We go to TED talks for inspiration, education, and as an entertainment resource. Every so often, someone on the team will find a useful TED talk and share it with the entire team.

TED’s mission is to spread ideas through people who “seek a deeper understanding of the world” and “believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and ultimately, the world.” And that’s something that — as a company that helps business influence, market, and attract audiences for our clients — we can really get behind.

So in the interest of spreading ideas and changing the world, we wanted to take a moment to share our team’s 3 favorite TED Talks with you. Which is your favorite?

1. Sasha Strauss: From Branding With Love

This TED Talk is a favorite of our marketing director Kristyn Dingman, who is a big fan of Sasha’s business model. But in this talk, his ability to inspire his audience with clever metaphors and funny sense of humor really shines through. It’s also a great look at the potential that marketing and branding hold. If you’re struggling to find your company’s voice, this TED Talk is a must-watch.

2. Avi Reichental: What’s Next in 3D Printing

This particular TED Talk is a favorite with the entire team here at Printing Solutions. It’s a really cool sneak-peek at new methods of 3D printing, and is a great look into the future of the print industry. Watching this makes us excited for just how amazing 3D printing is … and what it will become.

3. Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Our project managers are big fans of this TED Talk from Simon Sinek. It really hits hard on the idea of inspiration, as well as what it takes to lead others at work or at home. If you are in a leadership role or even just looking for the skills to inspire those around you, this is a perfect watch.

Ready to change the world with your ideas? Our team at Printing Solutions would love to join you. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to let us know where we can help.

The post Our 3 Favorite TED Talks You Must See appeared first on Printing Solutions.

A banding package can be a major undertaking and last for a few weeks, but in the end, our clients invariably decide it was all worth it. Here’s the life cycle of a branding package.

Each project is unique, and its timeline depends on the client and what you are looking for. We offer a good, better, best model for design when it comes to projects like this:

• Starter Package offers the basics to a strong brand identity
• Essentials Package comes with a more detailed timeline and expanded print options
• Pro Package includes digital services like email signatures and social media page creations

Strategy Session

All of our branding projects begin with a strategy session, where we sit down with you to learn the ins and outs of what you like about your current brand and what you want to improve on. During these meetings we make sure we get as much input as we can from the team. Our Creative Director, Justin Ketchum, is involved in every branding project that comes through our doors. We also have Chris Danner, our graphic designer as a second hand in these projects. And lastly, a project manager facilitates pricing and is the main contact for you.

Foundation, Development & Refinement

“One team member will take the lead and serve as the liaison between the team and the client, but a typical brand can have as many as five to seven people working on their project at any given time,” Justin says.

After the strategy session, we jump into the three main steps to a branding package: Foundation, Development, and Refinement. Most of the work is done during the foundation phase, which allows for a fun and easy transition through the development and refinement stages.

The revisions depend entirely on the client. As long as you are OK with the time being spent, revisions can happen as often as you would like — our job is to provide the best possible solutions for our clients, so we want you to be involved in this process as much as possible.

“Typically, a company will have their new logo in use within the month,” Justin says.

Once a project is completed, we still have follow-up calls and meetings with you. We learn something new with every project, and we use these learning experiences as tools to better improve our system, as well as the experience for the next project.

If your brand is in need of a reboot, we would love to help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post Before and After the Creative Process: See the Life Cycle of a Branding Project appeared first on Printing Solutions.

If this sounds familiar, a branding package from Printing Solutions could be a great step in creating your business’s identity. We sat down with our Director of Marketing Kristyn Dingman to learn how it works.

What is a Branding Package Anyway?

Our branding packages are an easy, effective, and detailed solution for businesses looking to start from scratch or to rebrand their current identity. This is a great step for someone who is looking for a brand new start with a whole new identity — and it all starts with your logo.

We have developed a “Good, Better, Best” model for how these packages are offered. Our “Good” option is our Starter Package, which offers the basics to a strong brand identity along with special print marketing offers to show off your new brand.

