Filed under: Presentation folders, advertising, branding, business cards, flyers, marketing, posters | Tags: advertising, branding, design, flyers, posters, print advertising
It’s every garage band’s dream to make it big. And today, with music mixing software and some studio time, you can create your own demo CD and market yourself to the world!
There are plenty of bands who have managers who book the dates and do their marketing. But when times are tough and there’s no official management, band members need to be able to wear a lot of different hats – including the one with “Manager” embroidered across the brim.
But whether you are employing a manager or doing it yourself, one of the very best tools available for marketing and promoting a band is the press kit. A press kit is by far the most professional way to introduce your band to a potential venue.
What few bands realize is the importance of working with a professional printing firm. Almost every element of your press kit will need to be professionally printed. As you read through these press kit essentials, think about how best to promote your brand – and your band – with colorful graphics and catchy lingo.
Press Kit Essentials
Make sure your press kit includes the following:
- Business card – This gives your customer an easy tool to find your contact information when they’re ready to call you.
- 8 x 10 glossy photo – Your customers want to know what they’re getting, so send them an 8 x 10 glossy photo so they can see what you look like. For a personal touch, sign it and mention the name of the venue – a very cool touch that begs your photo to be posted on the venue’s “Wall of Fame.”
- Artist Bios – Make sure to include an artist biography that tells a little about the history of your music or your band. Make sure that the section also includes some references from other venues, if at all possible.
- Press Release – Many venue owners would gladly submit a press release about an artist that they will be featuring at their venue. Often, they do not have the time to write one of their own, so include a press release to make their job easier.
- Posters and Flyers – While many venue owners have their own network for advertising, be sure to include some free posters and flyers where dates and times can be filled in. Besides, wouldn’t you rather have quality posters advertising your show rather than something someone put together in 5 minutes on a word processor program?
- A copy of your CD –You should always include your CDs so the owner can listen to your music. Many artists have begun to print CDs that are only for promotions and press kits. Don’t forget the CD liner notes! Professionally printed liner notes make you look like a major player.
- Presentation Folder – Finally, you need a professional folder to fit the entire press kit into. Make sure to at least put your mailing address, logo, and band name on the folder. Some artists are even printing full color folders to grab the venue owner’s attention.
As you can see, nearly every part of the press kit includes printed materials. So find a quality online printing firm – like PrintPlace.com - that can complete your project in a cost-effective-yet- professional manner – and ensure that your press kit is appropriate for venue owners.
Filed under: advertising, branding, brochures, business cards, flyers, marketing, posters, printing
Marketing a non-profit organization with limited funds can be a challenge, but it is vital to the flow of contributions and therefore important to the impact your organization can have on its community. Marketing should be maintained on a regular basis to keep your organization in front of both potential donors and those who may be able to benefit from your services. Special fundraising or awareness-raising events require ramping up the marketing efforts in order to have the most benefit. This is why you should consistently be checking your brochure or poster designs for certain important elements.
As a non-profit organization, your marketing should have several key elements. Not all of these will fit into each type of marketing, but you should always review the list and analyze each item for suitable application to each of the advertising venues:
- A mission statement introduces your organization’s cause and the services you offer and how they positively impact the community
- A demonstration of what your organization has been able to accomplish with past donations with the use of graphics, statistics, and/or numbers. This demonstration should boost confidence in the responsible use of donations by your organization.
- Examples of individuals involved with your organization through profiles of beneficiaries, donors, and volunteers. Spotlighting these various areas exemplifies the importance of involvement on many levels and how each participant is vital to the success of the organization.
- A call to action is easy to accept when the previous elements have been delivered in a compelling manner. A call to action invites individuals to visit your website, attend your event, call your office, make a donation, or even accept the beneficial services. During key fundraising promotions, having a sponsor who will match donations made in a certain time period adds a sense of urgency for those donors who might otherwise wait.
