Here at PrintFirm we love us some trading cards. We find this particular product attracts some of our most creative clients. Anyway, all this Valentine’s Day talk got me thinking about the little paper cards I passed out in elementary school. They were supposed to be mini greeting cards (I think). At least that’s what they seemed like to me at the time. Now I’m inclined to believe these premade packets have more in common with trading cards than anything else.
6 Valentine’s Day marketing examples with custom trading cards
Printed trading card promos have plenty of uses from advertising to education. Cards are the perfect tool for a holiday about love and appreciation because they’re supposed to be keepsake items. For this reason, I recommend sticking with the collectable theme rather than using cards for discounts or offers.So what can you do with cards instead of push coupons? I’m glad you asked. Here are 6 creative ways to spread the love for your brand on February 14th.
Veterinary pet patient cards
Animal hospitals often take pictures of their furry patients. Your veterinary office probably has tons of adorable photos laying around. Since the standard trading card size is 2.5″ x 3.5″, you don’t need big hi res photos to get good quality results. Just make sure you get permission from your patients’ owners before you print.
In the classroom
There are tons of fun ways for schools, teachers, and students to get in on the CMYK action. Rather than share a single idea or concept, I’ll just toss out a couple:
Teacher love cards- Valentine’s Cards to help parents get to know the faculty and staff.
Student photo cards- Every kid in the class can have his or her yearbook photo printed to create a set of class cards.
Trivia test questions – Work cards into your holiday lesson plans! Ask questions about lessons, and give your students a special card for the correct answer.
Restaurant specials
Promote your best-selling menu items or introduce new seasonal fare with cards.
Kids sports teams
Give everyone on the team a chance to feel like an All-star on Valentine’s Day. Encourage team spirit and good sportsmanship with cheerful heart shape designs for your little athletes.
Photography portrait showcase
Photographers who specialize in portraits, weddings, etc. should jump at the chance to share their work in a unique, memorable way. As with the pet patience, it’s best to clear things with clients beforehand.
In-store gift
This would be a perfect fit for a florist on Valentine’s Day. Other small niche stores might have to do a bit of brainstorming, but any company in the gift giving world can surely find a way to integrate cards that show off their inventories. A florist should be able to create cards for every flower in the garden, and add interesting information on the back about its history, symbolic meaning, etc.
Share your campaigns!
Have you done a cool trading card promo for Valentine’s Day? Tell us your sweet marketing success stories in the comments below!
Last week we announced our sweetheart Valentine’s Day canvas giveaway! I hope you’ll all enter this free contest; this promotion is near and dear to my shutterbug heart. In the blog post announcement, I covered a few quick tips to help you prepare your photos for professional printing. Today I’d like to walk you through the process step by step in Photoshop.
Canvas Photo Printing Guide in Photoshop CS6
Since the prize is a 12″ x 18″ custom print, that’s the size we’ll create in this how to. I’m using Photoshop version CS 6, but the steps are basically the same as the parts of the program we’re using haven’t changed much over the years. I used the same techniques when I made my own wall art at Christmas, and I have CS 5 at home.
Step 1) Open a new document in Photoshop (Ctrl + N)
Step 2) Name your document whatever you like, set the present to “Custom,” and apply the following settings:
It’s super important to set the resolution to 300 Pixels/Inch (DPI) and the color mode to CMYK. This way we know we’re working with a high resolution image, which is mandatory for pro printing. Unless you’re ok with a fuzzy, pixelated, or otherwise distorted artwork, please, please, use the best quality image you can find. Now some printers may not require CMYK—they can just write their own tutorials. We’re a 4 color process kinda shop, and we want you to see what your colors will look like so you can perform any adjustments before it’s too late. I chose a 16 bit image to be on the safe side.
Step 3) Make guides (View>New Guide or press Crtl + R and drag your guides from the rulers) and snap them to the edges of your document like so:
Step 4) We need a bleed! Adjust the Canvas Size (Image>Canvas Size or Alt + Ctrl + C) to 14″ x 20″. The result will look like this:
A couple of things need to be addressed here, so I’m going to explain why we need to use these settings in the first place. You may be wondering why our canvas size measures 14″ x 20″. I mean, we’re making a 12″ x 18″ print, right? The extra 2 inches on all sides covers our bleed area, although in this case we don’t need a bleed because of ink expansion. Instead, we need those 2 inches to complete the wrapped portion of the project. At PrintFirm we offer large format mounted canvas, which means there are stretcher bars on the back. Your artwork needs to be able to wrap around the edges in full color or else there will be a big white border at the edges.
Everything inside the guides is your safe zone, meaning that’s where your artwork appears. The 2 in bleed area will cover the sides, so it’s not as visually striking as the rest of your design.