The “Better” option is our Essentials Package, which says it perfectly. It’s a better version of the “Good” option, but with a more detailed timeline and expanded print options. You’ll also get an in-depth brand identity guide to help you implement your brand anywhere.

Lastly, our “Best” option comes in the form of our Pro Package. The perks with this bundle skyrocket, and include digital services like email signatures and social media page creations for your brand identity.

Each package begins with a strategy session, where we’ll sit down with you to learn the ins and outs of what you like about your current brand and what you want to improve on.

“No one knows their company better than the people who make it tick, so it is important that you are closely involved in your brand’s development,” Creative Director Justin Ketchum says.

How Do I Know if I Need a Branding Package?

A company brand is the foundation in which it grows upon — your business’s true North. If you’ve ever wondered whether your brand is pointing you in the right direction, a consultation may be great for you!

It’s also a great option for new companies looking for a way to distinguish themselves from their competition.

“The number of logo designs in the world to date is staggering,” Justin  says. “To be original and stand out from the crowd is becoming more and more difficult, but that is the precise reason why it is so imperative to build that successful brand.”

BONUS: Why Graphic Design is Vital for Your Business

How Does it Work?

Building or even re-building a brand is a very labor intensive process. Our team at Printing Solutions can typically develop about two brands per month. One team member will take the lead and serve as the liaison between the team and the client, but a typical brand can have as many as five to seven people working on their project at any given time.

There are three main steps to a branding package: Foundation, Development, and Refinement. Most of the work is done during the foundation phase, which allows for a fun and easy transition through the development and refinement stages.

“This process has allowed us to significantly cut down on over 60% of the work, not only creating a better product but saving time and money,” Justin says. “I know this sounds too good to be true but the results will tell you that it works!”

Typically, a company will have their new logo in use within the month. However, there are many factors that go into building a brand, so that will depend entirely on the depth and size of the company.

BONUS: What Goes Into a Brand?

Wondering how Printing Solutions can help your business find some branding clarity? Complete a brand questionnaire today, or give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post How Can a Branding Package Help My Business? appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Here are 4 ways you may be creating inconsistency with your brand right now:

1. Social Media

One of the more common mistakes that we see companies make is jumping into social media when they’re not quite prepared or before they have an idea of how it will tie in with the rest of their business. They either get antsy that they are missing out on something and need to hurry to catch up, or they don’t take social media as seriously as they should. Either way, they may be hurting their brand because they fail to keep their social media channels consistent with the rest of their marketing collateral.

2. Trying to Save A Buck by Using Old Stuff

Once you make a decision to change your branding, even in the slightest way, make sure that the change happens across the board. When you try to use older, outdated marketing materials that don’t reflect the most recent changes you’ve made in your company, you are creating an inconsistency that could lead to the loss of potential business. Is it cheaper to just keep using the old letterhead or brochures until they run out? Maybe. Then again, if you factor in the amount of business you stand to lose from inconsistent branding, maybe not.

3. Leaving Printed Material Out of the Equation

There’s more to be seen than just what’s online. To truly make your brand recognizable, follow up your online marketing with printed material that works to validate and support your online messaging. An email or a website with your branding on it is great, but a mailer with that same branding helps to really establish you as a household name. When your potential clients and customers are only seeing one aspect of your marketing, they may not catch the full vision.

4. Business Cards Without Website and Email Addresses

If your in a business where you are making several person to person contacts a day where business cards are exchanged, be sure that your business card has a link to your website and your email address. First be sure that what they will see on the website is consistent with what they see on the business card. They should be able to instantly tell they are at the right place – not just because of the logo or tagline, but also the communication that should be consistent all around.

If you find that there are elements of your marketing that may be creating inconsistencies in your brand, call Printing Solutions and let us go to work to help you fix the problem. We offer many different services and products that can help you feel confident in your branding. 480-596-6300.

The post 4 Ways You May be Creating Inconsistency With Your Brand appeared first on Printing Solutions.

