If you have an event coming up, here are some guidelines to help you promote it in the best way.

BONUS: Train Your Staff to Get the Most From Your Trade Show Booth

1. What’s your budget?

It’s important to allot a large enough budget to promote upcoming event effectively. It’s always good to have a few different branded visual references at your table. Use these basics as a guideline:

• A table throw: about $179
• A retractable banner: about $249
• At least 1 handout (brochures, postcards): $79
• A Business card: $39

Total: $546

When planning your budget, remember that these promotional materials aren’t a one-time investment. Most of Printing Solutions’ customers reprint their signs and banners only once a year at most. So you can invest a few bucks into something big and high-quality that other marketing material just cannot do.

2. What functionality do you need?

Consider your purpose for attending the event when you plan your promotional materials. Do you want to connect with potential clients, or are you there to look for new companies to partner with? Tailor your materials toward your end goal.

Certain materials are essential regardless of your end goal — you’ll always need a large sign or banner to attract the most attention possible. But if your booth doesn’t include a table front and center, you might want to skip the table throw and put your budget toward more interesting freebies to hand out at the event.

Keep in mind that just because you purchase these materials for a specific event doesn’t mean that they’re useless between trade shows. A lot of wide format printing is very versatile in that you can use it for many different occasions. Once your event is over, displaying your signs or banners in your office or conference room just adds additional branding to your workspace.

3. What products do you already have?

It’s always a good idea to go through your existing supplies before an event and take inventory of what you already have. If you’ve attended trade shows or tabled other events before, chances are you can repurpose some of your existing materials, like table throws, business cards, and banners. But if the materials show signs of wear or are of a low quality, you might want to consider reprinting.

“We take print and see how we can design something specifically for it. The two go together,” says Kristyn Dingman, Printing Solutions’ Director of Marketing. “You can have a high-end retractable banner that has an unattractive graphic on it, or you can have a really solid design of your logo that is printed on a cheap material. The two are essential to one another. Printing on a high-quality material with a high-quality visual is the best route to take.”

If you’re planning your first event and need to start from scratch with promotional materials, our On-The-Go Package was created just for your. It includes over 6 different print marketing options for one price and is a customizable and comprehensive solution to that helps to promote upcoming event.

BONUS: Large Format Printing and What You Are Doing Wrong

For us, the best part of planning any event is seeing the customer’s face light up when we have the display set up in our office for them to pick up. Seeing that end result and the reactions we get are priceless.

Need Help To Promote Upcoming Event?

If you need help planning and to promote upcoming event or trade show, let Printing Solutions help. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.

The post How Should I Promote My Upcoming Event? appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Fortunately, we know a thing or two about decor here at Printing Solutions. Many of our customers have come to us specifically for help to give their office walls some new life, and we can’t wait to share our best tips with you. Here are five ways to pump up your office with print decor.

BONUS: Custom Vinyl Decals Make Your Walls Talk

1. Window Clings

They say the eyes are windows to the soul, but if you own a business, your windows let eyes see straight into your office.

“Most offices are rented so you can’t throw whatever you want up on the walls, so window clings are a good option,’ says Kristyn Lechwar, Director of Marketing at Printing Solutions. “They are so versatile and you can do so much with them.”

That versatility extends beyond the standard window decals. For a more custom look, Printing Solutions offers several different vinyl options that look great over the entire window. For example, a frosted vinyl with your business’s name cut out of it gives the same feel as a modern frosted glass. But the real frosting on the cake is the fact that achieving the look with vinyl is much more cost effective than purchasing a new pane of glass with etched lettering.

2. Big Banners

Another crowd-pleaser is the heavy, durable kind of banner typically seen at trade shows and job fairs.

“It’s super inexpensive and the print quality comes out really good, so we always suggest that because it’s cost-effective,” Kristyn says.

These banners are made of a material called 13-ounce scrim, and come with metal grommets to reinforce the corners when you hang them up. Another versatile decor choice, these banners are great for hanging on a blank wall in the office, but can also be used at any events you attend as a business.

This sort of versatility also makes it an ideal option for businesses that may be moving offices in the near future. Unlike more permanent lettering options, you can take scrim banners with you when you leave.

3. Canvas

Custom-printed canvas signs are a bold way to liven up your office space and make it more inviting. Canvas gives the same feel as collector art, but is brands and prints to meet your company’s needs.

Canvas prints crisply and has a high-quality finish. And because it’s a three-dimensional product rather than a flat banner, custom-printed canvases really pop on most office walls.

Like banners, canvas pieces are not permanent, which is great for offices whose lease is expiring soon.

