Branding is no longer simply about visual appeal (or the cherry in the apple pie example, as given in my earlier article). Unfortunately, many graphic design firms who position themselves as advertising agencies believe that branding your corporate identity is all about developing great looking visual solutions.
However, there is much more to branding than just looking good. Particularly in this web 2.0 eras, where a powerful web presence has become a vital ingredient of your branding strategy, developing the right media mix holds the key to building powerful brand equity.
In other words, a right media mix would mean:
• Creative design solutions (the design, color, and content of your ads, marketing collateral and website enhance your brand equity, attract customers, and generate sales)
• Web development (every product/service worth its name has a web presence these days, some have truly interactive, animated sites encouraging customer involvement),
• Viral marketing (vitally important in today’s age of social networking, tagging, podcasting, blogs, forums, wikis and what have you)
• Television commercial production, print media advertising (traditional media cannot be overlooked)
• Strategic films (have become necessary elements of roadshows, exibhitions and other promotional campaigns)
• Corporate video production (a very important tool for branding your corporate identity)
• Direct marketing (marketing collaterals need to be just as effective and resonant with the overall branding scheme as the communicate directly with the customer)
• Outdoor advertising (hoardings, roadshows, participations in business fairs, exhibitions, etc)
There are some interactive advertising agencies that have recognized the need of the hour - developing creative design solutions that employ user-centric investigation and involve critical and systematic thinking. User-centric means understanding of needs and priorities of end user; the clients' customers, their channel partners, users, and brand communities.
So if you want to register your brand as one that is synonymous with customer loyalty, you must develop a complete package, keeping the customer as the prime objective and organizing product stories around the way they prefer to learn about, compare, select and confirm purchases, connecting brands and their experiences.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Look At One Creator Of Sports Logos
The members of every sports team wear an embroidered logo somewhere on their sports gear. That embroidered logo is a symbol of pride. The makers of those logos are equally proud of their creations.
Who makes those embroidered logos? Does each city with a professional team have its own set of embroidery experts? If one were to look at the logo for the Philadelphia Phillies, one would get that impression. Their logo contains a liberty bell. It looks like a logo designed by a present-day Betsy Ross.
Yet “Ross” was not the last name of the family that did the embroidery for that logo. That family had a different last name. Their name was “Moritz.”
Before the depression, the Moritz family had a business focused on the making of embroidered lace. Then during the depression, Carl Moritz, the founder of the company, and two of his sons changed the nature of the company’s efforts. They got the employees to start doing the embroidery for the emblems put on sports uniforms.
At the time of its founding, 1885, the Moritz’ company was located on Vine Street in Philadelphia. In 1970 the company moved to northern Philadelphia. In 1986 the Moritz’ company moved much further north. It moved to the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Moritz family has been an important part of the embroidery industry for five generations. Carl Moritz, Jr., the grandson of the company’s founder, took time off during World War II to serve in the Marine Corps. After three years of service (1943-1946) he got an honorable discharge, and then he returned to Philadelphia to help with the family business.
His son and grandson have also lent their efforts to advancement of the skills required for making embroidered logos. They have made sure that the company has stayed in tune with the times. The youngest Moritz has created a new line of offerings called QDT Products. Those products are computer hardware and software for use in the embroidery industry.
By using such QDT Products, embroidered logos can be made much more efficiently. Design changes can be readily added to the available software. That makes it easier to train the employees who will make the embroidered logos.
With computers as part of the logo-making process, it is doubtful that sports logos will soon go out of style. They will probably be an important part of professional sports for quite some time.
Who makes those embroidered logos? Does each city with a professional team have its own set of embroidery experts? If one were to look at the logo for the Philadelphia Phillies, one would get that impression. Their logo contains a liberty bell. It looks like a logo designed by a present-day Betsy Ross.
Yet “Ross” was not the last name of the family that did the embroidery for that logo. That family had a different last name. Their name was “Moritz.”
