Is your business shaping up to be the king of promotions? If so, then you have got to get into producing your own promotional mugs for your clients. When it comes to making something memorable and highly personalized, this product is your perfect cup of tea. There are many viable benefits of producing promotional mugs, and it’s much easier now to make it happen!
As you pour in your time and resources into this project, remember that your goal here is to successfully pull the customers or clients in with your product and branding. In this article, we will guide you through each step of the promotional mug production process as you take on this next stage of your business:
Benefits of Producing Promotional Mugs
As you venture into this new promotional aspect, take note of the following benefits to help set your goals for this project:
1. Personalized marketing: With so many businesses going through digital marketing and other viable mediums, you can stand out from the crowd by starting more personalized and specific projects. By producing promotional mugs, you can effectively make connections with your customers as they enjoy your unique branding identity. By buying into your signature style, you also are able to effectively pull customers in to continue supporting your business.
2. Effective branding: Having your own line of promotional mugs is like telling a story to your customers. You are able to identify more with specific customers, such as among employees enjoying coffee in the break room. With your recognizable design on the cup, branding opportunities are made more effective as they attract customers to your business. You could also take a look at custom branding options like stickers with your mug packaging to make it stand out.
3. Fast and easy to produce: Compared to the more traditional time of manufacturing, now is the perfect time to make use of state-of-the-art printing technology. You can now come up with more signature designs for promotional mugs without stepping into the factory. You can do it through your computer screen with a web-to-print portal, all thanks to the professional help of brand management companies.
How to Produce Promotional Mugs
Now that you know more about its benefits, take note of the following steps to produce your promotional cups successfully:
1. Know what your clients want: Your first priority is going through background research on your customers or clients. You can do this effectively by having a focus group discussion or through surveys to get a feel for the overall taste and preferences of your customer/client base. This will help you come up with great designs for your promotional material.
2. Come up with designs: Now that you have some ideas about what the product may look like, be sure to come up with a few sketches or design boards to effectively make your vision come alive. Don’t worry if you are not as creative or artsy. There are viable tools and experts who can help you flesh out your vision.
3. Partner with a brand management company: If you want to effectively come up with promotional mug ideas for mass production and excellent branding opportunities, have a professional team back you up. With the help of a brand management company, you can easily frame the success of your venture into promotional mugs.
4. Make viable prototypes for testing: Before you start mass production, you need to first come up with prototypes of your promotional cups. This will help you to effectively refine your final product if there are any errors to be corrected.
5. Get feedback from your clients/customers: Using your prototypes, you can get the opinions of clients or customers about your product. This will help you to also get a hold of the demand for your promotional mugs – it’s like having a pre-sale.
6. Mass produce the mugs: It’s now time to print out and produce your mugs! Get into mass production mode and shipping with your brand management company by your side to effectively oversee the success of the finished product.
Conclusion
At this point, you now know the benefits and methods of having promotional materials for your business. With the previously mentioned benefits and process in mind, be sure to produce quality and unique promotional mugs today to take your branding and business forward.
Are you hoping to produce high-quality promotional products? We at Optamark Graphics can assist with that. We have a professional web-to-print portal to help your product vision come to life. Consult with us today to produce highly marketable promotional mugs!
Category: inspiration
Elements That Improve Your Ecommerce Site, Besides Design
Having a great web design for an eCommerce website is one way to attract online shoppers’ attention, but it is not everything. Different factors still contribute to how your site and business perform. More than the visuals and promotions, the online store experience should also be improved.
If you want to be on par with other online stores, here are the different elements that can help improve your eCommerce site’s performance:
1. A Clear Purpose
Buying and shopping are two different things. As an eCommerce site owner, you should know its difference. Buying is a more intentional type of purchase. People already know what they are looking for when they buy. They make fast transactions, they are all about convenience, and if they need to make choices, it is all about assortment.
Buying is different from shopping, which focuses on the experience. People who shop takes more time to find the right item. They need to ask questions, touch the products, inspect, and check more options.
Amazon, for example, is optimized for buying. If you assess Amazon’s site, you will notice that it does not offer the most user-friendly experience. However, it does not matter because they are a site for buyers, those who already know what they will get.