“You can move them anywhere in the space, you can put them in the windows, you can put them up front, wherever. If you move, you can take it with you,” Kristyn says.

4. Retractable banners

For offices looking to make a big statement from the moment a customer walks in the door, retractable banners are the way to go, especially during the holiday season.

“You can put that in the front for when people walk in and have it say ‘Happy Holidays’ or something like that,” Kristyn says. Then you can put it away when the season’s over, because you’re only going to have it out for a month.”

Retractable banners are also easy to store when not in use. They fold up really small — about two or three feet by six inches — and each comes with a little bag so you can keep it nice and clean.

You can also switch out those banners throughout the year. Once the winter holidays are over, you can easily change the message to match other seasons.

5. Brochures and Cards for Customers

Another way to make a great first impression is when clients walk in the door is to be sure to have plenty of brochures and business cards ready for them. Pamphlets describing your company’s services, locations, past projects, and more make a nice display in the lobby.

If brochures aren’t your style, you can take a page out of Printing Solutions’ book.

“We have a card that’s specifically for the customer,” Kristyn says. “When you walk in it says ‘Get a Starbucks gift card from us,’ and if you leave us a Google+ review, you get a Starbucks gift card.”

For such a great incentive, it’s a really simple idea. It’s a clean, to-the-point business card just like Printing Solutions does for many of its customers. It simply shares a different message than the traditional business card.

BONUS: Decorate Your Office to Promote and Foster Culture

These are just a few of the ways you can use materials you print to really pump up the decor in your office. For more ideas, or to learn more about our custom and commercial printing services, give Printing Solutions a call at 480-596-6300.

The post 5 Ways to Pump Up Your Office with Print Decor appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Colors serve as a sort of non-verbal communicator. As humans, we tend to subconsciously assign certain traits and characteristics to colors, including their shades and hues. Dark red used at a restaurant, for example, can make an entirely different statement than a lighter red would.

Related: Metal Business Cards; The Newest Trend in 2015

To understand what messages colors are sending, consider the following color chart, which lists the emotions, characteristics and ideas each color can portray:

Red

Aggressive, Energy, Excitement. It has been pointed out that restaurants use red to not only stimulate appetite, but also to keep people moving along so there is always room for the next customer.

Blue

Dependable, Safe, Loyalty. Banks and other financial institutions use blue to help portray a safe and steadfast environment. Blue is also often used in uniform design from military to police to security guards.

Green

Growth, Peace, Health. If you are going for a calming feel for your marketing material, use green. People feel more connected and natural with green logos and branding.

Yellow

Happiness, Cheer, Sunshine. You can use yellow to convey optimism and positivity. Women tend to like yellow more than men.

Orange

Playful, Engergetic, Fun. Often used to promote toys and various forms of entertainment. It has been used to express a beginning, like a sunrise.

Purple

Wealth, Sophistication, Royalty. Purple often associates with prosperity and wealth. Many have had success using purple when targeting young women in their teen and pre-teen years.

Pink

Youthful, Sweet, Creative. Perfect color choice when promoting romance or femininity. Used for candy and sweets.

Black

Power, Mystery, Authority. While black is a very powerful color that conveys intelligence and sophistication, it also evokes emotions of death and grieving.

White

Clean, Pure, Safety. Perfect to use for anything health related or with baby products. White can give a feeling of balance and it’s use will convey neutrality.

Related: Information to Include on your Business Cards

When it comes to choosing the right color for your marketing material, it really boils down to what message you are hoping to get across. Do not make the mistake of underestimating your color choices. Carefully consider what it is you want to convey immediately with your marketing material. Remember that color is sending a message whether you want it to or not.

For more questions about color use in marketing material, call Printing Solutions at 480-596-6300.

The post Best Colors to Use in Marketing Materials appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Make sure you have someone professional and outgoing manning your booth

The person responsible for representing your company should send the right message. You won’t create a unique experience at trade shows with a shy representative. Timid personalities will get lost in the crowd at trade shows. You’ve got to command attention not only with your booth, but with your physical presentation. Have your representative work on their spiel that they’ll be giving to visitors. It should be rehearsed, but also very easy-going and should flow in a natural way.

Related: Step-up Your Public Speaking Game

Bring the right materials

It’s imperative that you have the right materials for the show. People will have their hands full of swag and marketing materials so you want something they’ll actually hold onto. This can be as simple as a well designed postcard that they’ll want to hold onto, maybe a notepad that you know they’ll hold onto or something unique like a plastic business card that will stand out above the rest.