Step 5) Open up your image and think BIG! Unless you have a giant file taken with a professional camera, I strongly suggest you pick a photo with very simple composition. In my example, I’ve got a picture of a guy riding a mountain bike. He’s more or less a silhouette against a sunset, so there’s not a lot going on in this image. Reason being, sometimes your picture isn’t big enough to cover the canvas. There are ways to work around this without stretching to enlarge, but they are much easier when you start with a fairly basic picture. Here’s what I ended up with:
Notice how the image doesn’t cover the whole canvas? That’s not what we want. If your image is large enough to fill up all the space, great! You can stop right here and save your file. Otherwise, you’ll have to improvise along with me.
There are several methods of cleaning up an image without distortion. Some people use the clone stamp tool in these situations; I’m not one of them. I simply copy portions of the image and paste them in the empty space.
Step 6) Center the photo. Press (Ctrl + A) to select all, and align vertical/horizontal centers from the menu bar:
When you’re done, press Ctrl + D to deselect.
Step 7) Make the photo BIGGER! Ok, I’m not really going alter the image itself. I’m just going to fill up space starting with the bottom. You might want to duplicate the original image on a new layer (Ctrl + J) so as to keep it intact. Zoom in (Ctrl + +) and double click the foreground color to select the right shade with the color picker tool. Now use the rectangle marquee tool to outline the whole bottom area beneath the photo, including the bleed area. Right click the inside of the rectangle and choose the fill option. Since we’ve already found our color, fill the rectangle with the foreground color.¬
Step 8) Fix the sides. There’s no that much space in the bleed area on either side, yet we can’t leave even the smallest portion of the canvas empty. For this portion, we’re going to simply copy a small part of the image, flip it, and presto!
Here I used the marquee tool to copy (Ctrl + C) a small part of the picture. Next, I create a new layer and paste the copy on it. I want the copy to blend with the rest of the image to appear clean, so I’m extra careful to zoom in to get the perfect placement. When I’ve got the copy in exactly the right spot so it’s not overlapping the rest of the image, I flip it horizontally for a better match (Edit> Transform>Flip Horizontal).
Step 9: Repeat step 8 with the right side. We end up with this very realistic effect:
Step 10: Top off the top. We’re basically going to do the same copy/paste trick for the top portion, although we can tell by looking at the image that there’s a lot more space to fill. That means the top probably won’t look as hot as the rest of our masterpiece, but what can you do.
Before I go any further, I’m going to merge the bottom and the sides to the rest of the image. Click on the layer above the photo, and press Ctrl + E to merge its contents with the image. Repeat until the additional layers get disappeared.
Finally, I’m going to copy a portion of the sky above the cyclists’ head. Careful not to get any of his helmet, we only want the clouds. This time, flip the copy vertically (Edit> Transform> Flip Vertical). Since we don’t have very much sky to work with, we’ve still got a sizeable amount of background to hide. I think it makes more sense to merge the sky addition and copy the result down to the helmet (Ctrl + E). Be sure to zoom in and out beforehand to check your alignment for any gaps.
Paste the copy above the image, flip it vertically (Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical), and we’re done! Our end result isn’t perfect, but it’s sure a lot better than a giant border.
Save the file as a PDF or a flattened PSD, and we’re ready to upload.
Wrapped Canvas Tutorial Questions
Do you have any questions about this tutorial or canvas file prep? Ask in the comments below!
Valentine’s Day is for lovers, right? So most of your Februrary marketing strategy is geared towards couples, kids, and gift ideas for relatives. Targeting these groups will certainly boost your sales, but don’t neglect the swinging singles! The old stereotype about being lonely without cupid’s arrow in your life absolutely applies today. While some folks are perfectly satisfied without a partner, others feel downright miserable on a day dedicated to romance.
This presents an excellent opportunity for your small biz to stand out from the major brands. Think about how many corporate retailers go overboard with the sappy stuff that alienates the bachelors and bachelorettes. Here’s your chance to do the opposite—show all of your customers how much you care by catering to their individual needs.
7 ways to spread love to singles at your small business
How do you know what single people want on the day of duos? Put yourself in their shoes (unless you’re single yourself), and find creative ways to solve their problems.
Restaurant promo postcards- This one would work best with a lot of data on your hands. Ideally, you have a pretty good idea of who the married people are on your mailing list. If not, they you won’t be able to run a highly targeted direct mail campaign exclusively for singles. But don’t fret because you can kill two birds with a jumbo sized postcard. Split your design down the middle, and create 2 coupons or offers. Make 1 appealing to couples, such as a special romantic dinner for 2, and save the other side for solo diners. Carry out or delivery will probably be preferable so the singles don’t feel left out sitting alone in a room full of couples.