Before the depression, the Moritz family had a business focused on the making of embroidered lace. Then during the depression, Carl Moritz, the founder of the company, and two of his sons changed the nature of the company’s efforts. They got the employees to start doing the embroidery for the emblems put on sports uniforms.
At the time of its founding, 1885, the Moritz’ company was located on Vine Street in Philadelphia. In 1970 the company moved to northern Philadelphia. In 1986 the Moritz’ company moved much further north. It moved to the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Moritz family has been an important part of the embroidery industry for five generations. Carl Moritz, Jr., the grandson of the company’s founder, took time off during World War II to serve in the Marine Corps. After three years of service (1943-1946) he got an honorable discharge, and then he returned to Philadelphia to help with the family business.
His son and grandson have also lent their efforts to advancement of the skills required for making embroidered logos. They have made sure that the company has stayed in tune with the times. The youngest Moritz has created a new line of offerings called QDT Products. Those products are computer hardware and software for use in the embroidery industry.
By using such QDT Products, embroidered logos can be made much more efficiently. Design changes can be readily added to the available software. That makes it easier to train the employees who will make the embroidered logos.
With computers as part of the logo-making process, it is doubtful that sports logos will soon go out of style. They will probably be an important part of professional sports for quite some time.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
A Guide to using T-Shirts for marketing
Promotional T-shirts have been a part of business promotion and marketing of brands for a long time. Promotional T Shirts can be given to clients, to prospective customers, and also to your employees to give them the added feeling of belonging to a brand. You do not need be a world famous brand to benefit from promotional T-shirts. Even new busineses have used T Shirts to create awareness of their product, brand or business.
giving Promotional T Shirts to your employees is a great way for brand endorsement. You can design T Shirts with your company brand and marketing message for your employees and if you are hosting a conference, exibition or promotional event, make it mandatory for your employees to wear promotional T Shirts. It is a very inexpensive method to make your staff stand out from the crowd and you present an orderly unity among your employees, the same way in which a uniform serves.
Some businessesthink that it is too expensive to buy a t-shirt online but they are often incorrect. Purchasing t shirts online is a fast and easy process and the choice of online shops is very much better than you expect it to be with some allowing you to undertake the entire design process and payment online.
Corporate branding on T-Shirts can significantly improve the brand awareness of a business in a very short period of time and aside from the obvious marketing advantages branded T-Shirts and other clothing can enhance the perception of customers to your business. Considering the relatively low cost of purchase and printing T shirts against the length of time a good quality T Shirt can last makes branded T shirts one of the most cost effective methods of marketing for many businesses.
It is widely believed that DTG tshirt printing is more environmentally than screen printing. DTG uses water-based inks to print directly onto clothing, this means that there are no excess inks used in the actual printing and the only waste that occurs is from the occasional print head cleaning – it’s worth noting that head cleaning does not involve any external materials only ink. Then as long as waste ink is disposed of correctly, printing tshirts using the DTG method should have virtually no environmenal impact. Screen printing however has excess inks from parts of the stencil not printed to the tshirt and when screens are cleaned these excess inks are usually washed down the drain.
giving Promotional T Shirts to your employees is a great way for brand endorsement. You can design T Shirts with your company brand and marketing message for your employees and if you are hosting a conference, exibition or promotional event, make it mandatory for your employees to wear promotional T Shirts. It is a very inexpensive method to make your staff stand out from the crowd and you present an orderly unity among your employees, the same way in which a uniform serves.
Some businessesthink that it is too expensive to buy a t-shirt online but they are often incorrect. Purchasing t shirts online is a fast and easy process and the choice of online shops is very much better than you expect it to be with some allowing you to undertake the entire design process and payment online.
Corporate branding on T-Shirts can significantly improve the brand awareness of a business in a very short period of time and aside from the obvious marketing advantages branded T-Shirts and other clothing can enhance the perception of customers to your business. Considering the relatively low cost of purchase and printing T shirts against the length of time a good quality T Shirt can last makes branded T shirts one of the most cost effective methods of marketing for many businesses.