The goal for any booth at an expo should be to bring in as many potential customers as possible, providing those working the booth a chance to sell the product or service while collecting names, numbers and email addresses for follow up. There are some specific strategies you can follow to ensure you have an optimal size crowd throughout the duration of the expo.

1. Use Social Media

Use social media to promote your participation at the expo before it gets under way. Create a buzz leading up to the event that will pique interest and arouse curiosity.

During the event, use tweets, posts, likes and shares as entries for giveaways and other contests instead of business cards in fish bowls. Post real time pictures of the event on social media channels, including pictures of those manning your booth so that people see familiar faces when they show up.

2. Create a Sharp Image

Make sure that everything related to the expo booths is sharp and clear, both in look and message. Signs, banners and any other marketing material should look clean and crisp with a concise message that gets to your potential client or customer. Do not make the mistake of using outdated, mismatched materials that fail to deliver with strength and confidence. It’s not always about quantity, but more about quality.

3. Prepare Strong Staff

The look and design of your booth should serve to support those who will be presenting at the booth. Make sure the employees at your booth are your best. A strong personal connection will go a long way with those who visit your booth. Because interactions at booths can be brief, prepare your staff to be able to interact with people quickly and powerfully so they make the most of every second.

4. No Empty Hands

Every person who stops at your booth should leave with something. Have a variety of swag and collateral to match each visitor’s level of interest. For some, it may just be a business card. Others will want a brochure or info packet to take back to the home office. Be sure to have the fun stuff too!

5. WiFi and Charging Stations

Get strategic about keeping a steady stream of visitors to your booth by offering free WiFi and charging stations at your booth. These are both hot commodities at any expo or trade show. Consider the extra seconds and minutes you will get with visitors by simply giving them a spot to charge their phone or laptop.

BONUS: Planning for Trade Shows in 2015

For more tips and ideas on how to make your booth inviting, including banners, signs, and other marketing material, be sure to call Printing Solutions today at 480-596-6300.

The post Expo Booths that Draw a Crowd appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Related: 2015 Trend: Metal Business Cards.

Part of that growth involves paying close attention to what is going on around us and watching for the trends that can so easily make 2015 a great year or a not so great year. We hope to draw your attention to 5 specific design trends we see coming for 2015 and hope it helps you as you move forward with your marketing.

1. Getting Tight With Your Customers

Your customers and clients are providing more information to you than they ever have before. It’s time to take what they are telling you and incorporate it in your message. There is a greater expectation that you will to talk to your customers on a personal level more, meaning more direct messages, specific focus on the products they want, and flexibility to offer choices.

2. Move Away From Templates

The jig is up! Everyone can see right through your template these days. In 2015, marketing design will go away from the slightly altered template and into a much more customized feel. This will include colors, typeset, and grid patterns.

3. Typography

Watch for large type to continue to be used and become more popular in 2015. This will go hand in hand with the shift toward full screen background images or videos that is already hotter than ever. Large fonts enable designers to add personality and style, while making bolder, concise statements.

4. Simplicity is King

Simplifying website design to allow a more user-friendly experience is a big reason why keeping things simple will continue to be a trend in 2015. As companies strive to make their websites mobile-friendly, their print design will follow suit. It’s no secret that simplicity is always a good choice, but it will play a bigger role this year than it has in years past.

Related:Best Colors to Use in Marketing.

5. Flat Design

There is still some debate about who gets credit for the trend of “flat design.” While some say Apple’s iOS 7 really pushed the idea along, others argue that Microsoft had already made a step in the direction long before. Regardless of who wins that debate, flat design is here to stay. Look for the disappearance of shadow, beveled edges, and gradients in 2015.

Of course design trends do change quickly these days and it can be difficult to stay ahead of the curve. These are 5 design trends that we think will be around through the end of 2015 and beyond. They are also the design trends we can help you put to work for you when you are ready. Call Printing Solutions at 480-596-6300 to learn more about how we can help you design marketing material that is consistent for 2015.

