Print, Graphic Design, and Marketing Blog | PrintFirm's Blog

Sorry, You Can’t Fake Thought Leadership

Hi, I’m Katherine, I’ll be your thought leader.

I know you’ve never heard of me, but I’m an expert. See? It says so in my Twitter bio, LinkedIn profile, Google Plus page, and yes, on my business card, too. So now that we’ve established my credibility, you should follow my teachings and share my content everywhere.

Wait a second…what’s going on here? Doesn’t this seem like role reversal, me telling you that you should consider me a leader because I said so?

Are Thought Leaders Born or Manufactured?

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Allow me to explain why I’m tackling this topic. I belong to several professional marketing groups, and lately I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. Several of my colleagues in the freelance and advertising agency sectors mentioned conducting “thought leadership” campaigns for their clients. Apparently the plan consists of collecting authoritative articles to spew in LinkedIn groups in the hopes of appearing like you know what you’re talking about. As you spew, you mix in a few of your own articles/blog posts, except they’re not really written by you. The agency or a ghost writer handles that hard stuff. If all goes according to plan, people become captivated by your wisdom, and feel compelled to follow you, share your content, etc. In essence, you build a strong following of minions who distribute your content for free, while you just sit and grin—the money will roll right in (Fang/Nirvana reference).

Suffice to say the above description is pure fantasy. But why? What’s wrong with this formula for internet marketing success?

I firmly believe that leadership status is determined by the audience, not the promoter. Basically, I think it works like this: you post content, other people read it, evaluate it, and share it if they like your voice or your message. They may choose to sign up for your blog or follow you on social media on the spot. But more often than not, they’ll forget about you and move on to the next thing that catches their attention. When the former happens repeatedly (total strangers sharing your material), then you know that you’re connecting with your audience. And said audience will tell you that you’ve achieved the coveted thought leader position.

In other words, people are attracted to your talents and ability to communicate your ideas. With so many thousands of content marketers writing about the same topics, these people choose to listen to you, and trust that you won’t lead them in the wrong direction. They might disagree with you at some point, but they still value your contributions and respect your opinions. In case you can’t tell by now, not very many people fall into this category, especially when compared to the amount of people publishing online content. So the notion that you can get to this point by having an agency take the reins for 3 months is absolutely absurd.

Matthew Parker: The Anatomy of a Printing Industry Thought Leader

I believe the best way to drive my point is to a take a real world example from the CMYK world. I can name a handful of thought leaders in the printing industry (Deborah Corn, Jamie McLennan, Vladimir Gendelman, Sandy Hubbard, Bill Michael, etc.), but I want to zero in on Matthew Parker of Profitable Print Relationships. I picked Matthew for a couple of reasons, mainly because he’s one of the first people I encountered online when I got hired here at PrintFirm. I saw one of his articles on LinkedIn, and was immediately impressed with his writing ability. And I’m definitely not the only one—I see Matthew’s articles everywhere I go in CMYK land. Aside from his natural aptitudes, I think Matthew exhibits the following traits that collectively make him a thought leader:

Experience: Matthew didn’t become an industry darling overnight. He’s got over 20 years of specialized experience under his belt. People listen to him because he’s earned their attention through decades of hard work.

Reputation: I don’t know Matthew very well (we don’t know each other at all on a personal level), but I’m confident that he didn’t wake up one day and think, “Gee, let’s give this thought leadership thing a try.” Instead, he forged a good name by building relationships with several printing and publishing companies. He’s worked with brokers, buyers, and suppliers along with marketers. He spent most of his career earning their trust. That trust equates to his role as an authority figure.

Guidance- Matthew sticks to his mission to drop the knowledge on us printers. His posts mostly focus on how to grow your business and present solutions to common issues associated with print sales. Now who wouldn’t want free advice from someone who clearly knows what he’s talking about? Matthew serves as a great example of adding value for your readers, and that’s really key in terms of leadership.

Passion- This goes along with the notion that he probably didn’t set out to become THE print sales expert. He used his first-hand experience and turned it into a model to help others succeed. Reading his posts, you can tell that he genuinely wants to help you improve your business. You can’t fake that.

Can I Make Bookmarks in Adobe Photoshop?

I noticed this question in our search query data, so I thought it would be a good idea to answer it here on our blog. Custom bookmarks make great Christmas gifts for kids, teachers, writers, readers, and they’re also excellent promotional items for marketing your business. We printed bookmarks for our friends at the PrintMediaCentr to use at the Print 13 convention, which shows this product’s potential for trade show marketing/networking events.