With these elements in mind, here are some low-cost marketing ideas for non-profit organizations:
Signs – Widely used during political campaigns, signs can also be an effective way to advertise non-profit organizations, especially promotional events or services the organization offers. Producing a large number of small signs to distribute around town is a relatively low cost way to get in front of a large audience. Be sure that the physical location of the organization or event has a good permanent sign as well as a display of the promotional signs for best results. Pair a brochure printing marketing campaign with the sign distribution to maximize exposure.
Press Releases – Issuing a press release is one of the most efficient ways to communicate the message of your non-profit organization. Press releases can always be re-used in brochure printing.
Invite the Press – Let your local newspaper and news stations know about an upcoming event along with the ways that your organization helps the community, and invite them to come. Give them “backstage” access. For the best results, combine an invitation to the press with a special spotlight on several specific testimonials during your event and in the publicity beforehand. Use quotes from the resulting news stories in future brochure printing materials.
Radio Interviews – Contact local radio stations, especially morning shows, to see about featuring your spokesperson as a guest on their program. This is another great way to get your message in front of a large audience of people on their way to or getting ready for work/school.
Write Newspaper Articles – Local or free newspapers may be willing to publish stories submitted by your organization written on topics related to your non-profit organization. This is best done on a regular basis to help build a connection between readers and your organization.
Brochures – Brochure printing is one of the longest standing methods for marketing non-profit organizations. Brochures can be printed for consistent, informational exposure, and kept on hand to distribute throughout the year. Brochures can also be printed for special events or seasons when your services are most needed. Separate brochures may be needed for donors and beneficiaries to illustrate services available or services that require funding.
Flyers – Flyers can be used in some of the same informational capacities as brochures for events or service awareness. Leave a stack of flyers (or brochures) with related organizations or businesses who are willing to partner with you.
Posters – Posters are great for displaying in medical clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores, libraries, etc to maintain public awareness.
One final tip: If you are printing large quantities of marketing materials (such as over a couple hundred), use a reputable online printing company. This will always save you money while providing excellent results, making your non-profit organization look that much more appealing to potential donors and volunteers.
There are many forms of printed advertising available that can be applied to any advertising need: posters, flyers, brochures, catalogs, postcards, door hangers, direct mail, etc. But there is usually one significant factor that determines the direction of most printed advertising campaigns – namely budget constraints. For events or general awareness advertising, posters and flyers – especially paired together – can help you create a long-lasting, memorable campaign on even a small budget.
Poster Details
Poster printing can be used to advertise any business, organization, or event. Poster printing is perfect for advertisements or announcements that will be valid for a long period of time because they are usually securely mounted on a surface. They are also easy to switch out when it’s time to update your message without a lot of out-of-pocket expense. Posters are excellent for advertising a new business that is “opening soon” as well as an established business that wants to broaden its customer base. Poster campaigns are a smart way to get a message to a large group of people. All your audience has to do is pass by your poster locations. Poster advertising is an excellent choice when you want to keep your company in view of your target audience.
Flyer Details
Flyers are a quick and easy-to-use form of print advertising that can be customized for absolutely anything. Smaller than posters, their size lends them to a greater variety of distribution methods: left in stacks for anyone to take, handed out personally to passersby, direct mailed, and even hung or posted. Flyers can be used in conjunction with poster printing campaigns. For example, when your business opens, print up “now open” flyers and slap them over your “opening soon” posters. You still have the large space of the poster and the advance notice, but now with very little trouble you have changed the message of the poster with the simple addition of a flyer. Flyers can also be handed out with messages that reinforce your poster campaign’s message. And of course flyers can be used by themselves – and often are – for events like band concerts, garage sales, school events, church events, etc.
Use posters:
• As a hanging display to reach a large audience on the move
• When you need long term advertising
• To get attention of the general public
Use flyers:
• As a hand out, mobile advertising
• For short term advertising, right before the event
• As the final campaign before the event, to reinforce poster advertising
Pairing posters with flyers can create a long-lasting and memorable marketing campaign that can work with even the smallest budget!
