Online Printing Blog

Don’t order blindly, get the swatch!

How many times has this happened to you? You order a banner or a poster or any printed materials online for what you think is the greatest price ever, only to receive your order and the material is all wrong. Don’t worry, it’s a common occurrence…well, common for people that don’t order from PrintPapa.com You can order a sample Swatch Deck for every stock, material  and paper type used at PrintPapa and they are all FREE! That’s right, shipped to you at no charge. Large Format and regular prints, check paper thickness and compare stocks.

Direct Mail…it’s kind of a big deal.

One of direct mail’s biggest advantages is its ability to make personal one-to-one contact with your prospect. The ideal items to use for this correspondence are Postcards & Brochures.

Other Direct Mail advantages include:

Quick to produce. You can prepare and mail a small promotion within days or weeks. Direct mail is perfect for quickly testing prices, offers, and potential audiences. You have complete control over the media, the audience, and your offer.

Quicker response. Not only is direct mail quicker to prepare, but response time to direct mail is usually quicker as well. You can project the final results of a mailing quickly and accurately. You can build an advertising campaign with more confidence by testing small lists, then building to larger lists.

Highly targeted. Using carefully developed lists, you can target your mailings more selectively than you can with most other media. You can reach almost any market segment, buyer profile, or area of the Treasure Coast you feel is most appropriate for your business.

Less competition. Your advertising message does not have to compete with other advertising messages. And, your competitors are less apt to know your current strategy.

More personal. Not only can letters be personalized via mail-merging techniques, but you can use more informal language in writing your letter and you can direct your letter to the specific interest of the reader.

Enhance newspaper advertising. Build on customer awareness by complimenting your print advertising with the impact of targeted mail.

Easy to respond to. The inclusion of an order card and return envelope makes it convenient for the consumer to respond to direct mail.

List of loyal customers. Direct mail allows you to build and maintain a list of prime prospects for your future direct mail campaigns.

20 Free Script Fonts

A new “Bright” Idea for Marketing or Bring your customers in from the dark

You have seen them. In subway or BART stations, at the movie theater displaying coming attractions, in sports arenas with the logos of big name sponsors, but did you know you can have one in your own home or business? Yes! It’s very possible. They are known as “Light Boxes” or “Back Lit Displays”. There is of course an upfront cost, but you shouldn’t look at it that way. It’s more of an investment. For your business, it’s a constantly changing marketing tool. The frame itself is a one time buy and the interchangeable films are very affordable (especially @ PrintPapa.com) and can last up to 3 years outdoors. They can be used for everything from bright window signage for businesses open after dark to in-store displays and POP signage. Example? Now let’s say you aren’t a business owner, but just want some unique artwork to place in your home. Why not get your favorite movie poster printed on a backlit film for your in-home theater or Den. Maybe your favorite painting or family portrait, backlit over the fireplace. There are tons of applications and ways  you can use the “Light Box“. Brighten your business or your home, it’s just a good idea.

Reinventing the Banner

Anyone that has been to a trade show or convention can tell you that they’ve seen the vertical banners and Banner Stands. The truth is, times are changing and people are finding new and creative ways to use the Banner Stand. When you think about it, they are a little more versatile than your conventional horizontal hanging banners. Why, you ask? Well, imagine if you will 2 store fronts. Store A has a hanging banner that stays stationary and never moves. On the other hand, store B has a Banner Stand that they can move around daily and even place further away from the store to gain more viability. Store B is able to bring their banner inside  as well and use it for in-store POP (Point of Purchase).  Don’t misunderstand, the conventional banners have their place, but the banner stand is an excellent way to reinvent the banner. Book signings, art displays, birthdays, special events…the list goes on and on.

7 Keys to a Successful Collaboration

The business annals are filled with examples of successful (and not so successful) collaborations. Many of the innovations we take for granted today are the result of individuals and organizations coming together to work toward a common goal. If your company is considering a collaboration (even internally between departments), here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Start with a common goal, and make sure all parties understand it. Outline your plan, and decide up front who will be responsible for which aspects of the project.
• Spell out your expectations, key deliverables, and a timetable for completion. That way, everyone will start on the same page.
• Establish trust… and work to maintain it. Without trust, information will not flow freely, and if that happens, the collaboration is doomed. Starting with common goals and expectations (see above) will go a long way to building trust, as will delivering on the promises you make.
• Of course, building trust doesn’t mean compromising security. When collaborating with another company or with individuals outside your company, share only information that is vital to the project at hand. This will serve two purposes: First, it will save time that could be wasted getting into details that are irrelevant to the work. Second, it will eliminate leaks that could damage one collaborator’s position.
• Along those same lines, have all parties involved sign non-disclosure agreements, as a legal safeguard to ensure everyone has the project’s best interest in mind. Obviously, this is not necessary for internal collaborations, but when working with outside parties, an NDA can keep everybody protected.
• Let each collaborator focus on their strengths. In successful collaborations, each party brings its own strengths and skillsets to the table. Trouble starts when egos get wounded and collaborators are unwilling to give up control of certain aspects of the project. A well-defined and documented plan, like the one outlined above, will help.
• Keep in close touch with your superiors. If you’re representing your company in a collaboration, let your supervisors know how things are progressing. Keep them in the loop, so they can step in when necessary to help ensure the project remains on track.

What other tips or examples do you have to share from your own collaborations or from collaborations you’ve seen? I’d love to read about them in the comments below.