It is widely believed that DTG tshirt printing is more environmentally than screen printing. DTG uses water-based inks to print directly onto clothing, this means that there are no excess inks used in the actual printing and the only waste that occurs is from the occasional print head cleaning – it’s worth noting that head cleaning does not involve any external materials only ink. Then as long as waste ink is disposed of correctly, printing tshirts using the DTG method should have virtually no environmenal impact. Screen printing however has excess inks from parts of the stencil not printed to the tshirt and when screens are cleaned these excess inks are usually washed down the drain.
A Guide to Brochure Printing
Brochure printing can be easy if you first identify your needs and have a clear sense of your budget. Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application, brochures are a great promotional tool.
Start with a layout that includes the text and images you will need to convey your message. Then choose the type of printing that best suits your brochure. Brochures are typically printed in more than one color.
There are two basic choices in printing: offset printing and laser or digital printing. Both printing processes are capable of producing large quantities of high-quality documents. Most high quality, full-color commercial printing is done on offset presses using the four-color process. Offset printing is a process whereby ink is spread on a metal plate with etched images, is transferred to an intermediary surface, and is then applied to paper by pressing the paper against the intermediary surface. Although set-up costs can be relatively high, the actual printing is generally inexpensive.
Laser or digital printing uses a laser beam to produce an image; this is also the way copy machines work. Offset printing usually produces clearer, crisper type and higher resolution images than laser or digital printing. However, smaller printing jobs can be done on a small low-volume laser or inkjet printer, or at a copy store, thereby eliminating set-up fees and some shipping costs.
Choosing paper is another very important aspect of brochure printing. Most printers will recommend a heavyweight, coated, or glossy paper to achieve a more vibrant, upscale look.
The folding of your brochure is another key consideration. Basic folding options include: the half fold or single fold, the tri fold (the left and right flaps open), and the “Z” fold (which opens up like an accordion). Almost all printers will give you a greater discount the more you print.
Brochure printing can be easy and fun and allow for a good deal of self-expression, so go ahead, what are you waiting for? Print that brochure.
Start with a layout that includes the text and images you will need to convey your message. Then choose the type of printing that best suits your brochure. Brochures are typically printed in more than one color.
There are two basic choices in printing: offset printing and laser or digital printing. Both printing processes are capable of producing large quantities of high-quality documents. Most high quality, full-color commercial printing is done on offset presses using the four-color process. Offset printing is a process whereby ink is spread on a metal plate with etched images, is transferred to an intermediary surface, and is then applied to paper by pressing the paper against the intermediary surface. Although set-up costs can be relatively high, the actual printing is generally inexpensive.
Laser or digital printing uses a laser beam to produce an image; this is also the way copy machines work. Offset printing usually produces clearer, crisper type and higher resolution images than laser or digital printing. However, smaller printing jobs can be done on a small low-volume laser or inkjet printer, or at a copy store, thereby eliminating set-up fees and some shipping costs.
Choosing paper is another very important aspect of brochure printing. Most printers will recommend a heavyweight, coated, or glossy paper to achieve a more vibrant, upscale look.
The folding of your brochure is another key consideration. Basic folding options include: the half fold or single fold, the tri fold (the left and right flaps open), and the “Z” fold (which opens up like an accordion). Almost all printers will give you a greater discount the more you print.
Brochure printing can be easy and fun and allow for a good deal of self-expression, so go ahead, what are you waiting for? Print that brochure.
Friday, May 8, 2009
A Guide To Advertising In The Media
The media is a powerful thing -- the average person spends an enormous amount of their life consuming it in one form or another, and will spend a significant percentage of that time looking at, listening to or watching advertisements. If you want to use the power of the media, though, you need to know what you're doing.
Advertising in Newspapers and Magazines.