Be clear about what type of experience your shop offers. If your online shop offers high-end items, maybe you should invest in giving your site visitors excellent user experience. If you target the lower end, you understand that they are mostly on budget, so they often know what they are looking for.
2. Emphasized Key Drivers
You probably have heard this a lot of times, but your website reflects your business. It is the extension of your brand and the items you sell. Your website acts as a display of your brand promise.
If you think that product images are your edge over other eCommerce websites, consider experimenting with 360-degree photo functionality. If you believe people prefer your site because of your more affordable pricing, highlight it, or make a price comparison.
Apply this important strategy, especially when battling with giants like Amazon. Because you are aware that you cannot compete by offering your customers free shipping or the lowest discount, you can focus on what you have and design your site experience based on it.
3. An Experience for Your Site Visitors
According to Entrepreneur.com, Apple.com is the best brand-oriented e-Commerce platform. It is because their website reflects the personality and promise of their brand. Their website is so sleek and streamlined that it solidifies the brand’s image.
Apply the same principle to your site too. Your website’s aesthetic is not only about the logo or the colors you used, but also about the feeling or after-thoughts that your site visitors would get after interacting with your brand.
4. Alignment and Integration
One way to make your store better than others is by giving a good service. That can be translated into how both your online and physical store functions.
For example, a customer would like to buy the dress you put on sale on your website. However, there are no more stocks of the size she wants. She did her research and saw that your physical store still has a supply of the same dress on her size. She mentions the discount your eCommerce store offers, and the store manager allows her to make the discounted purchase.
There is no line or disintegration between the two stores, and it gives a better buying experience to the customer. Not all is about the brand visuals; consistency among different channels is also crucial.
5. A Clear and Transparent Message
An excellent eCommerce store would not only bombard people with the products they sell; they also tell them why they do it and how they can help. It is vital that every website, even an eCommerce site, have their “Mission” or “About” pages. That way, you can communicate your objectives clearly and transparently.
Also, produce blog content for your website, even if you are an eCommerce site. Apart from acting as a traffic driver, it is one way of owning what you sell and the industry you are in.
Conclusion
Your eCommerce site is how customers get to know your brand, so it is vital that you improve it in all of its aspects. Having an online store, especially when you also have a physical store, should not be limited to your site’s appearance. Be well-rounded and consider these five elements we mentioned.
When it comes to brand consistency and integrity, having a graphics team that can also translate your brand message to your storefront can significantly help. If you need a brand management company that prioritizes your success, you are in the right place. Contact us today, and we will help you get new customers, build sales, and more.
6 Branded Merchandise Ideas to Use Amid the Pandemic
In this trying time, you have no choice as a business but to try to find a silver lining if you want to maintain your operations. Despite the global pandemic threatening life as you know it, you can still find ways to rise above this unpleasant situation. As the economy reopens and businesses are encouraged to run with strict safety measures, you should look for a way to promote your business.
One way to do so is to come up with branded merchandised items and have them sold or distributed. However, be sure that these items are relevant to the current plight and use them to send a strong message of hope, resiliency, and positivity.
If you are not sure how to proceed with your branded merchandise, here are six practical ideas that you can consider:
1. Custom t-shirts for powerful statements
Topping the list is a custom t-shirt that you can print with a powerful statement, as people love to wear strong words up their sleeves. This is a straightforward yet the best approach to convey a message about the COVID-19 crisis that can resonate well with your customers. At the same time, be sure to incorporate inspirational or funny messages relevant to the global pandemic.
2. Color-coded necklaces for emotional representation
It is understandable that people may find it hard to decipher and unleash their feelings during this challenging time. The chances are that they’re faced with pent-up emotions, such as stress, confusion, and anxiety. You can help your customers identify their feelings and release them by wearing color-coded necklaces. Be sure to incorporate proper color representations and let your customers wear them based on what they feel.
3. Keychains for heartwarming quotes
When it comes to branded merchandise, keychains are the most utilized among businesses. Why not use them during this global pandemic? To make them more personalized, be sure to attach or engrave warm quotes to boost your customers’ spirits. The more heartfelt and authentic they are, the better it will be to comfort them!