Bookmark Design Best Practices

Ok, let’s start by saying that YES! You can certainly design bookmarks in Photoshop. This professional program sure beats 99% of the DIY software solutions, including Microsoft Word and all those free printable templates you see online all the time. Don’t get me wrong—the easy freebie stuff would be ok for personal projects or as an art exercise in the classroom. Crafty people may want to explore the DIY handmade approach for truly unique pieces. But if you want real quality for yourself or your business, avoid these amateur options. In fact, businesses should pretend as though these don’t exist because they are not an option for advertising purposes. There’s no ROI in creating bookmarks that remind your customers of their kids’ kindergarten years.

Photoshop or Illustrator for Bookmarks?

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s decide which Adobe program would work best for your artwork. Most of the bookmarks you see fall into 3 basic categories: photo based, illustrations, and patterns. There are other concepts, although the majority of those fall under the handmade category.

Photo based- Obviously, you’ll have much better luck editing actual photos (i.e. JPEGs) in Photoshop because, well, that’s what Photoshop is for! You can also add text to your design using PS; however, it won’t be as crisp as it would be in AI. I took the liberty of asking Deborah Corn from PMC how she designed her bookmarks, and she did the two step process, too. She started out in Photoshop to get her galactic graphics right, and then imported into Illustrator to render the type. As you can see from the photos, this technique works beautifully.
Illustrations- This one’s kind of a no brainer. I’ve personally used both PS and AI to make illustrations, and I believe AI to be superior for this task. After all, Adobe named the program Illustrator for a reason! You’ll have a lot more control in AI, and you’ll never have to worry about scaling issues should you decide to transfer your artwork from a 2″ x 7″ bookmark to a 2″ x 9″ canvas cardstock.
Patterns- Here’s where things get tricky. Both graphics programs contain premade patterns and give you the ability to create your own. As with text, AI gives you the crisp, clean look, especially with respect to curves. For these reasons, complex pattern should really be done with AI. Here’s a more detailed explanation of vector vs. raster patterns.

It wouldn’t be right to send you to Illustrator without mentioning the fact that it’s far easier to work with patterns in Photoshop. The Adobe help section provides a great overview on Illustrator patterns that you should review before you dive in. So if your design contains a simple, repeating graphic, such as a company logo, then you can get away with PS. Of course, you’re free to join forces and use both programs to get even better results. Here’s a cool tutorial to help you get the hang of it.

Community Soundoff

I hope this article helps you make an informed design decision on your bookmark project. Remember, if you have any questions about printing or design, feel free to contact me directly at marketing AT printfirm DOT com. I will be happy to help, and may even decide to write an article about the subject (with your permission, of course).

And we do have free print ready bookmark templates in both PS and AI formats on our website for your downloading pleasure.

4 Non-Facebook Social Media Strategies

Fellow marketers, have you noticed yet another decline in your Facebook reach? Personally, I know our business page reach went from meager to abysmal despite a steady increase in fans. That’s because after over a year of complete denial, Facebook finally admitted to deliberately killing your organic reach. Those of us who follow the company closely certainly aren’t surprised. The admission merely reinforces what we’ve known all along: Facebook is NOT on your side. Nevermind all the Small Business Saturday, #shopsmall, #buylocal lip service: actions speak louder than PR fluff.

Now I’ve seen a lot of posts from other admins urging businesses to revolt & completely ditch Facebook. More power to them, I say, but before you make a bold move you might regret, consider the impact such actions could have on your long term growth. The fact is that your customers are probably still using the site, so it’s in your best interest to maintain an active presence. But it would be foolish to put all your eggs in Zuckerberg’s basket at this point.

Think Outside the Book in 2014

By book, I mean Facebook, of course. While I don’t recommend deleting your fan page, I do think it’s time to shift your focus elsewhere. There are plenty of other networks where your customers hang out from LinkedIn to Instagram, depending on your industry. But I’m going to focus on the 2 that I believe have the biggest impact on SEO.