Single’s night club flyers- Give people a reason not to stay in and sulk because they don’t have a date. Throw a special party at your club with $1 drinks, live music, and a dating auction to pack the place. Design flyers to spread the word and be sure to avoid the kind of artwork that only appeals to men. Women probably won’t want to show up if you send the message that they’ll be walking into a meat market.
Funny greeting cards- You can’t get bulk mailing discounts for folded greeting cards, which means your best bet would be to hand out cards in person at the register. Ask every shopper whether they’re taken or on the market, and give them a Valentine’s day card based on the answer. You’ll need 2 sets of cards, and a message that makes the singles crack a smile.
Pampered promotion raffle for girls- This marketing idea appeals to the lovely ladies who might be depressed without a man to romance them. Unattached women are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem this time of year, yet you can hold a raffle to make them feel beautiful. Buy a gift certificate to a local salon or spa and enter all your female customers in a drawing to win the luxurious prize. If you own a salon, this will be a piece of cake.
First date kit for guys-Does your store cater to men more than women? Guys also need a confidence booster, although they may respond better to something that appeals to their sense of conquest. Inspire your studs with a raffle prize that contains everything they need to get the girl they’re crushing on. Gather up ingredients for a romantic evening, such as champagne, movie tickets, chocolates, roses, etc. and put them in a nice gift basket so he’s ready to pass along the present to his dream date.
Fly solo email offers-You’re already planning a holiday email blast. Unless you’ve got a great segmented list of subscribers, you’ll have to add an offer that appeals to everyone. Or you can use the same principal as the postcard and give customers the option to choose the deal that applies to their relationship status.
Celebrate single awareness day- Otherwise known as SAD, this is the single’s alternative to Valentine’s Day. Basically, SAD pokes fun at commercialism and the notion that everyone who’s alone must be miserable. Research suggests that some people could care less about being on their own. Empower these people and encourage their independence. Give them stickers in their shopping bags with pro-single slogans i.e. “Too smart for consumerism” “Single and proud”.
You may have noticed that we haven’t hosted an awesome giveaway lately. We’ve sponsored our fair share of online contests, but as our resident rapper Andrew Conweezie noted on Twitter, we’ve been neglecting the PrintFirm community a bit as a result:
I feel as if @Printfirm hasn't done any awesome contests in awhile!!
So let me be the first to say we’re sorry if we made anyone feel unloved. Since we’re getting ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we figured we’d show you how much we love you with a custom canvas print!
How to win a custom canvas photo print for your valentine
Here’s your chance to win a beautiful, one of a kind gift for the special someone in your life. Naturally, singles, photographers, artists, and designers may enter on their own behalves. We are hoping that the winner will embrace the spirit of loving generosity; if you prefer to have us deliver the good news directly to your loved one, just let us know! We’ll be happy to contact a gift recipient on February 14th.
Either way, please enter the contest using the widget below!
Product features large format printing on high quality 17 mil. artist canvas
Mounted on all sides (suitable for display as is, no framing necessary)
Turnaround time 7 business days
Complementary shipping included in prize package
Limit 1 entry per person, must be 18 or over and a US resident to be eligible. No purchase necessary.
Winner will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours, or we will choose another contestant.
Winner must supply photo or artwork; we do not have ready-made designs for this item available.
Sorry, PrintFirm will not customize or otherwise modify your file beyond simple resizing.
For questions about this contest, artwork, etc. please contact Katherine at marketing AT printfirm DOT com.
To feature this contest on your blog, contact Katherine at the above address for the widget code.
Mounted canvas file prep tips
I realize that many of you passionate people may not have a lot of experience with professional printing, much less wrapped canvas art. I tried really hard to find you an easy to follow Photoshop tutorial; alas, I came up short as nothing described our process accurately. I won’t leave you hanging, though. I’ve personally created my own wall art from a photograph, so I like to think I know what I’m talking about. Here are my top tips to help you get the best looking print possible!
Use a picture from a camera, not a cellphone- You may already have a photo in mind for this project or you’re planning the perfect shot. We want you to be happy with the finished product, which is why I’m warning you to please use a camera instead of your phone. Image quality is super important in print, and unfortunately, cellphone pics are generally lower resolution or simply too small to fit the large 12″ x 18″ size without stretching. You don’t want to mess up your picture by trying to enlarge it because then the picture will appear blurry, fuzzy, or otherwise distorted.
We always recommend high resolution photos (300 dpi). If you’re not sure what that means, we might run into trouble. We can check the image resolution for you if you don’t have Photoshop, but we can’t perform miracles. If we think your photo won’t work out, we will ask you to send another picture.