4. Puzzles for creativity
Now that most family members are confined in their homes’ comforts, let them take a break from hooking up online. One bonding activity is playing puzzles as a way to kill boredom and bond with the family. As a business, you can create fun and unique puzzles and sell them to various households. At the same time, be sure to incorporate proper branding on these items.
5. Umbrellas for social distancing
Umbrellas will undoubtedly work for your branded items. To stay relevant, however, it’s best to have umbrellas to encourage social distancing. Take, for instance, a village in India that had 10,000 umbrellas for the residents where everyone’s required to use them along with their masks. Why not do the same for your local business? Distribute them in your locality as you do your part in helping your community!
6. Coloring books for therapy
Did you know that coloring is actually therapeutic? It can allow people to release their emotions through colors. That said, what better way to help ease anxiety levels than to design coloring books for your customers? Doing so can be a great way to promote your business while giving your customers some form of therapy.
Conclusion
This list of six branded merchandise ideas can help you promote your business in the face of a global pandemic. At the same time, they can help uplift your customers’ spirit despite the ongoing crisis. Whether it’s a t-shirt, necklace, keychain, puzzle, umbrella, or coloring book, you can take your business up a notch while increasing your relevancy and taking the utmost social responsibility!
Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the best way to promote your business is by distributing branded merchandise to your customers? As we specialize in print, promotional, and digital products in the US, we can help with your branded merch efforts – get in touch with us today!
3 Strategic Locations for Distributing Promotional Flyers
While many people move mostly in a digital space, physical marketing is still important in the promotion of a brand. Small- or mid-sized businesses especially benefit from the distribution of flyers and other such promotional materials. Also, the distribution of flyers also accounts for that small portion of the population that is not on the internet, which is still around 30 million Americans.
There are few things that can match a well-designed and informative flyer. Not only can it capture members of your target market that are more difficult to find, but it can also promote your brand and business in unique and inventive ways. However, even the best-designed flyer won’t be effective without proper distribution channels.
In this article, we are going to talk about the best places you can distribute flyers to promote business. Here are some of them:
Local newspaper distributors
Even if the majority of the news is now distributed online, newspapers are still a popular choice for most people. However, taking out a full-page (or even just partial ads) can be expensive for a small business.
As such, you can go to your local newsstand and leave out your fliers, which costs nothing if you’ve built a solid relationship with your local news distributor. If you’re lucky, they might even agree to let you insert your flyer into their publications before they are sent out.
Other businesses
One of the easiest ways to ensure that the local economy stays strong is for local businesses to band together and form great relationships. If there is a business nearby that provides goods or services that relate to your enterprise (that do not necessarily compete), it might be good to carry flyers and pamphlets promoting each others’ businesses.
It can even be as simple as placing one of them on a corkboard in another person’s business. It doesn’t stop there, as you can put up flyers in your local coffee shops, gyms, community centers, and so on.
Go door to door and car to car
In small communities, going door to door and leaving flyers on the windshields of cars can be effective ways to raise awareness of your business. This is especially important if the business caters to homeowners and their houses. Not only would they be getting information about a beneficial new business in their area, but they would also be getting it from the most reliable source.
However, before distributing in public spaces, make sure you know the rules regarding the handing out and hanging up of flyers. Follow the rules and regulations strictly, so your business does not get a bad rap.
Conclusion
Whatever industry you might serve and whatever your target market might be, it is important to consider every option when it comes to marketing.
Yes, having an online presence might benefit you, but there are many instances and circumstances that require more traditional means of advertising, such as flyers and pamphlets. Keep the tips above in mind so that your business doesn’t miss out on any opportunity to gain more visibility.
If you need help designing your flyers, send us at Optamark a message. We have experience in various fields and methods of marketing as well as graphic design.
Why Product Packaging Matters in Marketing
Attaining success in the world of business relies not just on the quality of your product. Product packaging also matters, and this impacts your customers’ purchasing habits and decisions more than you might think. Because of this, it can be said that your packaging is as crucial as your product itself.