There are two kinds of advertising you can get in newspapers and magazines: classified and display. Classifieds are the small ads towards the back of the publication, while display ads can be almost any size, from a small corner of a page to a massive double-page spread.
If there's a publication you're interested in advertising in, either go to its website (the rate card section) or call its advertising department to find out the rates it charges. Now pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, advertising in the print media really is that expensive, and for most home businesses it probably just won't be that economical.
There is, however, an exception: niche and trade magazines. If you've ever looked around in a newsagent, you will have seen just how many magazines there are out there, filling every conceivable gap in the market. You need to find the magazine that people who are interested in your services might read. For example, if you're a wedding photographer, look for a magazine called 'Your Wedding', 'Bride', or something similar. Advertising in these magazines will be far cheaper than placing an ad in a general-audience publication, and far more likely to actually get some responses.
Advertising on the Radio.
Wherever you are, the chances are that there's a local radio station. Once your home business grows to a decent size, you might consider buying some time on it.
Really, though, the only kind of home business that can benefit enough from radio ads to justify the cost is one that does anything to do with cars. Since radio is almost entirely limited to use as in-car entertainment now, you know that almost everyone your ad reaches will be a car-owner, and so might be interested in what you're offering. If you offer something that people need cheaply or even for free, you can get a big response.
Unfortunately, that response could be a little too big -- thanks to the time-sensitivity of radio, you'll get mobbed the next day, and then everyone will forget you again. Radio advertising offers the listener no opportunity to keep your ad and refer to it later, or to find it again in the future. You will find that any ads involving a phone number are spectacularly useless.
Advertising on the Television.
Unless your business is getting pretty big, this would be quite a bad idea. You'd have trouble producing and airing an ad even on local cable channels for less than $10,000. Of course, if there's a market for your product and you've got the budget for this, you could take a gamble and make a mint. The home businesses that tend to do best out of TV ads are ones that have a 'unique and useful invention' product with easy-to-demonstrate benefits -- think infomercial. Research shows that you can sell almost anything given a 60-second ad, a free phone number and a price point of $19.95.
Advertising on Billboards.
Here's one that gets overlooked pretty often, but can be very effective if you do it right. Billboard ads are relatively expensive, but they do generally stay up for a long time, and they can be very specifically targeted to an area -- the one where they're physically located. You'll have the best results with this if you can put one near enough to your business that it could say 'turn left at the next junction', or something like that. Phone numbers are, again, pretty useless, although you could have some luck putting a website address up there.
Advertising at the Movies.
Finally, here's one that often gets overlooked. If you turn up to the cinema early, you might have seen that before the big-budget ads, ads for local businesses are run. This can be a great place to advertise relatively inexpensively in quite a high-profile way, and it works especially well for takeaway food businesses.
Advertising in Newspapers and Magazines.
There are two kinds of advertising you can get in newspapers and magazines: classified and display. Classifieds are the small ads towards the back of the publication, while display ads can be almost any size, from a small corner of a page to a massive double-page spread.
If there's a publication you're interested in advertising in, either go to its website (the rate card section) or call its advertising department to find out the rates it charges. Now pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, advertising in the print media really is that expensive, and for most home businesses it probably just won't be that economical.
There is, however, an exception: niche and trade magazines. If you've ever looked around in a newsagent, you will have seen just how many magazines there are out there, filling every conceivable gap in the market. You need to find the magazine that people who are interested in your services might read. For example, if you're a wedding photographer, look for a magazine called 'Your Wedding', 'Bride', or something similar. Advertising in these magazines will be far cheaper than placing an ad in a general-audience publication, and far more likely to actually get some responses.
Advertising on the Radio.
Wherever you are, the chances are that there's a local radio station. Once your home business grows to a decent size, you might consider buying some time on it.
Really, though, the only kind of home business that can benefit enough from radio ads to justify the cost is one that does anything to do with cars. Since radio is almost entirely limited to use as in-car entertainment now, you know that almost everyone your ad reaches will be a car-owner, and so might be interested in what you're offering. If you offer something that people need cheaply or even for free, you can get a big response.
