Friday, December 18, 2015

Four Simple Rules In Designing Graphics for Trade Shows

Not all graphic design is created equal. For example, the same rules don't apply to both brochures and print ads. Each of these marketing tools has a different purpose and is aimed at an audience with different levels of interest. The ad has to hook the audience quickly, while the brochure audience has a higher stake in your product or service.

The same is true for expo designs. Your booth has to stand out among hundreds of others on a crowded trade show floor. Therefore, you have to attract attention quickly and try to hold that attention. Think billboard, not brochure.

Color Forms

It can be argued that color is the most important detail of trade show display graphics. Colors have a wonderful way of establishing the mood of a particular space. Vivid and lively colors can inspire verse and song, while drab and dull colors can dampen even the highest of spirits. Attendees at a trade show will make subconscious assumptions about a booth based on color. Your color scheme should reflect your brand, but you also want it to be inviting. Use colors and color combinations to make the biggest visual impact while maintaining a professional appearance. Incorporate a color not used by your competitors.

Word Up

When designing text in with your graphics, we stand by three simple rules. 1) Select a font that is easy to read. 2) Use a color that helps your copy stand out from the background. 3) keep the copy to a minimum. i.e., think billboard, not brochure. Your objective is to get attention, not tell your entire company story.

Form Follows Function

As with all graphic design, when laying out your trade show displays, consider balance and proportion of the overall composition. Consider where you want visitors' eyes to go when they view your display. Graphics tell a story, so help people follow a flow that enables them to experience the full impact of the design. Also, remember the scale of the finished product. A photo that looks great on your website or in your brochure may not be large enough to use for an eight-foot display.

Let There Be Light

You want your graphics to be seen by as many people as possible right? Make sure your graphics are well-lit with quality display lighting that enhances the imagery and messaging of your graphics. In fact, lighting and color are extremely similar because they both have an impact on mood, draw attention to your space and-- if they are poorly executed-- they will convey the wrong message to attendees.


Peter "The Printer" Lineal
Founder/CEO
Plum Grove
2160 Stonington Avenue
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
Ph: 847.882.4020 Ext: 133
www.PlumGrovePrinters.com
PeterL@PlumGrovePrinters.com

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Printing, Marketing & Promotional Products with Powerful Execution.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

The Quest for Quality Content in eMarketing



In maintaining your Internet presence, most businesses are perpetually in search of relevant, high-quality content. Good content accomplishes a number of different goals. It allows you to maintain an active presence on the web, to engage with your target audience, and to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. It also happens to be integral to your strategy as time goes on. Here's how.

The Google of it All

One of the major reasons why high-quality content is so important to your website, your blog, and your social media presence has to do with Google. Currently, Google is the preeminent way of getting recognized by your target audience in the digital age. If your blog appears at or near the top of the search results for relevant keywords, you can expect a huge boost in visitors (and hopefully revenue) as a result. Therefore, quality content is important for one simple reason: Google thinks it is. 



How High-Quality Content Ultimately Benefits You

Even going beyond website traffic, the quest for quality content is one that ultimately benefits your business in several ways. For starters, it forces you to stop thinking of your website visitors as "users" and to start thinking of them as real people. This is a great approach, as it puts you in a better position to connect with them in a meaningful way and to form a meaningful, loyal bond in return.

Secondly, striving to generate quality content online is a great approach for the offline world, too. If you use the same practices when generating offline content that you do for your online content-- an emphasis on readable, relevant, and interesting materials-- you can form the same meaningful connection with those you're targeting via direct mail and other materials as you do with Internet users (who are real people).

Ultimately, however, the quest for high-quality content means one thing: everybody wins. You aren't "faking your way" into the position of a thought leader in your industry. You aren't "tricking" your customers into thinking you know more than you really do.
You ARE a thought leader in the industry and you ARE a voice to be listened to.
Google and others in the online community that emphasize high-quality content are essentially performing the biggest magic trick of all-- they're slowly forcing businesses in all industries to become better at what they do on a daily basis.


Peter "The Printer" Lineal
Founder/CEO
Plum Grove
2160 Stonington Avenue
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
Ph: 847.882.4020 Ext: 133
www.PlumGrovePrinters.com
PeterL@PlumGrovePrinters.com

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Printing, Marketing & Promotional Products with Powerful Execution.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Buyer Personas: What They Are and Why You Need Them


In marketing, one must focus in order to run a successful campaign. You can't please everyone, so focus on creating the right message and using the right delivery channels. Buyer personas allow you to do just that in many beneficial ways.



What is a Buyer Persona?

In marketing terminology, a buyer persona is essentially a person that doesn't exist. It's a fictional representation of the type of person who is most likely to buy your product or service. Buyer personas are created using as much actionable information about your ideal customer as possible: How old are they? Where do they live? What types of products have they purchased in the past? What do they like? What do they dislike?

If you knew all of these answers about a real person, you'd have a pretty vivid picture about his/her personality and how that person acts. You'd surely have an easier time talking to that person and relating to him or her - which is what buyer personas are all about.



Why Are Buyer Personas Important?

By creating a fictional representation of the person who makes up your ideal customer, you always have something to refer to when crafting your marketing materials. Say your business' buyer persona is Jane, a 35-year-old mother of two with a combined household income of $150,000. Instead of "throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks," you have something with which to compare your
marketing campaigns. How does your product or service fit into Jane's life? How does it solve a problem that she has? How does it align with past purchases she's made? The answers to these questions will drive your marketing decisions moving forward. 


Crafting Buyer Personas
Creating a buyer persona requires you to be both detailed and accurate. When you've been in business for a long time, you have access to data from market research, current customers, and even your past customers. To a certain degree, this data should dictate the buyer personas you create, which in turn, should dictate the direction of your marketing. Are a significantly large number of your past satisfied customers men between the ages of 18 and 34 who have no kids? Congratulations - you have the basic framework to begin building a buyer persona. Any marketing technique that isn't directly appealing to that specific type of person is one that you now need to re-think.


It's important
, however, to not go "too far" when creating buyer personas. If buyer personas are all about focus, having too many personas is a great way to instantly undo all of the benefits that you've just worked so hard to build. Focus on a few core types of customers and craft buyer personas for each; then compare every marketing move that you make against the information you've compiled for guidance on what to do next.


Peter "The Printer" Lineal
Founder/CEO
Plum Grove
2160 Stonington Avenue
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
Ph: 847.882.4020 Ext: 133
www.PlumGrovePrinters.com
PeterL@PlumGrovePrinters.com

Like Plum Grove Printers Facebook PageFollow Plum Grove Printers TwitterConnect with Plum Grove Printers LinkedInConnect with Plum Grove Printers Google+
Printing, Marketing & Promotional Products with Powerful Execution.