To help you learn more about why you should take your product packaging seriously, here are some of the reasons why your packaging matters in marketing:
1. It serves as an effective marketing tool
Your packaging has a more important role than ensuring that your product retains its excellent quality when your customers consume or use your item. It says a lot about your brand and your product at a glance—even before your customers get to try what you offer.
Your well-made packaging can act as a marketing tool that can help you promote your offerings with the power of in-store advertising. Therefore, it’s important that your packaging conveys the message and values of your business.
2. It affects the purchasing habits and decisions of your customers
Color psychology plays a major role in marketing. This is because your brain responds to colors in various ways, which is why the colors of your product packaging can highly affect the purchasing decisions and habits of your customers. Because of this, you have to choose the colors of your packaging wisely.
To ensure that your product packaging’s colors reflect your message and brand, it is best to work with an experienced designer from an established digital marketing agency to help you decide on the color scheme for your product packaging. You may look into photos of various product packagings for inspiration and do your research on color psychology.
3. It makes your brand easily distinguishable
Every successful brand is considered memorable because of how it stayed true to its branding and delivered its vision and values well to its packaging.
When designing your packaging, make sure that your business logo is placed front and center. Use your signature color scheme to allow your customers to remember your product every time they are shopping.
Avoid making big changes in your packaging unless necessary. As much as possible, make only minor changes in case you need to revamp or refresh the look of your product packaging.
4. It sets your brand apart from your competitors
Stores’ shelves are filled with lots of products that are competing against one another to capture the attention of customers. To make your product stand out from the shelves and get it noticed and recognized by shoppers, make sure that your product packaging is unique, eye-catching, and can easily be set apart from your competitors.
Conclusion
Failing to recognize the importance of your product packaging to your business could mean setting yourself up for failure. This is because effective product packaging can act as a marketing and communication tool for your business. Therefore, when trying to come up with the look for your product packaging, work only with a reputable digital marketing agency.
At Optamark Graphics, we offer digital marketing services that can boost the growth of your business. Get in touch with us for a free digital audit!
4 Reasons You Should Use Promotional Products To Advertise Your Business
Ever thought about different ways you could promote your product or business all the more? Going traditional may not be such a bad idea—there’s a reason these strategies have persisted for a long time.
Even though the promotional landscape has drastically changed within the last decade, many businesses have succeeded in getting new customers through promotional products. You won’t have to worry about waste, either—customers usually use these, and if not, they tend to give it to their friends or family.
Here’s why you should consider using promotional products to advertise your business:
It’s Budget Friendly
You might think that shelling out extra money for promotional products is expensive, but they’re actually quite affordable. Compared to other forms of advertising, promotional products are a cost-effective way to help you advertise your business over a period of time—usually months. Integrating this into a well-structured marketing plan will guarantee you a wider and more sustainable way to get in touch with your customers. The products don’t have to be large to make a statement. It could be anything from a business card to a sample of your product.
It Makes Your Customers Come Back
Distributing promotional products to customers, especially on a regular basis, will encourage your customers to choose your business over any other brand. It also communicates to your audience that your business isn’t afraid to spend a little to give customers a free taste of your products.
You can also opt to reward loyal customers through special gifts or personalized products—a customer that feels taken care of will genuinely see a reason to keep doing business with you. This will not only encourage customer loyalty but establish a good relationship with them.
It Generates Quality Leads
Sending out promotional products can actually give you quality leads, as they have the power to convert people into returning customers. Sample-sized products are a fantastic way to convert since it allows them to try it for free and see how much they like it. To encourage the recipients of your promotional products to come back, make sure to include links to your website and social media profiles so they can find out more about your products and services. This will also increase the traffic to your website—hitting two birds with one stone.
It Boosts Brand Awareness and Visibility
One of the most potent benefits of using promotional products to advertise your business is that it increases your brand visibility. Many people may have heard of your company for the first time upon receiving the products, which is important—this means more and more people are hearing about you! Using relevant promotional products to promote your business, like a free tumbler if you’re a company that sells organic juices, will make it easier for people to recognize your brand.