Unfortunately, that response could be a little too big -- thanks to the time-sensitivity of radio, you'll get mobbed the next day, and then everyone will forget you again. Radio advertising offers the listener no opportunity to keep your ad and refer to it later, or to find it again in the future. You will find that any ads involving a phone number are spectacularly useless.
Advertising on the Television.
Unless your business is getting pretty big, this would be quite a bad idea. You'd have trouble producing and airing an ad even on local cable channels for less than $10,000. Of course, if there's a market for your product and you've got the budget for this, you could take a gamble and make a mint. The home businesses that tend to do best out of TV ads are ones that have a 'unique and useful invention' product with easy-to-demonstrate benefits -- think infomercial. Research shows that you can sell almost anything given a 60-second ad, a free phone number and a price point of $19.95.
Advertising on Billboards.
Here's one that gets overlooked pretty often, but can be very effective if you do it right. Billboard ads are relatively expensive, but they do generally stay up for a long time, and they can be very specifically targeted to an area -- the one where they're physically located. You'll have the best results with this if you can put one near enough to your business that it could say 'turn left at the next junction', or something like that. Phone numbers are, again, pretty useless, although you could have some luck putting a website address up there.
Advertising at the Movies.
Finally, here's one that often gets overlooked. If you turn up to the cinema early, you might have seen that before the big-budget ads, ads for local businesses are run. This can be a great place to advertise relatively inexpensively in quite a high-profile way, and it works especially well for takeaway food businesses.
A Look at Brochure Printing Services
A brochure can be a wonderful promotional tool for a wide range of professionals, but getting them set up can be daunting. There are many brochure-printing services available that cater to both the amateur and professional. You can find them in a number of ways, including the phone book, the Internet, graphic design and advertising journals, or word of mouth.
Some companies will provide typesetting, design, color separations (four-color process), color proofing and proofreading service, while other companies just provide the most basic color printing, folding and shipping.
There are brochure-printing companies that will do everything for you; all you need is a clear idea of your brochure’s requirements and whether it is business, promotional or another application, and the brochure company will take it from start to finish. Brochure design can be a challenge, so you might consider working with the professional designer that many brochure-printing companies offer. Some companies even offer sales literature development assistance and strategic marketing plans. However if you do your own design, copy writing, typesetting and art placement, and use these services sparingly, you will save money. One thing to keep in mind if you choose to do so is that most basic brochure printing companies will warn you that they will not proof read your work, and that corrections cost extra.
If you simply start at the beginning with a step-by-step review of your needs, many companies will walk you through the features and benefits of their products and services. Because there is so much competition, many services (such as shipping) are offered at a discount or even free. Furthermore, most brochure printing companies will provide their own customer service representative who will work closely with you to make sure your job runs smoothly and efficiently through the entire process, from pre-press to final distribution.
You should investigate thoroughly each brochure printing company and the services they offer to make sure they meet your requirements. A well-designed brochure can work wonders, and are well worth the effort.
Some companies will provide typesetting, design, color separations (four-color process), color proofing and proofreading service, while other companies just provide the most basic color printing, folding and shipping.
There are brochure-printing companies that will do everything for you; all you need is a clear idea of your brochure’s requirements and whether it is business, promotional or another application, and the brochure company will take it from start to finish. Brochure design can be a challenge, so you might consider working with the professional designer that many brochure-printing companies offer. Some companies even offer sales literature development assistance and strategic marketing plans. However if you do your own design, copy writing, typesetting and art placement, and use these services sparingly, you will save money. One thing to keep in mind if you choose to do so is that most basic brochure printing companies will warn you that they will not proof read your work, and that corrections cost extra.