Send us a 14″ x 20″ file- Wait, didn’t I say this would be a 12″ x 18″? What’s with the extra inches? Let me explain. We always need a bleed area no matter what you order because ink expands. In this case, we don’t need the extra space due to expansion. We need to be able to wrap the artwork around the stretch bars. 2 inches all the way around should get the job done, so be sure to account for this when you’re getting your artwork ready.
Hello everyone! Today I’m very pleased to introduce a friend of mine, independent marketing consultant Robert Waddington, aka Robert Alpha Avant. I like to call him the Alpha Dawg because of his aggressive style and fierce sales stamina. Robert is a digital marketing master, yet he’s a print geek at heart. Well, maybe geek is the wrong word. He doesn’t get gooey over paper art the way I do. He gets weak in the knees because he believes in the power of print to generate revenue for his clients. I’ll let him explain the rest.
Why I love printing
Emotion is a powerful tool. Emotion is the catalyst that can change deeply engrained thoughts, and bring out both the best and worst of humanity.
In skilled hands, emotion can be a force that can direct, suggest, and otherwise shape things that might be headed in a completely different direction. I mention emotion and printing together as they have been inexorably linked since Gutenberg started fumbling around with moveable type way back in 1450.
Regarding emotion, I would like to make a quick digression to the story of Vedran Smailović, a former cellist in the Sarajevo String Quartet. During the siege of Sarajevo (which lasted from 1992 to 1996), Mr. Smailović would regularly play in the ruins of the bombed out buildings.
This bold and quite heroic move on the part of Mr. Smailović stood in striking contrast to the emotive and gentle music of his solo performances. This striking juxtaposition resonated worldwide and soon became a touchstone for the power of the human spirit in the face of tyranny and oppression.
A similarly emotive image was also struck by the single person standing down a long line of tanks during the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989.
In the few minutes that Mr. Smailović played his cello, or in the moment that man took his stand in front of the Tanks in Tiananmen Square, a wave of emotions that would take hundreds of words to tell transferred to the viewer in one simple image. This transference coalesced into a clear message of the strength and triumph of human spirit which in turn touched so many disparate people from every corner of the world.
Yes indeed, emotion is a powerful communicator.
Printing and emotion go hand in hand.
Now, printing is not the same emotional touchstone that the above mentioned examples are, but it does work similarly on a lesser scale. The printed word was the vehicle that drove humanity out of the dark ages and into the age of enlightenment. It was printing that fueled education and subsequently allowed for such huge developments in science that gave way to the industrial era.
Printing has been an integral part of man’s advancement and it deserves a rightful place in the growth of man. I bring this point out because there has been a trend of late to dismiss printing as if it is a dead or non-relevant industry.
That thinking is not only erroneous, but it is very far from the truth.
Printing is vital to local communities and industries.
For instance, brochures and direct mail pieces are far more effective than emails and websites in terms of conversions per pieces. Yes, a printed sale literature does cost more per piece than its electronic equivalent, but the return is substantially higher with printed matter than it is with electronic marketing methods. Check out this study on ROI of printed material vs. online marketing methods for more info.
Why I recommend print campaigns to my clients
In my business, I provide marketing services to B2B and B2C companies in various market segments. For every marketing campaign I perform, I almost always suggest a printed piece as part of the overall strategy. I do this because it is both smart and provides a genuine ROI on investment.
I recommend print not just because it is so effective, but because of the emotional component I refer to in the opening paragraphs of this article.
Emotion is a powerful tool. Emotion comes in a wide range of intensity. The higher emotional intensity the printed piece versus the lower emotional impact of other media is a valuable bit of information. What will you do with this information?
As a business owner, you might not be taking part in a revolution, but you have a need to connect with the public. Your ability to connect to the public is commensurate with your ability to stay in business. Make sure you use the emotional power of print in your growth strategy.
Do you love printing?
About the Author
Robert Waddington has been writing about marketing and business since 1999. He covers topics regarding industry segments, branding, the marketing forces that drive commerce, and the need to be up-to-date with trends. Robert is the founder of Alpha Avant. Alpha Avant provides content, technical writing and social media consultation services.
Today’s regularly schedule blog post is on hold due to a most excellent piece of direct mail from the good people at Victor Printing! If you’re involved in the social CMYK circle, then you’re probably already familiar with this funky printing company from Sharon, PA.
I’m not quite sure why they decided to send me a package o’ #PrintLove via direct mail, but they certainly chose the perfect gift for this print geek—branded notepads with a matching pen! When I opened the envelope, I knew I had to share their creative notepad design with the community. I’ve never seen anything quite so clever, and that’s saying a lot because we print notepads, too!
Team member notepad concept
You don’t see a lot of head shots on printed pads outside of the real estate marketing sector. Most companies simply slap a logo with contact information on top, and call the design complete. Victor Printing gave their artwork a much more personal touch by including pictures of several team members along with their job titles in the design.