Final words
Marketing your business using promotional products is one of the most effective ways to reach your intended audience. Even if an uninterested person gets a hold of your product, they’re likely to know someone who will appreciate it and hand it over to them instead—giving you a new and potential customer.
Need print and promotional products for your business? Optamark Graphics is a full-service brand merchandising company in the US with global partners in China and India. We help you reach your target audience by supplying eye-catching merchandise and products. Get in touch with us and we’ll love to help you out!
6 Business Card Trends for a Great First Impression
The business card is a pocket representation of your business. These little squares of paper can pack a punch in making a stellar first impression. They haven’t lost their charm even as industries are increasingly turning digital-you can still meet potential customers in person, after all!
As much as it tends to be important for a business operating online to be backed by a reputed IT firm (similar to BedrockIT, for instance), so is a business card for both online and offline enterprises. Creating an excellent first impression is extremely important in customer conversion. A boring, black and white business card with awkward typography immediately tells a potential customer that the business probably isn’t very modern and up to date. On the other hand, a bright business card with arresting visuals immediately communicates to the customer that the business is fun and engaging but highly professional about their work.
Here are six business card trends that could immediately transform your business’ image at first sight:
1. Fun-Shaped Business Cards
Having differently-shaped business cards would be the fastest way to make an impression! The standard size for business cards in the US is 3.5 x 2 inches and generally have sharp corners. Consider changing things up a little by rounding the corners or making it circular-shaped-but still keeping it small enough to fit in a wallet!
There are no limitations to your business card. The more creative you can get, the better.
2. Textured Business Cards
Instead of having a smooth and clean business card, play around with the texture of your card’s surface. This is sure to grab your customer’s attention-especially if they fish for it from their wallets!
Whether it’s etching the text on your business card or using a different kind of card stock, this will definitely invite your potential customer to revisit your card. After all, that will make your card more memorable-and your business will be too!
3. Hand-illustrated Business Cards
Having personal and unique illustrations on your card tells customers that your business is a highly approachable one. These illustrations tend to soften the usually stuffy nature of business cards, transforming what is typically a transactional item into something more intimate and unique.
4. Minimalist Business Cards
Minimalism had its moment in the early 2010s, but it definitely still has its appeal. Clean and attractive symmetry with some geometric motifs tends to grab the attention of your customer, especially when pertinent information is presented without any obstruction. Colors tend to be kept at a minimum and are complemented by sans-serif fonts. If you want to convey the dedication of your business to its craft while remaining visually appealing, this trend is your best bet.
5. Monochromatic Business Cards
Similar to minimalist business cards, these involve crisp lines and congruity, but these use only one color. The timeless black and white is still an option too, as this will never go out of style. Sticking to several shades of one color will allow you to emphasize other design elements of your business card while still keeping it interesting for your clients.
6. Brush-stroked Business Cards
Another way to add a pop of character to your business card without obscuring information is by adding colorful brush strokes. This adds a layer of warmth and personality to the cards, reminding your customers that they’re also dealing with humans. It definitely tells people that your business is fun and engaging, too!
Final Thoughts
When promoting your business during networking events, an attractive business card is a surefire way to make people remember you. It’s basically a foldable piece of advertisement-one that could give you more business with its use!
Optamark Graphics is a full-service online printing and marketing agency with offices in the United States and India. We offer all types of printing, promotional, or signage product needs. Have anything we can help you with? We have global support around the clock, so be sure to drop us a line and we’ll see how we can help!
9 factors to consider when choosing to own a Franchise
When considering starting a business venture, one may also have to consider owning a franchise as a way of avoiding some disadvantages that accompany starting a business from scratch in the real sense of it. So you need to know the factors to consider when choosing to own a franchise.
There are a lot of advantages to owning a franchise. One attractive reason is that you would be building on an already developed and established, tested, and trusted structure as opposed to starting out your business and struggling to carve a niche for yourself. Brand reputation takes a lot of time, energy, and experience (good and bad) to build. Starting out by owning a franchise means that you are given a head start in your chosen industry.
Another advantage of starting a franchise is that there are so many options in every industry to choose from. You wouldn’t need to stick with a brand that doesn’t suit your every need just because there are no alternatives.