If you simply start at the beginning with a step-by-step review of your needs, many companies will walk you through the features and benefits of their products and services. Because there is so much competition, many services (such as shipping) are offered at a discount or even free. Furthermore, most brochure printing companies will provide their own customer service representative who will work closely with you to make sure your job runs smoothly and efficiently through the entire process, from pre-press to final distribution.
You should investigate thoroughly each brochure printing company and the services they offer to make sure they meet your requirements. A well-designed brochure can work wonders, and are well worth the effort.
A Good Autoresponder
How many free autoresponders have you tried? Really how many? And how many emails did you get through using them? How do you know? How many people opened your followup message?
My point here is that if you have no clue for the answers above you probably are not operating a followup campaign successfully. These are crucial element that must be explored when you are choosing an autoresponder.
Some good steps to take to ensure you are getting what you need out of a autoresponder include... Compare your autoresponder with those of top marketers, chances are they are using the best in the business. You can't go wrong with this step!
Other observations you might make are related to spam filters. Have you ever gotten an e-mail and seen something like this..."F`R`E`E" Yes this is a good way to beat the spam filters as they won't read Free they will read something totally different. However it can be time consuming going through your article and finding which words are "Danger" words. This can go along way in your marketing efforts. So make sure you find an autoresponder that has a spam rating feature... these features will automatically show you where in your article your "Danger" words are.
Another crucial element of e-mail marketing are your statistics. How many e-mails are being opened can tell you if your subject line is any good or if you did a good job branding your name. If you know your e-mail statistics you are one step in the right direction in optimizing your potential sales. Finding an autoresponder that shows in depth analysis with your followups are also key.
What should a followup contain? Good question... My personally experience suggests directing your subscribers to a full article located on the web. There are some good reasons for this. You can create an excitement teaser in the followup e-mail and beg your article to be read on the web. There is also the chance that since you have an article archive on the web many subscribers will often read more than just your original article. Your subscriber might not be interested in one article but they may find what they are looking for browsing through your previous articles.
Broadcasting! So your subscribers are finished receiving their original followup series... now what? Find an auto responder that allows you to broadcast an update or an offer to the entire subscriber list. Don't let your subscribers go to waste, this feature is a must!
Remember not to bore your hard earned subscribers. Present them with a problem and offer them a solution! Its that easy...
Find my recommended autoresponder on my marketing blog!
My point here is that if you have no clue for the answers above you probably are not operating a followup campaign successfully. These are crucial element that must be explored when you are choosing an autoresponder.
Some good steps to take to ensure you are getting what you need out of a autoresponder include... Compare your autoresponder with those of top marketers, chances are they are using the best in the business. You can't go wrong with this step!
Other observations you might make are related to spam filters. Have you ever gotten an e-mail and seen something like this..."F`R`E`E" Yes this is a good way to beat the spam filters as they won't read Free they will read something totally different. However it can be time consuming going through your article and finding which words are "Danger" words. This can go along way in your marketing efforts. So make sure you find an autoresponder that has a spam rating feature... these features will automatically show you where in your article your "Danger" words are.
Another crucial element of e-mail marketing are your statistics. How many e-mails are being opened can tell you if your subject line is any good or if you did a good job branding your name. If you know your e-mail statistics you are one step in the right direction in optimizing your potential sales. Finding an autoresponder that shows in depth analysis with your followups are also key.
What should a followup contain? Good question... My personally experience suggests directing your subscribers to a full article located on the web. There are some good reasons for this. You can create an excitement teaser in the followup e-mail and beg your article to be read on the web. There is also the chance that since you have an article archive on the web many subscribers will often read more than just your original article. Your subscriber might not be interested in one article but they may find what they are looking for browsing through your previous articles.
Broadcasting! So your subscribers are finished receiving their original followup series... now what? Find an auto responder that allows you to broadcast an update or an offer to the entire subscriber list. Don't let your subscribers go to waste, this feature is a must!
Remember not to bore your hard earned subscribers. Present them with a problem and offer them a solution! Its that easy...
Find my recommended autoresponder on my marketing blog!
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