Google Plus

G+ is an excellent choice for B2B as well as local marketing. Many are calling this network “LinkedIn Lite,” which seems pretty accurate in my experience. The conversations on G+ tend to be higher brow than the Facebook chatter, and I find the intellectual stimulation very refreshing. The SEO impact of Google Plus is well documented; obviously, being active on the largest search engine’s pet network can’t hurt. Here are 2 easy ways to engage with the community right away:

Join Relevant Groups/Communities- You’re probably familiar with LinkedIn groups already. Although Facebook offers a similar service, most users don’t even realize this feature exists. Anyway, I know joining G+ groups helped me feel at home on the site. I quickly found likeminded friends and we even promote each other’s content on occasion. Since becoming active on G+, I’ve seen our blog traffic steadily increase as my personal network expands. And I always find shareable content in my stream, which makes content curation a breeze.
#WordlessWednesday – Before I get into the specifics of this hashtag, I’d like to point out that G+ users actually use hashtags, unlike their Facebook counterparts. Facebook users typically ignore hashtags and may have a negative reaction if you use them in your posts. Why? For 2 reasons. Facebook didn’t used to have hashtags, so many users don’t understand what they’re for (hashtags still don’t work on mobile devices, which accounts for the largest portion of Facebook traffic). Beyond functionality, hashtags represent open discussion, a willingness to engage with complete strangers. Yet most users view Facebook as a closed, intimate network exclusively for people they know in real life.

But I digress. #WordlessWednesday is a popular hashtag that appears on both G+ and Twitter. The trend comes from the blogsphere, so it’s no surprise to see lots of activity on G+. The idea is to share an image alone without any words or only a minimal caption. As social media expert Lena West explained on a Moz Whiteboard Friday post, this visual exercise gives your brand an outlet to show its personality instead of straight up advertising.

Pinterest works well for B2B as well as B2C, and boasts of the highest social conversion rates on the web. That’s reason enough to get involved, but another benefit of Pinterest is the ability to build followed links! No, they’re not primo, high quality links, but low value links are better than the no links you’ll get from Facebook. *Drops Mic* Here’s what you can do to quickly increase your Pinterest presence:

Use the Invite Friends Feature- One advantage to having a solid presence on Twitter and Facebook is that you can connect with most of the same people on Pinterest as well. You can always add a Pinterest tab to your Facebook page and invite customers to join you on the network through an email campaign, too.
Be Desirable- You may have noticed that companies get away with posting crappy cellphone pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all the time. Users on those sites don’t seem to mind poor image quality. Pinterest, however, is a whole new ballgame in that respect. Pinterest is primarily a visual platform, and users are inspired to repin posts of beautiful photos, helpful information, etc. So only show the best of your products, company, and industry. And make sure you include at least 1 strong image in every blog post for pinning purposes.

Holiday Social Media Marketing Pro Tip

Now you’re ready to dive into these networks come January. You’ve got about 3 weeks to plan and prepare. But you still have to finish out the rest of the 4th quarter, and time’s a wasting. I generally discourage marketing automation, but hey, it’s Christmas! You’re spending quality time with friends and family. So here’s a nice set of social media tools to improve your productivity at least until 2014.

Mid-December Christmas Marketing Ideas for Your Small Biz

Have you checked your calendar today—Christmas is only 2 weeks away! Well, technically, it will be 2 weeks away on Wednesday. With all the excitement over Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and your personal holiday plans, you may have lost sight of your end of the year marketing campaigns. Surely you’ve got your sights set on 2014, but this year isn’t over yet! There’s still time for a little last minute strategy session to improve your 4th quarter sales.

The 12 Days of Christmas Marketing

Everyone’s familiar with the old song I’m referring to, which serves as our theme for last minute promotions. I put together 12 different ideas you can do as part of a larger advertising effort or use as standalone solutions from now till the 31st.