Related: Have a Killer Trade Show Display

Give them incentive to visit your website

Consider offering a discount for anyone who signs up on your website or gives you their email while visiting your booth. They’re going to be overloaded with information about businesses so why should they take the time to look you up? Give them a reason to!

Encourage participation

There’s many ways you can make sure that people remember your booth and actually interact with your company. The more they interact with you, the more likely they are to remember you the next day, the next week or the next month. Raffles are a great way to keep their attention. Hand each visitor a ticket and give them a time to come back to participate in the raffle. Ask them to post pictures to your social media and offer a prize for the best picture. Make sure to include a hashtag relevant to your company!

If you can manage to capture the attention of trade show visitors long enough for them to remember you later, you’ve broken through the trade show barrier. Being unique can go a long way when you’re room of hundreds of people and exhibitors.

If you need printed materials to take to your next trade show, stop by our Scottsdale printing office or call 480-596-6300. We can help you design and print everything you need for a trade show. We also have designers on staff to help with the initial design process. From logos to business cards, we do it all.

The post Create a Unique Experience at Trade Shows appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Related: Why Your Web Designer and Print Company Need to Communicate

Most people think that Google Analytics will only tell you what you need to know about digital marketing, but that’s not the case. You can transfer statistics and use those in your traditional print as well. If most customers are spending time on a certain section of your site, you can bet that you can design a brochure or postcard around that aspect of your business and find success. Here’s some tips on how to design your print strategy based on analytics.

• Take the most popular part of your site and create marketing materials around that content. For us, we know that a lot of people spend time on our business card section of the site. So when we attend trade shows or send mailers, we focus on business cards and a few other sections of the site that prove to be the most promising as far as turning leads into customers.

• Where are your site visitors finding you? If it’s on social media, promote that heavily on your handouts. You can go even bigger by using a cardboard cutout or banner that promotes your most heavily viewed social media page. Make sure you include a call-to-action such as ‘leave us a review.” Add hashtags to your materials so you can take advantage of free word of mouth marketing from your clients.

• Need to boost a part of your site? Offer a discount for your product or service on a postcard or business card if they go to your site and interact with a certain page. Add a contact form on that page where they can send you their name and email for a quote or further information.

• Demographic information can be extremely useful so you can send targeted mailers to that specific group of people. Do you attract young adults? Do people from Phoenix visit your site more regularly than Scottsdale residents? Focus on those groups for the best return on your direct marketing materials such as door hangers and post cards.

• You can also do reverse demographic research by adding a call tracking number to your print materials. Call tracking numbers are digital numbers that forward to your business phone. You can set up tracking so that each phone call to that digital number is registered as a lead and recorded in Google Analytics. You can also test flyers with different colors or designs and use separate call tracking numbers so you can figure out which is more appealing to your customers

Here at Printing Solutions, we love finding ways to mesh digital and traditional print marketing. There’s so many ways to use them in conjunction with one another to take your marketing efforts to the next level.

Related: Use Print Products to Drive More Website Traffic

If you have questions about our printing services in Scottsdale, call our printing company at 480-596-6300 or stop by our offices. We’d love to discuss your design and print marketing strategies and see how successful your business can be!

The post Design a Print Strategy Around Your Website Analytics appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Our advice to small businesses is to stop viewing print and online marketing as mutually exclusive of one another and start seeing them as two pieces of a larger puzzle.

Through flyers, postcards, and sell sheets, you can target traffic to a specific domain. Here’s how it works:

How to Use Printed Products to Drive More Online Traffic

Step #1: Design an Eye-Catching Printed Product

It’s important to create a clean and sophisticated design that people’s eyes will instantly be attracted to. Believe it or not, design can influence your customers’ behaviors in both negative and positive ways.

Related: The Importance of Design

Step #2: Keep Text Sparse

Don’t overload your printed product with tons of information. Remember, the purpose of this particular printed piece is to drive traffic to a specific webpage. Thus, you’ll want to include only essential information with one clear call to action.

Step #3: Choose a Domain to Target

There are tons of webpages a business might want to drive traffic to. Some type of pages include:

• Event page
• Product/service page
• Client testimonial
• Launch page

The advantage of using print to direct traffic to a specific webpage is that you can target a whole new audience. While some customers may find the page through search engines, your printed marketing material can capture an audience that otherwise might have been excluded.

In conclusion, get help creating print marketing materials by giving Printing Solutions a call at 480-596-6300. We provide printing services that will work in conjunction with your online marketing efforts and as stand alone pieces.

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Here’s what we’ve learned: emotions matter! Your brochure should be intriguing, informative and leave people wanting more. If your brochure can do those three things, then it’s golden.