After deciding to own a franchise, the next hurdle to cross is what franchise to choose. Owning a franchise without considering a lot of factors to know if it suits your business goals would mean shooting yourself in the leg in the long run. One thing to note is that franchisors are mandated to file with the relevant Federal and State authorities. To make sure you’re on the right side of the law, remember to always refer to your Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for guidance when choosing your franchise.
Below are a list of 9 factors to consider when choosing a franchise:
Finances
You need to make reference to Article 21 of the FDD to look up the financial standing of your potential franchise. Be sure to confer with your accountant too to make sure that the franchise is in a good place financially.
Background checks
You would need to check the history of the franchise to understand where they are coming from and to know if they are a credible and reliable brand to work with. Articles 1, 2 and 3 would provide guidelines on this.
Market Information
Before you decide to own a franchise, you should have credible information on how profitable the market would be in the long run. There is no use starting a franchise on a dwindling market structure.
Restrictions
Serious franchises place certain restrictions to protect their brand identity and ensure brand uniformity across all borders. You should understand these restrictions to know if they suit your business needs and goals.
Royalties
Article 6 of the FDD would come in handy here. There are certain payments you’d make in the form of royalties on a continuous basis, even after you have paid the initial lump sum. Understand how these royalties are calculated, the durations you need to pay them and if the arrangement is something you can conveniently work with.
Royalties
Article 6 of the FDD would come in handy here. There are certain payments you’d make in the form of royalties on a continuous basis, even after you have paid the initial lump sum. Understand how these royalties are calculated, the durations you need to pay them and if the arrangement is something you can conveniently work with.
Support Structure
Does the franchise have the right structure to provide support for your business whenever you encounter problems? How willing are they to help you through crisis situations? You should consider these.
Investment
How much can you invest in the franchise and how much is required for you to invest? Consider these to know your financial standing after you purchase the franchise.
Direction
Look at your interest, needs and abilities and see if the chosen franchise would align with what you want for yourself in the future. Is that particular franchise something you would find fulfillment from in the future?
Territory
Article 12 of the FDD would help you with information as to what territories your franchise would thrive in.
Take advantage of the opportunity Optamark gives to own a franchise that is well-founded, has a reliable market structure and is ready to support you all the way from start to finish.
Printing, marketing and signage: The three pillars of a business
There are many pillars of business success chief among which are printing, marketing and signage. They can be regarded as the 3-in-1 business success factor because they are interrelated and work together to ensure that businesses thrive and achieve the goals for which they were set.
Optamark understands the importance of these 3 factors in business growth and development and as they have done for years, continue to strive to ensure that quality printing, marketing, and signage projects are not only accessible to large, medium and small-scale business but are also delivered in time. At Optamark, we are in the business of providing quality printing, marketing, and signage services to ensure that your brand gets the needed visibility.
What’s more, to enhance your experience with us and to make our services more conveniently available to you, we have launched our online portal to your advantage.
The Optamark Portal…
Our Optamark portal links you directly to Optamark graphics services, with personalized features that help you gain access to our various services. On the portal, you can easily request for any of our printing services and other various marketing materials of your choice.
The portal is so user-friendly that it gives the same effect as though you were speaking directly to one of our seasoned customer care agents. Its self-explanatory structure ensures that you never have to get hooked or at sea at what the next step to take is.
All you need to do is login into the secured portal, state your needs, and watch us do the best we can to ensure your maximum satisfaction.
We bring your printing ideas to life…
Our portal/online printing functions is a convenient way to print out your great designs without any hassle and in as little time as possible.
To print, you just need to log in your details on the Optamark portal, upload the file you wish to print, and then submit it to the nearest Optamark graphics center. We would take up the process from there.
After vetting it and ensuring that it is perfect for printing, we immediately take it for printing, and shortly thereafter, you would have your fresh, well – printed materials in your hands. This is by far, a stress-free, time-saving and cost-effective means of printing when compared to traditional printing processes.
We enhance your marketing experience…
We all know how difficult and time-consuming the traditional marketing process is. Optamark comes in to simplify the process for you. When you need to host business campaigns or whatever type of marketing activity you want to engage in and you’re looking for a fast, reliable and cost-effective way of having your marketing delivered to you on time, look to the Optamark portal.