The first page features a picture of customer service specialist Jenny DeLung. Now let’s pretend that I’m a first time customer or maybe an older one who hasn’t used their service in a while. Maybe I placed an order online and received an email from Jenny about my file. Perhaps I called their office and spoke with her on the phone. When my project arrives, the notepad below is sitting inside the box. I instantly recognize Jenny as my point of contact person, and now I get to put a face to the name. I will be reminded of her helpfulness every time I need to jot down a quick memo. So I’m far more likely to remember Jenny the next time I need print marketing materials. That’s a BIG branding win! Best of all, this strategy will work for almost any type of business or industry.
A touch of humor
Their other 2 designs are modeled after the infamous Keep Calm poster we’ve all seen on social media. The words, “Keep Calm and Make a List” are a cute way to show the lighter side of the Victor Printing brand. I love the fun patterns; I can’t help thinking they made both of these versions for their female clients. The colorful backgrounds serve as a great example of knowing your audience. What woman wouldn’t love the pretty pink abstract pattern or these soft blue stripes? The little check boxes along with the numbered lines are the perfect finishing touches. After all, there’s no point in mentioning lists without providing space to fill one in.
A handwritten thank you photo
I hope you found VP’s creative approach as inspiring as I did! It wouldn’t be right to end this post without a special S/O to the VP team for their kindness:
Happy Friday everybody! As you know, I do my best to put my ear down to the SEO ground so you don’t miss the important stuff (Doors reference). Let me tell you, it was a very frustrating week for the inbound marketing community; however, I firmly believe that the majority of business owners really have nothing to worry about.
The whole unnecessary fiasco started on Matt Cutts’ blog wherein he initially posted a confusing piece of hyperbole that condemned basically every SEO and online copywriter in the business. In a nutshell, Cutts went in dry on writers and made a blanket statement that we’re all sinister spammers. Cutts later retractedclarified his previous statement, but it was too late. Phoney SEOs and Cutts butt kissers already gobbled up the story, and spewed the new narrative that guest blogging should be considered a four letter word in the online marketing world across every social network.
Now I know that numerous experts have already weighed in on this nonsense, and I’m not adding anything new to the discussion beyond my personal viewpoint. Nevertheless, I felt obligated to relay the story to you before you’re fed false infauxmation by the talking heads.
Who is Matt Cutts to tell me how to run my business blog?
For those of you who are not familiar with the Cutts, he’s known throughout the SEO industry as the Google spam cop. He’s head of the webspam department at Google, and acts as the company’s spokesperson on related issues. Consequently, he’s got a giant target on his back. Loathed by spammers around the globe, Cutts performs the essentially thankless job of keeping the dark underbelly of the internet hidden from your view. In that sense, I have to respect the guy. Spam sucks, and I certainly don’t want it to pollute my search experience or yours.
And that’s where my warm fuzzy feelings for Cutts abruptly end. I’ve shared my beef with his actions before, and I generally dislike his entire approach. He’s got a habit of making sweeping generalizations that serve no purpose other than to raise our collective blood pressure. The latest incident serves as the perfect example of what I’m referring to here. He drops a huge bomb filled with unjust nastiness seemingly for the sole purpose of making people like us go gray early.
The original article felt like a slap in the face to my work along with the awesome guest authors we’ve had the pleasure of featuring on this site. Some of the best, most popular articles on our blog came from other people. I was fuming, and ran downstairs to explain the situation to our manager. I told him I didn’t care what Cutts said; I would continue to allow contributors and post on a couple of other sites myself. He agreed. I suggest you do the same no matter what Cutts says because ultimately, he could care less about your long term success.
Guest posting tips Q & A: How to keep your white hat on
The term “white hat” is more or less synonymous with good, above the board, squeaky clean, etc., SEO as opposed to black hat, meaning scandalous SEO tactics from the depths of hell. In fact, black hat wearers are responsible for this whole shebang in the sense that they co-opted another kosher way to increase your brand’s visibility. Guest blogging used to be the darling of the white hats, hence why so many of us are up in arms. I presume you still have lots of questions about how you can go about guest blogging for your business website without incurring any penalties. I can’t make any guarantees (no real SEO would), but here are my suggestions for your consideration.
1) Do I need to nofollow every link in a guest post?
Cutts Answer: Absolutely.
My Answer: Please don’t insult hard working writers with a no follow in the bio. As a Copyblogger commenter noted, most people outside of the SEO world don’t even know what no follow means.
