Instead of taking the month of January off, or sitting back with the understanding it will be a rough month, do something about it and plan ahead to get your customers back in the door for the New Year.

Spicy new ideas for 2012

Create a New Campaign
If you keep doing the same stuff, you’ll get the same results. Instead, come up with an entirely new idea – something you’ve never done before or have never seen anyone else do in your area.

Give your best clients special treatment
Always treat your best clients better than prospective or new clients. Best clients are those who have brought you the most amount of business or referred you to new clients.

“Special treatment” may include discounted rates or unannounced gifts. You can also offer exclusive services for them. Always make time in your schedule for last-minute requirements from existing clients.

Revive “zombie clients”
Haven’t heard from a past client for some time? Give them a gentle nudge. What about making up a “where have you been” letter, to ask clients why you haven’t heard from them…or ask for feedback. Worth a try

Mark important dates
Send existing clients a birthday card or another gift. While you’re at it, why not include a voucher. Or, you could do something similar on the anniversary of when you first started working together

Ask for referrals
Having a referral system in place can be good for your business. Aside from bringing you new clients, having an existing client refer a prospect to you increases her loyalty to you. You can offer incentives in exchange for referrals, such as a discount on a future project or an outright commission.

If you don’t offer an incentive, always send the referrer a simple, but thoughtful email.

I know, it takes work to keep track of these things. But, these details are what makes you stand out from your competition. You will notice there is a common theme running through these tips. They’re all about making your clients feel special, appreciated and loved. So always ask yourself, “What can I do to show my clients how much I value them?”

Christmas is the season of generosity so this December we are offering THREE fantastic specials so that you can get organised for the New Year. We are offering 40% off A4 3 Panel DLE Premium Brochures, 30% off Regular DLE Rack Cards and 25% off Starmarque Spot UV Business Cards helping you to hit the ground running in 2012.

Merry Christmas from the team at printing.com North Shore and all the best for the New Year!

This wee obsession surprises many who except a young graphic designer to be a sporting the latest in calendar technology. How could I, of all people, be so resistant to progress?

Like many people with the same abnormal fetish, there is a particular style of diary I prefer – a week view, portrait layout, lined hours in the weekdays and a hard wearing cover. This then has to fit nicely into my hand and not too heavy in my handbag.  I like the cover to feel tactile; laminated possibly very important with something you hold and touch so often.

Why bother using digital organisers when the analogue version is already near perfection. Digital versions are still poor seconds behind a well laid out paper diary.

However there are some advantages to planning my life in an iPhone, over my trusty old paper diary. The main one is that the iPhone is synced to all sorts of places, so if I lose my phone the information is safe, somewhere… By making the diary public, or sharing it with colleagues, we can gain some efficiencies in coordinating our lives.

This is where the benefits stop. The most important function of a diary is to make it quick and easy to record and recall appointments for myself. The technical term for a shared diary is a calendar, or more specifically, a wall calendar. Of which we have plenty stuck up around our office!

And the major flaw with electronic organisers is that you cannot easily talk to someone on the phone whilst looking through your diary to make an appointment. Sure you can put the phone on speaker but you risk pushing the wrong button and ending the call! With a paper diary you can find, create and change appointments in a fraction of a second by flicking through the weeks and using your pen boldly still while talking on the phone!

In closing, I am a very fast touch typist, but even I cannot tap faster on an iPhone than I can scrawl with my pen across my diary. I do not need to scroll or page to the right place on the right day when one thumb movement can turn the page and take me forward a week.

So why not entertain diary giving this Christmas? A diary with your company logo and contact details is an ideal corporate gift or promotional vehicle, subtly exposing your business in front of your customers every day of the year. Talk to us about our November offer on 2012 diaries – personalise your own 2012 diary cover and we’ll fill in the pages with New Zealand 2012 dates and public holidays.

Chanel Campbell – Graphic Designer
printing.com North Shore

“But I don’t need a logo to succeed.” Maybe. But it sure helps. It’s the centrepiece of your brand. If is wasn’t important, would the big boys spend so much developing theirs? We think not. We design logos day in, day out and we’ve got Corporate Identity packages to suit any budget – from a pigeon’s purse to a walrus’s wallet.

Your logo is central to your brand. Compare your logo with your competitors. If it’s not better or at least as compelling, then you need some logo surgery. Without a logo – or worse, with a poorly designed one – your organisation may look amateurish. You may be thinking “I can live without a logo.” But, a great logo will help your customers identify with you and is more likely to help you succeed.

It isn’t just about your logo though. Keep a similar “look and feel” through all your communications to help people become familiar with your brand. Familiarity leads to trust. Trust leads to sales. And we don’t have to tell you what sales lead to. Apply a consistent look and feel to all marketing material, products and advertising through a coherent use of colours, themes, design elements and typefaces. We’ll help you with this. Remember, if you can see it, you can brand it.