Social Media Guessing Games- Our friends at Western States Envelope and Label host a weekly Macro Monday photo contest on Facebook, and there’s no reason why you can’t do something similar for your fans or followers. Decorate your store and then post pictures showing a tiny part of the item. Ask your fans to guess what they’re looking at every day until the 25th. Since this is a visual idea, you can utilize the concept everywhere, including Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google Plus. Western States sweetens the deal by offering candy to fans who guess correctly. Since it’s Christmas, you might want to go bigger and offer a $25 gift certificate for your store to 1 weekly winner.
Celebrate Boxing Day- The day after Christmas isn’t necessarily awash. Although the US doesn’t officially celebrate this Canadian holiday, millions of Americans flock to the malls to return gifts they didn’t like or take advantage of big sales. This would be the perfect day for you to send an email blast announcing your own special offers, which as buy 1 get 1 free or $10 off purchases over $50. The key here is not to try and make your deal better than the big retailers. Focus on adding value in a clear way instead of vague concepts i.e. 25% off.
Create Holiday Pin Boards- If you’re not on Pinterest yet, then you’re missing out on excellent source of traffic, consumer engagement, and yes, SALES! Studies show that Pinterest leads to more conversions (i.e. purchases) than other sites, such as Facebook. There are a few reasons why, but mainly it’s because Pinterest users see the site as a way to discover new products and services instead of simply interacting with others. So have some fun and make a few special Pin boards for the holidays. Fill them with gift ideas, photos of happy customers in your store, delicious winter recipes, local events, etc. For more Pinterest marketing ideas, check out this article on the Intuit small biz blog.
Share Xmas stories and anecdotes on your blog- Storytelling pops up a lot in terms of content marketing. Basically, I’m suggesting that you add a personal touch to your company blog with articles that aren’t necessarily business related. Your customers are people, too, and they buy from your store because they like the intimacy and supporting their community. Reinforce this on your blog by telling stories about Christmas past, how you helped a customer find the perfect gift, funny things kids have said while shopping with their parents, and things of that nature.
Send Thank You Greeting Cards- Today happens to be National Christmas Card day, and yes, there’s still time to print greeting cards in time for the 25th. But I’m not talking about Christmas cards so much as personalized thank you notes. December 26th is also National Thank You Note Day, which makes sense seeing as how gift exchanges are usually over by that time. Get yourself a set of branded cards to mail to your clients as a token of appreciation for doing business with you all year. This keeps your company fresh in their minds, and they’ll appreciate the kind gesture far more than an impersonal e-card or email.
Go local with EDDM- Every Door Direct Mail allows you to reach everyone in the neighborhood for a super low postage price. Rumor has it that USPS rates will increase in January of 2014, so now’s your chance to test the waters for the cheapest price. If you get started today, your EDDM postcards will be ready to go to the post office on December 16th, which gives you a great opportunity to promote your end of 2013 sale.
Make a stress free zone for your store- Your customers are all feeling the stress that comes with the season. Mall shopping often triggers anxiety because of the crowds and noise, which is what makes your store a soothing alternative to the chaos. Put a couple of comfortable chairs or a love seat in your store along with inviting refreshments and cute decorations. A little mood music wouldn’t hurt either, so long as you stick to mellow tunes. Then tape a sign to your front door or a window facing the street inviting passersby to relax in your stress-free holiday lounge. Of course, it’s best to use multiple channels to raise awareness about this, so feel free to post pictures on social media, your blog, and via email.
Target last minute male shoppers- There is a degree of truth to the stereotype of frantic fellas rushing through the mall in a state of panic on Christmas Eve. Both men and women wait till the last minute, but men are notorious for procrastinating on shopping because they could be watching football! Instead of trying to entice them with early birth bargains, help them out with pre-selected gifts for the main people on their lists. Host a special men’s night a few days before Christmas with plenty of gift suggestions for wives, mother-in-laws, kids, bosses, siblings, and anyone else they’re likely to buy for.
Collect Christmas Wishes- Remember the paper chains you made in school? Cut strips of green and red construction paper to keep by the checkout counter in your store. Ask every customer to write down his or her Christmas wish to add to your chain. Take photos of the wishes and let your fans watch the chain grow on social media. Just make sure to obtain permission before you spill any secrets.
Chips for Kids and Teens- CHIPS for Kids is an annual toy drive sponsored by the California Highway Patrol. The PrintFirm family will be donating at the Canoga Park Wallgreens store, and we encourage everyone in the area to do the same. There are similar programs in other states, and organizers love support for local businesses. Tell your fans what you’re doing and collect donations in your shop to drop off for them. On a side note, I specifically mentioned teens because they often get overlooked in the presents department. Little kids need toys, but don’t forget about the 12-17 year olds in need!
Group stocking stuffers by the register- Don’t just focus on big ticket items. Make it easy for customers to find cute trinkets or other small stuff with an in-house display full of impulse buys for everyone on their lists. This is a good place to put gift certificates for your store, too.
Give Small Gifts to Spread Holiday Cheer- Speaking of gifts, people can’t get enough free stuff. Offer a free gift with every purchase, Facebook check-in, etc. You don’t need to do anything major here. Bake homemade cookies, and wrap a couple in festive colored plastic wrap with a Christmas bow, for example. The point here is to give them something they would want and remember. In this case, presentation really counts, so be sure to pay attention to the packaging on whatever you decide to offer. Attach a business card or hang tag so they’ll remember where the gift came from.