Just so you’re aware, there are two kinds of links on the web. Followed links are the kind you want because they pass juice along to your site. No follow links have little to no value, hence the name. They are clickable, which means you might get traffic from them, but they don’t feed your site the juice it needs to improve your organic positioning. So by telling you to no follow every single link in a guest post, Google’s turning you into the cliché client who refuses to pay you, but promises “exposure” as compensation.
If you really want to be on the extra safe side, do their bidding. As a writer/creative professional, I can’t in good conscience ask others to give me a piece of themselves for nothing.
2) How can I tell whether or not an author is legit?
Cutts Answer: First ask for a DNA sample for the authority scrutiny lab. Then tell them you expect nothing short of exceptional content for nothing in return. If they agree, post away.
My Answer: There are plenty of ways to avoid being burned by spammers. Did an author you’ve never heard of send you a cold email full of spelling mistakes? That should raise a red flag immediately. You’re way better off collaborating with people who are already a part of your extended network.
Should you encounter an unknown author you get a good feeling about, ask for samples, check for authorship + rich snippets of his or her domain (legit writers WANT to own their online presence) , research the sites they already write for, and audit their social media accounts. Create content guidelines all contributors must agree to prior to posting, and enforce them without hesitation. Don’t be afraid to exercise your editorial powers.
3) Where do I find safe sites to post on?
Cutts Answer: No site will escape my wrath.
My Answer: Use common sense. Start with established sites in your industry, major publishers, and friends from your network. As long as you stick with reputable spots where you add value for readers, you shouldn’t stress. I hope it goes without saying that hiring 3rd party guest posting services is out of the question.
4) Should I Ask Webmasters to Remove my Old Guest Articles?
Cutts Answer: It’s too late to save yourself.
My Answer: Only if you posted on questionable sites in the past. Otherwise, that’s not necessary in my book. If you’ve always been above the board, why bother backtracking?
5) What are the right reasons for contributing to other websites?
Cutts Answer: There aren’t any. Next question.
My Answer: Cutts claims that guest blogging strictly for SEO purposes is dead. To paraphrase Jennita from Moz, thanks, captain obvious! I loved Jennita’s sentiment because it echos my own feeling that Cutts freaked out for no reason. Spammers care about links alone, and that’s partly Google’s fault. By perpetuating PageRank, they’re indirectly encouraging the behavior Cutts supposedly abhors.
Everyone has his or her own reasons for wanting to post on other sites. Personally, I enjoy contributing because it helps me reach new audiences, and gives me an opportunity to write about topics that I wouldn’t normally cover on this blog. To me articles are a fun way to build my reputation, which is important for my fairly young career.
Of course I appreciate earning a link; I’d be lying if I said otherwise. That’s right I said earned. Writing is hard work, and I do it well. This post took a few hours to produce, and that time is money. I might be willing to accept a no follow as a favor or for an amazing opportunity. But I don’t think asking for a single link with brand name anchor text is too much to ask for my labor.
6) Will Google Crack Down on Shady Spammy Spinners?
Cutts Answer: Bloggers beware.
My Answer: They already have! Remember Penguin 2.0? That algorithm update targeted domains with low quality backlinks. In other words, Google takes measures to combat the crap every day. Spam is spam regardless of the form is assumes.
Let’s Talk
Do you have questions about your blogging best practices? Want to tell me I’m completely off base? Whatever you want to say, please speak your mind in the comments below!
Ok, this is a spur of the moment blog post. Somehow the epic event known as National Handwriting Day slipped past my print geek radar! Fortunately, I have the good sense to follow iPresort on Facebook and Twitter, so my bases are covered.
Anyway, I happened to log in to the Book at work this morning to find this adorable snowman Post-it note in my Newsfeed:
The update included a link to the Moleskine blog about National Handwriting Day. You’re more than welcome to get the info straight from the source, but I’ll go ahead and fill you in on the important details in case you don’t feel like clicking. To celebrate NHD, this beloved brand is encouraging creatives everywhere to grab a pencil or pen, and write out social media updates using the hashtags #MHDAY and #HandwritingDay.
Did you see how I italicized the word and? That wasn’t just for stylistic purposes. I believe Moleskine would be satisfied with either tag, but why not double the fun to be on the safe side. Plus, that way your work will appear in 2 streams instead of 1. Best of all, you can take your new creation and upload it to myMolskine. Why, you ask? Because that’s how you enter their weekly Creativity Challenge for a chance to win paperrific prizes!