The post Five Design Trends to Look Out for in 2015 appeared first on Printing Solutions.

One: Keep Hashtags to a Minimum

Hashtags are excellent when accessing conversation for a specific topic. However, this will often distract the potential user for clicking on the link. Therefore, keep them to a minimum so the audience can remain focused.

Two: Measure Performance on Each Tweet

Like with all other marketing campaigns, it is critical to measure performance. The best data to review are engagement rates, cost per engagement and clicks to measure the success of your tweets.

Three: Quickly Follow-up on Leads

One of the most important tips is to always follow-up on leads quickly. If you let the lead sit for too long, they will go somewhere else for the products and services they need.

Four: Segment the Audience when Creating Twitter Advertisements

When creating advertisements, segment your audience with relevant content to keywords, geography, gender and their interests. This specific targets potential leads and increases their interest.

Five: Space out the Link and Image

When using an image in a tweet, do not place it immediately after the link as it will become masked. Instead, leave spaces between the image and link so each can be viewed separately.

Six: Supplement Organic Reach with Paid Tweets

It is always a best practice to implement a balance of paid and organic tweets. The balance can be determined when you evaluate your goals. Use the paid tweets to supplement your organic reach.

Seven: Treat Lead Generating Tweets Differently

The best lead generating tweets have several characteristics in common including, they are short, clear, provide one link and deliver interesting copy. Try not to use hashtags, mentions or post multiple links as the audience will lose interest.

Twitter has become another source of lead generation for many companies across the globe. By considering these seven tips when posting tweets about your product or service, you will have much more success than the competition.

The post Top 7 Ways to Generate Leads on Twitter you Must Know appeared first on Printing Solutions.

• Vegetable Oil-Based Inks- The greenest types of printing processes use vegetable oil-based inks which consist of renewable resources like linseed, cottonseed, China wood oil and tung. Since these are natural elements, the waste inks can be easily recycled and reformed into new inks.

Related: Best Colors to Use in Marketing.

• Soy Inks- Similar to vegetable oil-based inks, soy inks do not contain volatile chemicals so they are gentle on the environment and can still produce high-quality and bright images. Best of all, this type of ink is recyclable and can be reused in other inks.
• Process Chlorine Free (PCF) Paper- PCF papers are those that have been bleached with only natural compounds and are 100. Although some chlorine may remain from other recycled papers, this reduction in chemicals is much easier on the environment.
• Recycled Paper- Recycled paper is best used with all printing processes to reduce the number of trees required for print runs.
• Duplex Printing- Duplex printing, printing double-sided, is an excellent method of reducing the amount of paper used during a print run. Although it may take more time to duplex print, you can save money on paper and also limit the number of trees that are being cut down to be manufactured into paper.
• Font Selection for Printing- Surprisingly, the font you select will play a significant role in the environmental sustainability of your printing process. Specific fonts require more ink than others and, therefore, cost more to manufacture. The more ink you use, the more you will need quicker and the more chemicals will be created.
• Screen Printing- Historically, the inks used in screen printing contained more solvents than other printing processes. However, more screen printers have been using UV inks which can be cured under a UV lamp. This gives the advantage of eliminating solvents from the direct printing process.
• Water-based Aqueous Printing- The most environmentally friendly type of coating during the printing process is water-based aqueous coatings. Similar to other types of coatings, these provide a protective layer and are recyclable.
• Biopolymer Printing- When printing on plastics, biopolymers are the best option as their material makeup consists of manufactured plastics that use corn and other types of vegetables.
• Digital Printing- Due to its plate-free technology, digital printing ink sits on the top layer of the substrate and creates significantly less waste. Since there are no plates, this process is fast and manufactures aesthetically-pleasing prints.

Related: 7 Tips for Highly Effective Marketing Material. 