Small Business Saturday Success Story: An Interview with Lisa Higby LeFevre

Greetings PrintFirm community! We talked about Small Business Saturday a lot on this blog, press release, and on social media throughout the month of November. The response from you guys was very positive, especially from the PR about the Sauk Valley Shop Small coalition. I mentioned meeting SVSS co-founder Lisa Higby LeFevre on Mightybell, and I happened to see a terrific post from her a few days after November 30th on the same site. Her story really resonated with me, and her results indicate that this lady absolutely knows what she’s talking about. So I asked Lisa to do a follow up interview to share her Small Biz Saturday Success Story and inspire YOU for 2014. Enjoy!

Q & A with #ShopSmall Hero Lisa Higby LeFevre

Q1) Please give us a brief bio about you and your business.

I’m an artist and plants-person working in the horticulture industry for 17 years. My background is in horticulture, fine art, technology, and education. With my husband and partner, we operate Distinctive Gardens, a garden center in Dixon, IL. For us, it’s all about plants and people. We opened our garden center to meet like-minded individuals and share in our passion for plants and community. Our values, “Dig in, Create, Community, Connect” drive choices we make in business and life.

We offer an array of unusual annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. Our gift shop features over 40 different regional artisans offering fine art and unique garden related items. The extensively landscaped grounds and pavilion are available for rent. We conduct classes, host project parties and partner with area elementary schools to expose children the wonders of gardening. We’re actively involved in several community projects, and put on our yearly Gardenstock Art & Music Festival. Gardenstock benefits the Sinnissippi Centers Youth Garden Program. That one project alone has grown into a huge community event.

Q2) How did you first get involved with Small Business Saturday?

Our choice to become active in the #ShopSmall movement came on the heels of our community voting us into the winner’s circle for the Facebook American Express OPEN Big Break for Small Business. One part of the win included a social media makeover out at Facebook. On the very last day of training, just before returning we were introduced to the Small Business Saturday concept.

The documented benefits of shopping small such as keeping more money local and neighborhood revitalization made it a perfect fit for our value system. Plus, our customers had already been telling us that they were coming to our shop because they believed in supporting local independent small merchants. They were primed and ready to engage and if we were to stay attuned to their interests, like any good business owner should, then we had better get on board.

Q3) What made you decide to collaborate with other local stores?

The decision to collaborate was more of an evolution versus a decision. Over the years we’ve worked cooperatively with a variety of small business owners in our area. That strategy’s success was really driven home during our Big Break experience. We learned first hand what happens when people band together. Our community, through voting, literally propelled Distinctive Gardens into the Big Break top 5 in the country. At the time, we were one of the smallest businesses from the smallest town in the competition. During that time we promised to share what we learned with our community. When we came back we held “Learn.Share.Grow” classes. That’s where we met the core people of what later became Sauk Valley Shop Small.

Q4) Tell us about your Sauk Valley Shop Small coalition (how many members, strategy sessions, etc.)

Sauk Valley Shop Small is a year-round marketing campaign to promote the values of shopping small. It kicks off each year with Small Business Saturday followed by three more Shop Small Saturdays in February, May and August. Our group currently consists of over three-dozen small businesses, cultural and community groups from three towns in our area. Each year in early September we conduct a membership drive and meet up to present the upcoming year’s campaign. Our strategy is rooted in leveraging social media, specifically Facebook, to get the word out. It also incorporates more traditional channels such as a website, newspaper ads, radio spots, billboard, rack cards, posters, and take-aways such as buttons, bags and pens.

It’s success lies in the active engagement of our members to cross promote one another and the interconnections forged. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of it as a social campaign. We’re building relationships not peddling deals. When we listen to our customers and they tell us why they come to our store, they’re coming because of the products, the friendship, the friendly smile, the personalized service, and the great feeling of pride they get from consciously choosing to do something that directly benefits their community. It’s a friends of friends thing, not a deal of the day thing.

Q5) You offer social media training for your members. What do you teach them about effective social marketing?

Beyond the basics of learning the platform we encourage them to approach it from the standpoint of developing relationships with their customers. The last thing we want to see in our newsfeeds is advertising. We want to feel a connection to the brands we chose to like. We want to get a sense that we are a part of something good and bigger than ourselves. We want to belong.

