better explain an article and be visually attractive for newsletter skimmers. One tip to keep in mind is to use the dollar bill test. It should be possible to place a dollar bill anywhere on the newsletter, and it should be touching an image.  

6. Offer an Online Option

Though having a printed newsletter to read in hand is preferred by many, some still want access to the same information online.

Create a section on the website to include links to PDF files or online versions of the newsletter. For example, The Disney Company has printed The Mickey Monitor for years to send out quarterly to annual pass holders to its theme parks. However, the newsletter is also accessible online. 

Nonprofits and groups are also offering printed newsletters online as a virtual reference. When signing up for the newsletter from Widowed Persons Service, recipients can select to receive a printed newsletter or one via their email. 

When done correctly, a printed newsletter can attract attention and be an excellent tool for a company. Regardless of the newsletter's purpose — boost sales, attract new clients, or educate employees — there is sure to be a return on the investment associated with the costs of printing the newsletter. Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO:www.printcafeli.com

          The Importance of Organization When Meeting       Deadlines

Some are lucky enough to have natural organization skills; others have to work at managing their time in order to work quickly and efficiently.

In general, organization will help manage your time, and it will also ease the stress of having deadlines. Having a clear-cut plan with driven direction will help conquer any and all deadlines thrown your way.

Prioritizing is Key

Larger projects that have a quicker deadline should be the ones you’re working on first.

Many people want to put off larger projects because they seem intimidating. Make a plan to break down the larger projects into smaller ones and accomplish one at a time.

Conquering smaller projects at a time will seem less intimidating and less stressful. Sometimes you might be working diligently on a project and -- in the middle of it -- get thrown a project that has a quicker deadline. Dropping the current project can be hard to do but is necessary for meeting deadlines.

Identify Your Productive Time and Use It

If you’re a morning person and motivated with a cup of coffee to start your day, use the morning to accomplish those intimidating tasks.

Or if you’re more motivated in the afternoon, then use that time. Working within your productive time will help keep you on track and get important tasks accomplished. In the less productive times, concentrate on checking emails and doing research -- the things that ease your brain.

Another key to factor into your productive time is making sure that time is uninterrupted. Set aside time that you know will be quiet to work on things, and make sure that time is within your productive time of the day. Fewer interruptions will help keep your focus streamlined.

Embrace the Lists

The largest benefit to writing your lists on paper is the gratification of checking things off.

Once an item is checked off as complete, your brain realizes that it doesn’t need to think about that anymore. This can relieve the stress of feeling like your to-do list is never-ending. Writing it down shows you that there is an end to the list and will keep you focused on what’s important.

Keeping these things in mind will create an efficient and stress-free atmosphere when working on projects and meeting important deadlines. If organization is not your cup of tea, working with someone who is organized can help balance your routine. Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO: www,printcafeli.com

   The Do’s and Don’ts for Taking Better Pictures with Your iPhone

When it comes to great print marketing, high-quality images can make all the difference.

Since most people today have a smartphone they use for taking pictures rather than a digital camera, here are five do’s and don’ts for taking better pictures with your iPhone.

DO’S

1. Do use portrait mode when capturing pictures that focus on people.

Many forget to make good use of the portrait mode when capturing a friend or family member. Portrait mode will focus on the person only and blur out the background. This mimics the effect that a professional camera reflects.

2. Do keep your “live” feature on when taking pictures of moving objects or people.

Using the “live” feature comes in handy for things or people that move quickly, for instance – a busy baby or a sports game. After the live picture is captured, you will be able to go back, edit the picture, and choose which frame you’d like to be the key photo.

3. Do make sure your camera lens is not foggy or smudged.

This is something that is commonly overlooked when pulling your phone out to take a picture. Wiping off the lens with a cloth or t-shirt will make a marvelous difference in the clarity of your picture.

4. Do use the “auto” edit wand for each picture.

It’s as easy as it sounds! Clicking that auto edit wand will do wonders on your pictures if you don’t know where to start. It’ll auto-adjust the white balance, color tone, exposure, etc.

5. Do use natural lighting for better color and clarity.

Use sunlight at every chance you get. The more natural lighting you use, the less grainy your images will look. For example, standing near a window when indoors will allow natural lighting to come into your picture.

DON’TS

1. Don’t use the front camera for anything except selfies.

The front camera on an iPhone is usually a lower megapixel than the rear-facing camera. The images taken with the front-facing camera will turn out more “grainy” than images captured with the rear-facing camera.

2. Don’t stick to the default filters that Apple provides.

There are many other filters available, especially on Lightroom and for purchase, that provide better color for your pictures.

3. Don’t expect as high of quality when using iPhone pictures at a larger scale.

iPhone has a great camera, but it can’t be compared to a $2,000+ DSLR camera. If you’re looking to enlarge a picture for a canvas or banner, it’s best to rely on the use of a professional camera rather than a smartphone.

After following these tips, your iPhone pictures will be worth more than a thousand words. And, when you're ready to get those pictures out to the world through great print marketing, give us a call! Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO: www.printcafeli.com

                 5 Tips for Hiring Better Talent in a Virtual World

Now that so many are accustomed to remote working, firms may face increasing demand to recruit and hire people without actually meeting them.

If you feel uneasy selecting candidates this way, here are some tips to get you started:

1. Identify the Ideal Medium to Find Candidates

It may require trial and error, but find your ideal medium and use it to streamline candidates that fit your specifications for experience, pay grade, etc.

2. Host a Virtual Career Fair or Company Presentation

To build rapport before any interviews take place, consider hosting a virtual career fair or company info session to interact with prospects.

Here you can weed out candidates you don’t want to interview or gain access to a more diverse talent pool.

3. Utilize Skill Assessments

Training can be challenging if you hire a remote workforce, so hiring competent individuals is especially important.

If you are onboarding offsite employees, you may want to add extra steps (like aptitude tests, writing samples, or mock presentations) to the interview process. 

4. Use a Variety of Question Formats

Since in-person interviews offer greater nonverbal communication insights, you’ll probably need to craft more strategic questions for virtual interviews.

Start with basic questions (e.g., “tell me about yourself”), move to targeted queries that align with your company culture, and use behavioral questions that uncover character and critical thinking qualities. Finally, try assessing live performance as you ask a candidate to complete a task live (e.g., performing a technical function as they share their screen).

5. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

To build a strong relational connection, eliminate as many distractions as possible.

It may help to send pre-interview packets to candidates to add efficiency to your meeting. Streamline the scheduling process by allowing candidates to sign up for an interview online. Test your technology 15 minutes before the call and have a backup plan if a malfunction occurs. And create a unified scoring system, so candidates receive standardized grading criteria.

Virtual recruiting will allow you to quickly and efficiently hire high-quality team members while adding flexibility. Implement a uniform system, so you have the skills you need to recruit and hire with confidence!Need some fresh ideas? Contact us today to get started! 516-561-1468 or FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANY OF OUR MARKETING PRODUCTS GO TO: www.printcafeli.com