To create the perfect brochure, you’ll want to concentrate on each specific panel individually

Panel 1 (Front)

Panel 1 is the first thing that customers will notice. It is the most important part of your brochure. Design something so great that it makes people want to open it, such as coming up with a catchy question, using colorful graphics or a combination of the two. Also, don’t forget to include your logo!

Related: Logo Development and Your Brand Future

The Guts

The inside of the brochure is the “heart” of your brochure, literally and figuratively. This is where a potential client is going to get to know who you are/what you do/why they need to work with you. A word of advice: don’t list all of your prices! At this point, this person is still a cold lead. They have no reason to spend money on your product or service yet. The purpose of the brochure is to reel them in and gain their interest.

The Back

The back may be the most overlooked part of a brochure but it’s more important than you might think. This is where a customer looks for information on how to contact you…so don’t skimp and leave it blank! Be sure to list the all the pertinent information as well as one last reason why a customer simply can’t live without your goods or services.

Related: A Guide To Creating The Wow Factor!

For help creating the perfect brochure, give Printing Solutions a call at 480-596-6300. When it comes to printing for business, no one beats Printing Solutions!

The post 3 Tips for Creating the Perfect Brochure appeared first on Printing Solutions.

A custom designed brochure takes the best of what your company has to offer and showcases it in a way that is consistent with your branding and messaging. It is a long-lasting reflection of your business that a prospect can hang on to and refer to over time. At Printing Solutions, we specialize in creating brochures designed to tie in with your branding and incorporating eye catching graphics. We are experienced in placing your company information and photos in brochure designs that maximize impact and highlight your important information.

Consider your company website and all of the information it contains.
Does it explain why your business is unique? Does it include testimonials, your mission statement, an explanation of your services? Are there photos of staff, products or services that bring your business to life? All of these vital marketing components can be incorporated into a vibrant color brochure. Whether you place it in the hands of people you meet, or target certain demographic or geographic markets with a mailed brochure, you can ensure that your company is being seen and your information can be kept on hand for easy access.

Printing Solutions has talented designers on staff, ready to assist you with a design that will bring the impact of your website directly to your target market. Our high quality printing and paper can be enhanced with new silk lamination technology to ensure that your brochures retain their polished look over time, and our direct mail service is an affordable way to distribute your brochures to target markets. Don’t wait for people to find you – put your information into their hands with a brochure today.

The post What’s In A Brochure? appeared first on Printing Solutions.

In an effort to make sending out direct mail easier for everyone, the USPS has laid out instructions to help pull the mailing list, prep the mailing and deliver it to the post office in a way that small business owners can understand. Unlike other marketing strategies, where the purchase of expensive mailing lists is often required, EDDM allows businesses to specifically target selected postal codes without having to use individual mailing addresses and generally for a much lower postage cost! This provides a great opportunity for a wide range of companies. Even though you can do it yourself, EDDM can still be a time consuming process and there are printers in Scottsdale Arizona, such as Printing Solutions that can do all of the leg work for you.

Take a look at 8 types of businesses that should use EDDM:

Restaurants (Pizzerias, Ice Cream Stores, Franchises)
Restaurants and pizzerias often face the dilemma of competition from at least 5 others, no matter where they are located. By sending out EDDM postcards to the local neighborhood, with visually appealing images and incentives (coupons) attached, restaurant owners can provide a “shout out” to get public exposure and remind local audiences of their existence.

Gyms and Fitness Clubs
More often than not, there will be at least 2 gyms in the range of any neighborhood. How do their owners attract new customers? EDDM mailing allows businesses to send out offers of a “first-time workout for free”, custom-designed invitations to some special events, dance classes, and much more.

Real Estate
When it comes time to sell your home, how do you know who you can trust and what agents are having the most success? Again, EDDM is a great answer because it can spread the message of successful sales and keep residents informed of what’s happening close to home. This self promotion can pay huge dividends because it lets both buyers and sellers know who the “go to company” for real estate is in a specific neighborhood and establishes the important trust factor for this important transaction.

Beauty and Spa (Hair Salons, Massage Studios)
Similar to restaurants, businesses in the beauty and spa sector often face severe competition and, as a result, struggle to attract enough customers. EDDM can help them build interest and expose themselves. Sending branded custom brochures with some kind of discount will definitely help stir local curiosity about their services.

Home Improvement (Carpet Cleaning, Home Cleaning)
People oftentimes tend to ignore home improvement companies until there is a specific need for them. Therefore, EDDM works well because a simple postcard detailing home improvement business services can have miraculous results. Not only does it remind people about needs they’ve ignored for too long; it also has the potential to stir people into action and consider something they had not previously considered.