We’ve conducted classes ranging from those who have never used Facebook to providing tips to those who have become quite social savvy. We emphasize the importance of “working it”. Like most things, you get out what you put in, and in the world of social, consistency and building relationships is key.

Q6) We heard you had a record breaking year! What made this year such a big success?

November 30th was a huge surprise. For Distinctive Gardens, Small Business Saturday ended up being the biggest day of the year. Being a garden center we pull down our biggest numbers between April and May. To realize those levels in November is unprecedented.

I think the outcome is a byproduct of our community’s increasing awareness of the #ShopSmall movement and Small Business Saturday. This stems from a consistent awareness campaign conducted at both the local and national level. By doing our best here locally to align ourselves with the national message we increase likelihood that we’ll be remembered in our customers minds as they navigate making purchasing decisions.

But going even deeper, I think that all of those marketing efforts work because at its core the message promotes a constructive value system. I think that promoting one’s values, this case being to do good for one’s community, and by empowering others to feel as though they can do the same resonates much more deeply than discount marketing messages.

Q7) Is there anything you plan to do differently next year?

After each of our Shop Small events, we conduct a survey of members to understand outcomes and fine-tune message. We also engage discussion online in our group. After Small Business Saturday we had a great conversation with members on what we thought was working and where we wanted to go.

Moving forward we plan to emphasize the idea of “cultural shopping”. Many of our members host artists or musicians to make the day special. For small businesses with narrow margins, we think it’s important to place more emphasis on “value shopping” versus one-day deals. We’re attempting to persuade our community to “think small first” not compete with big box discounts.

Q8) This year AmEx and Facebook introduced the Mightybell tool for collaboration. Did you find the platform useful?

We’ve already learned a new tip picked up from the Shop Small Neighborhoods on Mightybell, the “bounce around” card. The card was simple. It listed all members’ events, specials and button deals for the day. We caught that tip and implemented it at the last minute. It really helped in cross promotion. We plan to fold that into the remaining three Shop Small Saturdays for this year.

Q9) What’s the future of the #shopsmall movement? Are you seeing more or less participation over all?

Based on our local experience over the last three years and national growth rates in the four years since Small Business Saturday inception the future looks bright for increased participation in the #ShopSmall movement.

At its core, its value structure is sound and positive. Shopping small does build community. American Express OPEN conducted a twenty-year study on the topic. Consider each dollar spent at a local mom and pop as a vote to strengthen your town and build a more solid future for your kids. #ShopSmall is a value system that encourages people to engage and empowers communities. When you build from a base like that and make future decisions that stay true to those ideas you’re on a trajectory for success.

Q10) Do you have any advice for small biz owners just getting started in 2014?

Work together. Create your own Sauk Valley Shop Small wherever you live and do business. It’s the easiest way for small businesses to gain a strong enough voice to compete. If you’re not currently organized online, create a circle on the Shop Small Neighborhood on Mightybell. There you can connect with other small business owners and groups and learn across distance what works. Operate from a solid set of base social values.

Listen to what motivates your customers. I bet you will find you have a lot in common. You’re creating the infrastructure that will grow your small business into the future and empower people along the way. It’s about influencing the mindset of your community to “think small first” and by doing so you’ll become part of the solution that holds promise for real, long-lasting and positive change.

About Lisa Higby LeFevre

Lisa is the co-owner of Distinctive Gardens garden center in Dixon, IL and co-founder/leader of the Sauk Valley Shop Small group. Connect with Lisa on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Santa Says Canvas Prints Make the Best Christmas Gifts in 2013

Stop the presses—I received an emergency message from the man himself, Santa Clause on December 1st! He urged me to share this letter with you before you finish your holiday shopping:

Dear Katherine,

Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas! My elves are extra busy with the Christmas lists this year, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to get to through them all before the 25th! Maybe you can help me while I try to hire extra reindeers.

Most of these printed lists have 1 thing in common that’s got me stumped—the people aren’t asking for store bought gifts! They are tired of impersonal presents, and keep saying they want something meaningful, but don’t know what that would be! Do you have any ideas for me to put under the tree? HELP!!!!!!

Love,

Santa

p.s. I’ll put you on the EXTRA GOOD LIST if you give me useful tips!