Good design sells. Fact. Bad design – or even just average design – may do more damage to your business than you might care to think. Trust us. We’d recommend you invest at least a third of your budget in sorting out some decent artwork. After all, it’s not about how many items you distribute, it’s about how many responses you get. Give us a call or pop instore at printing.com North Shore and one of our talented graphic designers would love to take care of you.

Now we are not suggesting your brand has put on a little “holiday weight.” Not at all! We are talking about a different kind of detox and one that does not involve a plastic tube and litres of water.

First things first, we need to find out if your brand is toxic?

What is a brand?
Let’s start by understanding what a brand is not. A brand is not a logo. Logo (short for logotype) is another word for trademark and means “word” in Greek. A logo or trademark is not the brand but a symbol for it.
A brand is the feeling and emotion an individual has to that particular product, service or company. This means that the brand is defined by the individual. (Don’t think you have/need a brand? Talk to us.) Or take our toxic brand quiz.

We are now 5 months into our own rebrand from Printstop to printing.com. We have detoxed our brand; our colours, our logo, even our name to become international and sophisticated while retaining our sense of fun, vibrancy and humour to stand out from our competition. So what do you think about our rebrand…?

What is a logo?
So we have established a logo is symbol for your brand. Logos will often include a name, a graphic design element, symbol or trademeark sometimes even a slogan. Your logo is the most important piece of graphic design your company will own, as it fronts as the face of the company and is the basis for all your marketing material; stationery, packaging, promotional materials and signage.

So we really hope your logo is not saying nasty things about you behind your back. Imagine if it was telling potential customers that you cannot be trusted. Imagine you caught it saying you were sloppy or unprofessional. We bet you would have some pretty stiff words to say to it. The reality is, your logo says a lot about you.

Even your choice of colours can give people the wrong impression. Some logos grow old gracefully. Some look dated before you have finished your first box of stationery. Sometimes you will simply outgrow your logo. It’s a common problem and it’s nothing to be ashamed about. Your logo is really important. It is the cornerstone of your brand. It is your signature. You should be proud of it. And we want you to be proud of it.

Maybe your logo is looking a bit tired and just needs a “nip and a tuck” or maybe you do not have a logo at all – we can help. Just drop by or give us a call – our talented team of designers will create a logo that you will love for years to come. Once we have crafted your new identity, we will save you a packet on your printing too.

These days communication is instant, emails fly through cyberspace to land in the recipient’s inbox a few seconds later, compared to the time consuming action of sending a letter in the post. Are letters still a viable form of communication for business?

Absolutely! Communication via email is extremely popular but now our inboxes are brimming to capacity, we skim our eyes down the “new” messages sometimes not even opening the new message, or they land in junk mail, are deleted without being read or just lost in the vastness of the world wide web.

The act of physically receiving a letter, opening it, unfolding and then reading is now a rather romantic act. Letterhead presents a professional visual identity for your business. It is the most important representing document for your company not just a means of correspondence but also a physical representation of your business and services in front of your existing and potential customers, employees, as well as a legal document for your business.

What to include in your letterhead

• Company name
• Logo and slogan
• Address (important if you want to receive something back)
• Phone number
• Email address
• Website

Like it or not, people judge you. If your letters look sloppy, they will assume your work is too. If your logo looks dated, they will figure your business is out of touch. If your stationery is home made, they will worry that your business is your hobby and you are not serious. Badly designed stationery may cost you a lot more than well designed and well created stuff.

With just a few simple tweaks, your stationery can become an active part of your marketing, rather than an overhead. Here are some useful design tips to keep in mind.

• Increase traffic to your website by prominently showing your web address
• A colourful reverse will make your letters more memorable
• Your letterhead should be simple and uncluttered.
• Your logo should be prodominant
• Leave plenty of room for writing
• Important to keep in mind that letterhead paper stocks are uncoated (matt) papers and colours may appear duller than coated (glossy) papers
• Click here for 83 “eye-popping” letterhead designs

Other Uses
All our papers are laser and inkjet guaranteed, although we recommend you try a few samples on your own printer before you order…just in case it is a fussy feeder or a picky printer.

• Newsletters
• Takeaway Menus
• Flyers
• Letters
• Invoices
• Quotes
• Proposals
• Pricelists
• Application forms
• Uncoated paper is great for writing on
• Order forms
• Business proposals
• HR issues
• Written references

Check out our offer of the month for 25% off letterheads plus free A6 notepads

Notepads Ideas

• Calendars
• To do lists
• Crossword puzzles
• Sudoku
• Your contact details
• Useful numbers
• Your logo
• Sketch pads
• Giveaways