Medical Doctors/Dentistry/Chiropractic
Nobody likes to admit it, but doctors and dentists are business owners as well and the reality is that they face some stiff competition for patients. To build that necessary initial loyal customer base, it is necessary to promote their services/clinics. Additionally, people often need to be reminded about, or introduced to, certain services before actually deciding to obtain them. For example, a targeted EDDM campaign could allow dentists to send brochures or postcards with discounts that might influence the choices of people in the local neighborhood such as FREE Whitening or FREE Sonicare. Also, offering flexible financing or insurance options is another great way to get responses as well. Another example that could help increase existing patients’ loyalty, might be a medical doctor sending a New Year’s calendar with important medical reminders.

Automotive (Tire Shops, Oil Change, Auto Repair)
EDDM also works great for any kind of businesses in the automotive sector. There are a lot of smart strategies that can be achieved: from sending out direct mail with catalogs of services to simple postcards reminding people that it’s time to change their tires. No matter the strategy, EDDM remains the cheapest way to advertise even not so “shiny” businesses like those in the automotive industry.

Tax (Seasonal)
Seasonal businesses, such as those providing tax services, often have a very short period of time to target potential customers. In those cases, it’s essential that they optimize their communication efforts and attract as many people as possible. A full color EDDM postcard designed with a great Call to Action can help these business owners reach out to a large number of potential customers, in a tangible way, with the greatest time efficiency.

There are numerous benefits of an EDDM campaign for your own business and Printing Solutions can help you achieve them. We offer direct mail marketing services for postcards, brochures and other direct mail products. In addition, we offer high quality design services and can create the marketing piece that will help you spread your message with confidence!

The post EDDM Printers Can Save You Money appeared first on Printing Solutions.

Market & Build Your Brand

Marketing and building your business brand are key components to any company’s success. Whether you’re just introducing a new business or continuing an established one, it is imperative that your ads, promotions and company presence are displayed properly and for the right price. They need to reach the desired target market and provide the high-impact that will make customers choose you instead of the competition. The key is to find out what kind of marketing works best for your target audience. There are many advertising options available in today’s increasingly paperless world. The internet has made life easier and more accessible for marketers and advertisers.

One great way to save some money and get more bang for your buck is to look for value based specials on some of the print products you would normally purchase anyway. Timing is key to finding those deals. That’s why Printing Solutions is offering several such specials to help make your decision just a little easier. For the month of January we are combining some of our top products. These products include custom business cards, full color postcards, dynamic brochures and the always popular door hangers. Get $25 off packages when purchased together. These packages represent a great way for you to rejuvenate your branding efforts early in the year and maximize your potential to capitalize on the market.

Keep Up With Marketing & Design Trends

Another big factor in achieving company success is keeping up with market trends. It’s true that business cards, postcards and door hangers may represent the “tried and true” methods of print marketing. Many experts are now predicting that “Print is dead”. This is due to the rise of other tech savvy ways of spreading your message. At Printing Solutions, we would like to assure you that this is absolutely not the case. While it’s true that mobile marketing is on the rise and it has become a necessity to have a Facebook, Twitter and web presence. The most important facet of communication still remains the one that ultimately connects with the customer.

We believe that a printed brochure with a great design that actually says something relevant and helps to create a customized, personal interaction can be just as effective as social media. In other words it’s the content of the message that is most important, not the medium in which it is displayed. Remember, the simple business card is still one of the most powerful marketing tools. Therefore, your budget for 2014 should allow for a reprint of your business cards to make a subtle change to the appearance or feel of your card. It just may be exactly what the doctor ordered to make that perfect first impression.

Include Print & Referrals

Be sure to include a variety of traditional printed materials into your spending plan. You will gain the ability to promote your business on many levels. One should never underestimate the power of a well designed, custom door hanger, a full-color postcard or a dynamic, silk laminated business card. In fact, many companies focusing their marketing online. In addition to including online marketing in your advertising budget, you should also allocate a significant amount for print advertising as well. We offer many high quality products that will fit nicely into any budget. We also have the know-how to help you achieve your goal to ensure that your name reaches the market quickly and efficiently.

Word of mouth is always going to be your best advertising tool. Don’t be afraid to invest in some amazing design. That will get people to notice, remember and talk your company. And then tell them where you found that design. Every business loves a referral.

Need Help Achieving Success?

The combination of design and product will help you create a brand for your company. This is a crucial step to constructing the credibility, value, and personality associated with your business. The team at Printing Solutions can offer all of the above and more. From our great printing packages to valuable marketing advice and creative design skills.

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