Break the Ice – 6 Cold Call Success Strategies

Few of us enjoy making cold calls, but for many salespeople cold calling is inevitable. Here are six tips to help warm your next cold call:

1. Don’t make the cold call your first point of contact. Instead, start with a letter or email. Introduce yourself, your company, and the products or services you provide. Explain the benefits the prospect will gain from working with you, and let them know you will be following up with a phone call to set up an appointment to talk.
2. Or the last. Don’t jump right into a sales pitch on your first cold call and expect to close a sale. Respect the person’s time, their schedule, and the fact that your call was not on that schedule before you made it. Ask if this is a good time to talk. If it isn’t, suggest times when you could call back, or offer to meet in person if that will work better for the prospect.
3. Do your homework. Find out ahead of time who you should be contacting at a prospective company. Learn what you can about their business and how your solution can best fit their needs.
4. Prepare an outline. Have some idea what you want to say before you make your call. Start with a script if that makes you comfortable, but try not to make it sound too mechanical or forced. Relax as best you can and try to be yourself. Your preparation and earlier contact should help.
5. Ask questions. Don’t do all the talking. Instead, introduce yourself, and then ask the prospect about their company and the role they play in it. Listen carefully to their responses. Work to build a rapport and connect with them one-on-one.
6. Follow up. As your call wraps up, try to set a time to meet face-to-face or over the phone again. After hanging up, send another email, thanking the person for their time, and reminding them of any future appointments you made. If they had questions you were unable to answer on the spot, find those answers and pass them along as quickly as possible. And create a schedule of regular follow-up activity to help you stay front-of-mind.

So what other advice do you have for warming up cold calls? I’d love to hear your suggestions and success stories in the comments below.

Business Lessons from a Pinewood Car

Every year, Cub Scout packs across the U.S. hold pinewood derby races. In Canada, Cub Scouts take part in a similar event, known as the kub kar rally. In both events (and others like them), the idea is simple. Participants are given a block of wood, four plastic wheels, and four small nails to use as axles. They can fashion their cars pretty much any way they want, as long as they meet the guidelines for the race. Weights are added, and the cars are raced down a track, with gravity as the only source of power.

As you might imagine, designs and color schemes run the gamut. Some scouts will create traditional-looking race cars, while others will add their own creative flair. As racers line up, it’s hard to imagine that all those cars started out exactly alike, as simple blocks of wood.

In business, many companies start out with similar sets of raw materials or similar product lines. Some focus on creating flashy or innovative designs and marketing campaigns that help them stand out from the crowd. Others focus on the basics, like making sure the axles and wheels are sanded smooth and properly lubricated with graphite, to ensure an optimal ride. Still others strive to distribute the weight properly, to maximize efficiency and make sure the right people are doing the right jobs that best suit their skills.

And the best companies? You guessed it. They do all three.

So, while the business world may not always run on a nice, smooth track — and the playing field is not always level — with the right preparation and some good, old-fashioned hard work, your company can win the day.

Home Decor made easy

Most people would agree that nothing is as boring in a home as bare white walls, but are they really all that bad? These days, turning your walls into works of art is as easy as printing a sticker…well, a Wall Sticker. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you can decorate your home with giant stickers and not be seen as a child. On the flip side, you can turn your child’s room into a fantasy land by adding all of their favorite characters or sports heroes to their walls.

The wonderful thing about these Wall Stickers is their versatility. They can not only be used for decorative purposes, but they can serve as signage in your business, creative labeling for areas, product images, display your favorite celeb, build a shrine to your favorite sports team in your man-cave, signage for trade shows and so much more. I think I feel a cliche coming on…yup, the possibilities are endless. Let me not fail to mention the fact that they are removable and reusable so when you move, they move. Imagine that, the look and feel of your favorite room being rolled up and made to travel with you. Rather than having to repaint your child’s favorite room theme, you can just unroll and stick. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Quick tips on Wall Sticker Application:

• Do not apply in cold weather – adhesive may stick but will lift easily.
• Do not apply in extreme heat, apply in the shade – vinyl will get very soft and stretch.
• Do not use alcohol to apply – it will destroy the adhesive.
• Do not use ice scraper on the sticker/decal – may lift or break pieces off..
• Do not touch the adhesive backing – oils from your skin will prevent sticking.
• Do not fold wall stickers. Roll them up for storage only.

The Surprising Significance of Insignificant Things

Have you ever thought about the tremendous impact one small change can have on an outcome or meaning? Consider the words hail and fail, for example, or the words hire and fire. In both cases, just a single letter (“h” versus “f”) separates their spelling, yet each is worlds apart in meaning.

Make a brilliant decision or positive impression, and you’re likely to get hired and hailed. Make a lousy decision or negative impression, and you could just as easily find yourself fired and labeled as having failed.

The idea of small, seemingly insignificant events affecting much larger outcomes is hardly new. The whole notion of the butterfly effect is based on just that premise. The flapping of a single butterfly’s wings, the theory holds, can affect a hurricane’s formation. That tiny, barely noticeable breeze, coupled with the right conditions, can build and grow, like a snowball rolling downhill in a Looney Tunes adventure. And if you aren’t careful, you could end up like Daffy Duck or whichever other unfortunate character finds themselves at the bottom of that hill.

As you look back on your life, career, or business, what moments stand out to you? Oftentimes, it’s something so small it goes by unnoticed when it happens. Your decision to take a certain class in college, for example, that led you to a teacher who became a mentor in your life. Or the decision to bypass your usual coffee shop one morning, which led to a chance encounter with a potential client or now dear friend. In hindsight, we can point out the significance of such moments, but at the time, they often seem small and unimportant.

So the next time you’re facing a decision or looking for a change in perspective, think about the little things. And remember that even the most seemingly insignificant change you make right now can have a big impact on your life or business somewhere down the line.