I couldn’t leave Old Saint Nick hanging or pass up a chance to get on the elite list, so I wrote the following reply right away.

My Reply to Santa: 8 Reasons to Give Custom Canvas Photo Prints

Dear Santa,

Yikes! I’m sorry you’re stuck in such a tricky spot. I’m glad you came to me for help because I think I’ve got the perfect solution for your fickle fans. Everyone treasures their family pictures and photos of the special moments they want to remember. Why not turn their memories into beautiful canvas prints?

I do work for a printing company who provides this product and I consider myself a photographer, but hear me out! I’m not just trying to close a huge deal here. I put a lot of thought into this, and came up with a list of reasons to support my conclusion:

#1) Prints are Personal- What could be more intimate than personalized wall art?

#2) Unique- Anyone can buy stuff from mall stores. Canvas would be one of a kind!

#3) Permanent – Artwork never goes out of style or breaks right after the warranty expires.

#4) Always Fits– People outgrow clothing, but Canvas size will never be a problem.

#5) No Guesswork – You already known the recipient loves his or her own pics.

#6) Thoughtful– They’ll appreciate your taking the time to pick the perfect picture.

#7) Versatile– They can hang the Mounted Canvas in the home or office.

#8) Universal – Everyone, from teens to grandparents, will feel a strong connection to Canvas.

I hope this helps! I would hate to see these Christmas wishes go unfilled. I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and please give my love to the Mrs.

XOXOXO,

Katherine

Santa Agreed!

I rushed to the post office, and sent my letter with 24 hour delivery. This morning when I got to the office, Santa’s response was mysteriously sitting on my desk…

Dear Katherine,

I can’t thank you enough for suggestion. I don’t know why I didn’t think about this myself! Consider yourself an honorary elf; you’re on my extra good list this year for Santa’s little helpers. I’ll see you in a few weeks with stocking stuffed with goodies.

Gratefully Yours,

Santa

I’m happy to say Santa just placed the biggest bulk printing order we’ve ever gotten. There’s plenty of time for you to get prints for the special people on your list. Order today with standard turnaround time and your project will be ready to ship on December 16th! Get started today!

7 Things Not to Say to Your Printer Part 3: I Don’t Need a Graphic Designer

Hello and welcome to the 3rd installment of our educational series on commercial printing! If you have questions about image resolution or colors, you might want to backtrack and read the prior posts first.

Today’s post will be a bit different because we’re going to discuss an important business investment you may be neglecting—professional graphic design. I know you’ve probably thought about this before, and may have gotten price quotes for past projects. Or maybe you want to work with a designer, but you’re afraid you can’t afford this luxury. Budget issues are understandable, except design isn’t a luxury—it’s an absolute necessity.

Why Do I Need a Graphic Designer?

Short Answer: For the same reason you need a doctor, dentist, or lawyer: because you aren’t one.

Long Answer: Small business owners often see design as an unnecessary expense until it’s too late. This happens for 2 reasons (1) lack of knowledge & (2) financial limitations. Unless you have a background in advertising or a related field, you probably aren’t familiar with the design process. All the more reason to hire a pro! Your designer will be able to walk you through the project from a concept to a complete marketing campaign in less time than it would take you to educate yourself on the basics.

Aside from the fact that you don’t have the time to get involved, you also can’t afford costly mistakes. On the web errors are usually fixable, but everything’s final in print. You only get 1 chance for happiness or you’ll end up paying for a reprint. For this reason, we strongly advise you to work with someone with prior printing experience. There are tons of talented web designers out there capable of creating quality marketing materials, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get the technical details right. Save yourself the time, money, and headache by finding yourself a designer with print pieces in his or her portfolio.

Can’t I Just Do It Myself?

Short Answer: Yes, if you’re not afraid to embarrass yourself.

Long Answer: Of course you’ll be able to slap together a template based business card or find a free logo generator. But when you take the easy way out, you won’t be fooling anyone. Your clients aren’t stupid; they will see through your DIY solution, and judge you accordingly. Think about the message you’re sending about your brand and its reputation. If you don’t care enough to invest in your presence, why should anyone else?

Besides, did you know that the design itself directly impacts your ROI? Those direct mail postcards will go straight to the trashcan unless they’re useful, attractive, and easy to read. There’s no point in paying for the printing if you’re not willing to go the whole nine yards.

How Do I Know Good Design from Bad Design?

Short Answer: By the bulge in your wallet.