If you need help with any of your printing needs give us a call at 480-596-6300 and we can provide you with the proper consultation on green products and processes that we use here at Printing Solutions.

The post Top 10 Green Printing Processes appeared first on Printing Solutions.

We live in the digital age when the focus is on internet marketing and content. In our rush to stay ahead of the curve, we sometimes fail to look back at what is actually working and what is historically proven to work. This includes good marketing material.

Related: Best Colors to Use in Marketing 

However, it’s not enough to just have a brochure highlighting your services or a business card that was designed in the 1980’s. It takes a bit of strategy and ingenuity to successfully use marketing material.

Here are 7 tips for developing highly effective marketing material:

1. Keep it Simple

As excited and proud as you might be about the services and products offered through your business, it is better not to list every single detail. Remember that people have short attention spans and they want to be able to get the gist of the business in a short glance.

2. Stay Consistent

You can’t argue with the hundreds of studies and reports that shows the importance of consistency in your message and branding. All marketing material should have the same general feel and tone. This includes color schemes, language and artwork.

3. Use Printed Material

Yes, your online presence is definitely important, but it should not be the reason for letting your printed collateral grow outdated. Printed material still plays a crucial role in the marketing of your business. Your printed marketing strategy should compliment and work in conjunction with your online marketing strategy, which includes staying consistent (see point 2 above).

4. The Right People for the Right Job

Let designers design and writers write. There is a good reason why they do what they do. Trust their instincts and give them your support. You’ll end up with marketing material that really works.

5. Images are Hot

It is true that pictures speak a thousand words and that doesn’t change when it comes to marketing material. Spend the time to find the right images that convey the right message. People, including your prospective customers, relate to pictures so give them good ones.

6.  Have a Point

Every bit of marketing material should have some sort of call to action or clear next step. Guide your prospect to that action by first, grabbing their attention, second, informing them, and third, inviting them to move forward. They won’t buy if you don’t ask!

7.  Don’t Chase – Attract

No one likes being chased, including you! Be sure to give your prospects something to look at that draws them in naturally. Take the time to develop clever and attractive marketing material that helps to set the tone of your brand.

Related: 3 Tips for Creating a Prefect Brochure 

Creating, producing and printing excellent marketing material is what we do here at Printing

Solutions. If you have more questions about developing a strong marketing material strategy, give us a call at 480-596-6300.

The post 7 Tips for Highly Effective Marketing Material appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Related: Why Your Print and Internet Marketing Need to be Working Together.

Therefore, if you are not using call tracking, you are passing a major opportunity to generate a wealth of data that can improve overall marketing efforts. By utilizing call tracking metrics, you can amass critical information about phone leads as part of your campaign. As a result, you can optimize your marketing channels to receive the best return on marketing dollars spent.

Best Call Tracking Marketing Channels

Call tracking can gather phone lead information retrieved from almost every aspect of a marketing campaign including:

• Billboard marketing
• Direct mail marketing
• Email marketing
• Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaigns
• Print marketing
• Television marketing
• Web marketing

For the most accurate performance tracking results, you want to utilize different call tracking numbers for each platform.

Identifying Performance Issues with Call Tracking Metrics

Call tracking metrics can tell you the percentage of leads that each sales team member converts into sales. This data is critical to determine which team members need additional training, who to send the most calls to and to evaluate team member performance for dismissals, promotions and raises. Also, it can provide insight into the performance of PPC campaigns. Determining that one PPC keyword grouping has acquired a higher conversion percentage than another, you can invest more resources in the better performing group. It can also help to identify if adjustments must be made for the campaign.

Related: Design a Print Strategy Around your Website Analytics

Call tracking metrics are an extremely critical resource for any company’s print marketing campaigns as they can help to identify successes and failures, thus allowing you to put more resources into the better performing campaigns. With so many different marketing tools available, call tracking is not as utilized as it should be. This resource should be part of every company’s marketing strategy.

The post How to Use Call Tracking to Optimize your Print Marketing appeared first on Printing Solutions.