With just a click to order on our portal, you would have your quality marketing materials delivered to you in the speed of light.
Improving your signage…
Signages, no matter where they are placed or seen tell a lot about your brand. They tell your brand story. It is up to you to determine what idea prospective clients have to tell about your brand when they see your signage.
With Optamark online portal, you can plan, design, and execute your signage ideas from start to finish. You are also afforded the opportunity of consulting with our experienced graphics specialists whenever you need to.
Redefine business success; work with us…
As you already know, printing, marketing, and signage are a 3-in-1 factor to ensuring business growth. To excel in this area, you need to work with an experienced graphics brand like Optamark to bring your business goals to reality.
6 Mistakes commonly made with Structural Packaging
Beyond selling their products and making a profit, brand owners find a great sense of purpose in adding more value to their customers and the society at large. Nothing does this job better than structural packaging. The best brands are the ones that always understand the important role of structural packaging. It plays in boosting its market position, visibility, and creating value in the lives of their customers. So beware of the structural packaging mistakes.
Brand owners want their packaging to be more than just that- packaging. They want their packaging structure to tell their story and to leave a positive lasting impression. It is not on just the individual consumers but their environment and economy also. For example, some brands have through their packaging, provided means to enhance economic, environment and social stability.
More than ever before, brands are increasingly looking up to design agencies for their structural packaging projects. While this is a good thing, brands need to be careful while choosing agencies to work with. There are a lot of complexities involved in structural packaging that if not handled with care, may frustrate the project and give rise to losses that would have easily been avoided if due care, expertise, and skill were utilized.
For example, when it comes to 3D capableness, many brands assume that the ability for an agency to successfully handle 2D branding translates to an ability to handle 3D too. Unfortunately, they soon come to realize that 3D branding require much more skill and expertise than they anticipated after the damage has already been done.
To avoid these terrible situations from occurring, below are six of the very common mistakes brand owners and agencies alike make while working on some structural packaging projects and avoid structural packaging mistakes.
1. Underestimating the complexities involved in structural
One common mistake branding agencies make is underestimating the difficulties involved in 3D projects and as a result, leaving the projects in the hands of freelancers.
Freelancers are not always the best hands for all aspects of 3D projects and because the best 3D freelancers are usually difficult to book due to their tight schedules, agencies may have to opt for the less experienced ones who may not end up doing the perfect job.
Agencies who have no choice but to use freelancers should ensure that the necessary arrangements are made as early as possible and that these freelancers work only as important supports in the project team.
2. Using 2D companies to handle 3D Projects
Many agencies describe themselves as “multi-disciplinary” when in fact, all they specialize in is 2D alone. As a result, they end up deceiving brands to let them in on their 3D projects when they don’t have the requisite structure and expertise for it, leading to project failures. Brands should employ due diligence in ensuring that they only hand their 3D projects to companies that have the capacity to handle them instead of relying solely on the presentations of the design agencies.
3. Neglecting the importance of transparency in communication when working on projects
Transparency in two-way communication is very important especially with 3D structural packaging projects.
To achieve the best results, promote loyalty and trust, and to ensure that the result is exactly what was intended, all parties involved must ensure that communicator lines are kept open and transparent and that there is constant liaison between all parties from start to finish.
4. Skipping the gun
Agencies may present visual representations that are so good and high in quality, that clients may be so excited and assume that these representations should go into production straight away. Clients should understand that the visual representations, no matter how good, still need to pass through complex processes before final production.
5. Confusing top graphics design agencies with 3D
Clients should understand that there is no “one size fits all” approach to 3D projects. Not all top graphic design agencies have the necessary skill and expertise to work on 3D projects. Clients should beware.
6. Comparing 3D project timelines and designs with those of 2D
3D project timelines and designs are by far more complex than that of 2D. Clients and agencies should avoid assuming they are the same in order to achieve lasting success in their 3D structural packaging projects.