If you own a business or are in charge of your company’s marketing efforts, you have probably thought about using door hangers in your efforts. Door hangers are perhaps the most underappreciated tools in the marketing toolbox. They can be wonderfully effective, if done right, and they are usually very affordable. So why are they not more popular? Probably because people simply do not know how great they can be. So let’s remedy that situation by going over some of the good things about these little marketing wonders.
People Read Them!
You know all those direct mail items you find in your mailbox? What happens to them? I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of them end up in the trash. And most of them were probably never even glanced at, right? Well, not so with door hangers. After all, how can you not read something that you have to physically lift off of your doorknob? Even if it’s just in route from the door to the trash, they are still being looked at.
Saturate an Area
Door hangers are especially effective for local businesses trying to gain a foothold in the community. They are far cheaper than direct mail, and (as we already mentioned) are much more effective. Once you have your door hangers printed, organize a team to go door to door placing them on doors in your neighborhood. You will probably see a significant increase in local foot traffic.
They Increase Visibility
The key to growing your business is to become known to your target customers. Experts say that a person has to hear a name at least seven times before it sinks in. If you are wary of doing a direct mail campaign because of the cost, consider a door hanger campaign as an alternative. As we already discussed, door hangers get read more than direct mail. Plus, going door to door placing door hangers is a great way to meet your potential customers face to face.
Cost Cutting Benefits
Door hangers are considerably cheaper than running a direct mail campaign, as long as you go to the right place to have them printed. There are a lot of very good printers who will do your door hanger printing for a reasonable price and with a very short turnaround. Shop around and talk to as many printers as you can. You will find a good one that will do everything you want and more.
Personalization
If you are targeting a specific area, you can design your door hangers to appeal to people in that community. Use phrases or images that are particular to that region, and your door hangers will be even more effective. People like to feel like part of a community, and they like to do business with other members of that community. So let your customers know that you are in the area and are contributing to the community, and they will be happy to come to you!
Filed under: advertising, flyers, marketing, posters, printing | Tags: poster printing
With online display ads waning in popularity, it’s back to basics for many advertisers. This means using postcards, brochures and posters to catch consumer attention. If done correctly, a poster (of which billboards are included) can drive someone to stop into a store, visit a Web site or make a call to order a product. I’m going to break down the steps for you so that you can create a great poster.
1. Identify your audience. Yes, this is the first step you must take with any type of advertising and posters are no exception. You only have about 3 seconds to catch someone’s attention with custom poster printing. That means you need to know what your audience likes and what they want to see. You have to design a poster that will pull them in with a glance. If your audience is composed of children, then bright colors or images of their favorite cartoon characters will draw them in. If your audience consists of adults, you’ll obviously nix the cartoon characters and use a celebrity or an image that appeals to adults.
2. Focus your message. The best posters say one thing and say it quickly. You need to create a headline that is 8 words or less, but has enough meaning to get people to either read on or get them into your store. Posters with multiple photos that appear to have nothing to do with each other fail miserably. Posters with long headlines fail as well. You have to make your message clear and short – there’s no time for confusion.
3. Organize your info. Posters generally have a headline, a statement and then perhaps supporting material. Put the most essential info in the headline, which should be the largest of the poster’s typographical elements, and then the statement should be the next largest and supporting material should be in the smallest size font. By the time people get to the supporting material, they’re interested enough and have gotten close enough to your poster for the details.
4. Effectively use colors. Use colors to break up text info, to point to the most important info and to lend background color.
Use colors judiciously – don’t use colors just for the sake of using colors. Colors convey feelings – you can Google “color emotion” to find a list. For instance, blue is calming and red can mean aggression or love. Make sure the colors you choose convey your poster’s message.
5. Use font that’s easy to read. Your poster needs to be legible from at least 10 feet away. Designers recommend looking at your poster from at least 20 feet away, as if you were walking by it on the street or in a mall. Don’t use cursive font or handwriting font that is hard to read. Sans serif fonts (the ones without “feet” or “tails”, like Arial) are easiest to read from far away.
By focusing your message with colors that back up your message’s mood in a legible font, you’ll catch customers’ eyes and generate enough interest to make them make