Inky Inspirational Ideas
Although I wanted to wait till I’d written this blog to spread the news, I couldn’t contain my excitement. A few of my talented friends beat me to the notepad, and I’ve seen lots of cool ideas. The Moleskine post asks us to pay attention to the lettering, but we can’t all be calligraphers. If you’re not sure how to stand out without exceptional penmanship, you can approach the project from a humorous angle with a cute joke. Here’s a punny example from my friend Drew Myler:
As much as I love the submissions so far, I decided to put my own spin on the concept. I realize that we’re a printing company, which means paper should be the natural choice as a writing surface. I get that white board isn’t the same as ink since you can erase what you wrote. I hope my crappy attempt proves that I resisted the urge to fix my mistakes ( I forgot to capitalize the second “e” in “express”):
Community Soundoff
I own a fabulous Moz mini Moleskine with Roger’s friendly face embossed on the front. Unfortunately, it’s at home because it serves as the centerpiece to my Roger shrine (just kidding…kind of). I intend to crack it open as soon as I get home.
Will you join us in this awesome event that’s also perfect for #ThrowbackThursday? Toss us a link to your creation in the comments below!
All right printers, it’s time to get serious about hashtags for your social media marketing. Anybody who follows me on my personal account knows that I basically live on Twitter. Between my job here at PrintFirm and my extracurricular activities, I’m rarely offline. I’ve noticed an increase in print related activity lately, and I’m stoked to see the print community embracing social networking. There’s also been an outpouring of support from the design and creative/artists communities, so this post applies to CMYK enthusiasts as well as service providers.
I see plenty o’ tweets filled with seemingly random hashtags, though. Hopefully we all know it’s not advisable to insert more than 1 or 2 tags in a single update. Otherwise, you’ll come across as kinda spammy. Or just plain annoying. Anyway, I figured I’d go ahead and create a handy guide to the top print related tags for your sharing pleasure.
How Do Hashtags Really Work?
You’re tagging your updates because you understand that Twitter serves as a social search engine, much more so than Facebook. Not that Twitter’s the only place to include these clickable phrases; Google Plus, Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr all support tagging for internal search. While Facebook finally adopted tags, users generally ignore them, so there’s really no reason to bother on that platform.
That said, hashtags also serve the following 3 purposes:
Community- Anybody doing social the right way will be sharing relevant articles, images, etc. with their followers. Tags allow these folks to meet and network (i.e. promote each other). That’s why I want to make sure you’re incorporating tags that other users recognize, so you’ll become part of the greater printing community. After all, tags that no one uses don’t bring many benefits, unless they’re strictly for humor or effect.
Discovery-This is obviously related to search, but I’m including it because you may not have thought about all the bloggers out there searching for articles or looking for authoritative sights to link to. I often turn to Twitter, especially for news, because I prefer to get unfiltered results *coughs* GOOGLE *coughs*. Tags help me find your content even if Google buries your blog, which means you might be in for a surprise link.
Events-Attending an event? You can bet there’s an associated hashtag or two you should include in your updates to interact with attendees, tweet interesting quotes from speakers or panels, and post pics. As a bonus, you’ll likely gain some cool new followers in the process.
I promised a list of popular tags for printers to latch onto, so here they are in no particular order:
#PrintLove-As much as I’d like to take credit for this one, the #PrintLove tag apparently started way back in 2010! That’s 14 internet years ago! I will assume responsibility for its revival, unless someone wants to step in and set me straight. I feel this tag represents not just a passion for print media, but the powerful bond among the social printers.
Example: Hey guys, thanks for the follow! #PrintLove.
#PrintWins- I’ve posted about this tag before during Print 13, and the stream’s still going strong. The tag was originally part of the Xerox Digital Printing booth’s promotional plan. Most of the content in this stream shows creative ways to integrate print or positive research about various forms of print marketing, especially direct mail.
Example: Consumers trust printed ads more than any other medium #PrintWins
#PrintChat- I know, I push #printchat every other breath. For those who don’t know, this tag comes from the weekly Twitter chat hosted by PMC. Every Wednesday at 1pm on the best coast (4pm east) all the inkheads gather together for an hour of fun and exploration. If that’s old news to you, I bet you didn’t know that #printchat now has its own website, did you smarty pants?
Example: See ya at #PrintChat!
#PrintBig-Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe our friends at Washington Graphics came up with this as part of their company’s “#BeBig” campaign. So far the steam appears to be a mixture of marketers indulging in self-promotion along with people discussing cool projects and motivational materials. Aside from the tag’s creators, I don’t think the steam should be hijacked for sales pitches. I’d much rather see stuff that lifts everyone up or campaigns that impress me with their ambition.
Example: Happy Monday, who’s ready to #PrintBig?
#Printspotters- Somehow this one escaped me until today. I asked for clarification, but I haven’t received a response yet. From what I can tell, this tag relates more to the artistic side of things. So marketers, please steer clear unless you’re genuinely sharing printed fine art pieces or posters.