Increase your Customer Base through Employee and Brand Culture
Mr. TED Talk, Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why.: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action once implied that your culture is your brand. And we say that no truer words have been spoken especially as it relates to the business world. In other words to Increase your Customer Base through Employee and Brand Culture. following is the idea.
Your brand culture (as reflected by your employees) is simply the values and knowledge that is shared by your employees. There are so many factors that are responsible for rapid business growth – employee culture remains among the top 5. It’s basically a factor you simply can’t ignore if you want your business to not just survive but thrive.
Employees carry in their hands, the power to make or mar your brand. This is why every prudent business brand ensure that they invest in employee communication and in nurturing a good working relationship with the employees. By doing this, you can easily develop your brand culture and ensure that your employees absorb it for the growth and development of your brand.
How you can achieve
Rob Gray, a formidable business writer, and consultant once discussed. How important it is for brands to invest in their relationships with their employees and customers. According to him, “Businesses exist to make money. But in order for a company to turn a profit, its employees must be clear as to what is being asked of them. And motivated to work in the right way to achieve those objectives.” Gray says this can be achieved by giving your employees a sense of purpose and promoting certain values that help your employees grow personally and impact the business positively.
Again, the brand should establish easy-to-understand core values that reflect the characters of the brand. And tells everyone what the brand stands for, how they operate their business, and what they expect from everyone they intend to work with. For example, at Optamark Franchise, their core values are seen to be transparency, trustworthiness, respect, and passion.
Like Optamark, the core values shouldn’t just be written for people to see. It should be obvious to everyone, even strangers, the first time they walk into the brand’s office environment.
Here are 4 ways to bring value to your brand:
- First, create the leadership values that you wish to grow into your brand culture
- Constantly communicate and re-establish these values until they stick
- Commit to the values yourself – lead by example
- Enforce penalties and disciplinary actions against defaulters
In all these, it is important that we emphasize the importance of communication in achieving a positive brand culture. Communication should not be by words alone but by actions too. By doing this, you’re creating a culture of positivity and passion for your employees to work with and for your business to thrive. Hence, you can increase your customer base through employee and brand culture
The benefits of franchising with Optamark.
As a leading brand in graphic communication and marketing, Optamark offers you and your brand the best services. With more than 40 years’ experience in the industry, and with a reestablished brand structure, Optamark is the “go-to” for anything related to graphics communication and marketing.
Franchising with Optamark means that you are partnering with an industry leader with relevant industry experience and an unbeatable track record in performance and profit-making. Optamark leads to visual communication and marketing. Their stability and reliability over the years have endeared them to the hearts of their teeming customer base that spans over 600 locations, cutting across North America and the UK. To know more about franchising with Optamark, simply fill out the form.
How to Create a lasting Impression on Your Clients Through Gifts
Gifts are a way of showing appreciation to your clients for being the driving force that kept you in business all year round. Clients are an integral part of any business and determine whether a business outfit grows or declines. To create a lasting impression on your clients through gifts, be sure to select the best holiday gifts that they will really appreciate for a very long while.
How to Create a lasting Impression on Your Clients Through Gifts
- Be Unique: You don’t need to be conformist when it comes to giving out valuable gifts to your clients. Be creative. Don’t just go out to any gift outlet to purchase gifts for your clients, show them how much you really appreciate them by branding gift products with your name or even customizing them to suit your client’s taste.
- There’s no use in giving out gifts if they can’t serve a purpose apart from providing aesthetic value. Let your gifts be something they can use or something that adds value to their life.
- You can kill two birds with one stone and give branded gifts. Create a win-win situation by giving your clients thoughtful gifts that make them feel loved and appreciated, while also spreading your message to potential clients through gifts with your business’ branding. Adding your logo or other unique visual designs on the gifts will ensure that everyone knows they come from you, thereby improving your brand awareness.
- Another idea is to use your gifts to help the less fortunate. Here at Optamark, for example, a percentage of gift card sales are donated to charity. Everyone loves to be associated with a thoughtful brand that has the best interest of the public at heart.
Conclusion:
We hope that you can incorporate some of these ideas into your holiday’s gifts to your clients. Giving something that they will love and appreciate will impress them and ensure ongoing stability and visibility for your brand.