Example: Woah, I’m glad I went to the gallery, check out this killer poster design! #PrintSpotters
#PrintNerd/#PrintGeek-Contrary to popular belief, geek and nerd are NOT synonymous. Geeks are people who obsess over esoteric stuff whereas nerds are usually isolated techie types. I prefer the term #PrintGeek because nerds aren’t known for being social, even on the internet. Use whichever tag seems appropriate to what you’re posting.
Example: Awesome typography #PrintGeek; I’m reading about the chemical components of different kinds of coating. #PrintNerd
#IntPrintday- Expect this tag to start blowing up as the International Print Day movement gains momentum. We’ve got a long ways to go till Sept, so get involved early to stay in the loop.
Example: I just volunteered to host a local event for #IntPrintDay!
Community Soundoff
Did I miss your favorite phrase? Let me know in the comments below!
Valentine’s Day is less than a month away! Consumers spend an average of $130.97 per person on their sweethearts, so clearly there’s a lot of potential for small businesses in the retail and restaurant industries. Those of you in the service-oriented space can still celebrate this holiday even though the festivities might not increase your sales. Remember, a big part of branding is making people feel good about working with your company. So February 14th gives you an opportunity to make meaningful connections with your clients.
14 Creative Ways to Love Your Customers on Valentine’s Day
EDDM Campaign for Restaurants- Every Door Direct Mail would be the best choice for any local marketing campaign, but I’m focusing on restaurants for a reason. Fine dining and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand. I suggest fancy restaurants target couples in high income areas. Casual diners, cafes, bakeries, etc. should stick with customers within a 5-10 mile radius of your location. Don’t forget to put coupons on your postcards!
Send Custom Greeting Cards- Business Valentine’s Day greeting cards rock for any type of small biz, but cards may be the most valuable for professional service sectors i.e. accounting, construction, veterinarians, etc. For extra bonus points, write a handwritten message to give the cards a personal feel.
Give Candy and Serve Hot Cocoa- This one’s a no brainer. Everyone loves candy hearts and chocolates. You can put a little dish by your cash register or make goodie bags to put inside shopping bags or online orders. Since this holiday falls in the middle of winter, hot cocoa will be a welcome treat for shoppers. Plus, your store may smell of rich chocolate after a while, which appeals to the senses
Happy Couples Photos – Share pictures of happy couples who stop by your store on your Facebook page, Twitter, Google Plus, etc. If you’re feeling more adventurous, set up a special spot in the store where couples and familes can pose for fun photos. Be sure to remind them to tag you when they post the images online.
Promote Your Gift Certificates- It doesn’t matter what you sell—now’s the perfect time to push your gift certificate campaign forward. Post about your gift certificates on your website and social media. Be sure to add in store signage to the mix!
Lovely Themed Tweets– You’ll find that holidays generate a lot of social activities. While users tend to celebrate offline, they frequently post about their plans online, especially on Twitter. Valentine’s Day is already a trending topic! Themed tweets give you a way to join the conversation without seeming spammy because your content relates to the topic. Go all out, and post Valentine’s images on #WordlessWednesday, #ThrowbackThursday, etc.
Decorate Your Storefront- I say this every holiday because I prefer to buy from stores who care. As a consumer, I see cute decorations as a sign that you’re happy to be a part of the community.
Review Local Restaurants on Your Blog- I’m always trying to get small businesses to collaborate for bigger results. If you live in a sleepy suburb or rural area, then use this tactic for a cross promotion (you post a review of a restaurant on your blog, they post gift ideas from your store on social, etc.)
Create Printable Designs for Kids- Don’t forget your littlest customers! Set up a table with art supplies for kids to get creative while mom or dad searches for a present. Don’t have enough space? Wait till the children get to the register with their parents and hand them a fun paper craft to color.
Make His and Hers Gift Sets- There’s tons of potential here. Expand on the theme with gift packages for moms, dads, grandparents, young lovers, single studs, teenage puppy love, whatever profile your customers fit. Take pictures, upload the gift sets to your blog, and then run an email campaign with the material.
Holiday Giveaway/Contest- It just so happens that PrintFirm will be running a Valentine’s Day giveaway. You can do the same thing, just make sure the prize is relevant to your business. A gift certificate would be a good choice or maybe a coupon for dinner for 2 at a neighborhood restaurant you reviewed!
Free Gift Wrap- Why force your customers to find their own gift bags or wrapping paper? Stock up on supplies, and make your own labels with your logo to give the packaging more branding impact.
Heart Shaped Hang Tags- Die cut price tags or gift tags dress up your inventory to match your decorations. Custom tags also give people a reason to remember your store.
Love Poem for Your Newsletter- Newsletters shouldn’t focus on selling; they’re for updates and tips, and anecdotes about your business. Why not write a poem dedicated to your customers to show the love in February?