Long Answer: While some aspects of design are subjective, there are really no arbitrary decisions involved. Basically, this means that every aspect of your artwork is intentional and serves a purpose. For example, designers use the principle of alignment to show a relationship between elements.

You see this principal in action daily and now you know why you’re drawn to images that use it correctly. So look at what’s in front of you, and ask yourself the following questions:

Am I able to easily comprehend the message?
Does everything seem in synch as opposed to conflicting or chaotic?
Is there a clear visual hierarchy of information?
Do I feel an emotional connection to the content?
Do I know how to follow up or learn more about the offer, product , company, etc.?

If you answered “yes,” to at least 4 out of 5, then you’re dealing with good design. If the answer’s negative, then your ROI will follow suit.

Where Can I Find a Cheap Designer?

Short Answer: At a thrift store shopping for vintage clothing.

Long Answer: You don’t need me to tell you about crowd sourcing sites or outsourcing overseas. And trust me, you’ll get exactly what you pay for when you use these cheap solutions. In this case, the word cheap doesn’t merely mean inexpensive—it means low quality.

Before you enter that unholy abyss, consider your options. Ask your friends and colleagues for a recommendation. Your fellow entrepreneurs have probably worked with competent designers, and you’ll feel confident that you’re paying for someone with solid skills. You might be able to negotiate a flexible payment plan to stay within your budget. Students are another money saver, although you’re liable to get burned by a rookie mistake.

Does PrintFirm Offer Custom Design Services?

We most certainly do! Our creative team may be less expensive than hiring a freelancer because of our high volume. Every product page on our site gives you the option to upload your own artwork or get a custom design:

You’ll find our prices are affordable and you’ll still get the benefits of professional precision. If you have any questions about our design fees or anything else, please feel free to contact us!

Fresh Christmas Card Designs and Graphics from Kayti Welsh

Tired of all the ho hum greeting card templates online? So am I! Personalized, hand written cards are the best promotional item for your business during the holiday season, but a boring graphic kinda kills the kind gesture. You don’ t want your clients to feel like they just got a big lump of coal in the mailbox, so change it up this year while staying true to your brand.
We have plenty of templates here on our site, but I wanted to share a super special Xmas treasure chest on Etsy. Our talented friend, illustrator extraordinaire, Kayti Welsh decided to follow her true passion and launch her own shop! Kayti’s original handmade creations include gift tags, cute clipart characters, and greeting cards, of course.

5 Festive 5″ x 7″ Xmas Card Designs for Download

Kayti’s creative collection of printable graphics feature high resolution files, which means they’re suitable for home as well as commercial printing. While some of her work is available for licensing purposes, reselling isn’t an option on any of the cards you see below.

Jolly Holidays Koala Bear – $4.99

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This merry marsupial climbed up the Christmas tree to grab a bright striped candy cane. The playful message matches the bear’s mischievous spirit.

Retro Nutcracker – $4.99

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Perfect for businesses in more conservative industries, this classic Nutcracker comes in softer versions of patriotic colors. The blue background and generic happy holidays greeting make it suitable for Hanukah or secular celebrations.

Santa’s Sleigh with Rudolph and Reindeer- $4.99

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Another familiar Christmas theme gets a unique Kayti twist in this beautiful and simple Santa flying his red sleigh on a peaceful winter’s night. Rudolph and another reindeer tow Santa through the deep blue sky as he prepares to bring joy to the children of the world. Twinkling stars surround the words, “Merry Christmas,” so this card helps send a stronger Christian message.

Christmas Kitten- $4.99

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This sweet kitten is dressed for the snow in her Santa hat, red booties, and a big red bow. She wishes the recipient a purrrrfect Christmas in a fun typeface that doesn’t overwhelm everything else. Several intricate snowflakes fall in the background, which creates subtle contrast.

Ice Skating Frog – $4.99

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This frog’s ready for adventure in his winter gear complete with matching ice skates. His smile appears inviting as does the light blue and white striped background. This card wishes a happy holidays, and would be perfect for any business that deals with kids or even a school.

Community Sound Off

Will you be using any of Kayti’s designs for Christmas 2013? Be sure to thank her for letting me post her work for you to enjoy! Of course, if you decide to start your own greeting card marketing campaign, don’t forget to print with us, click here to get started.

What We’re Thankful For at PrintFirm.com

I joined PrintFirm in February of this year, although it seems as though I’ve been working here for much longer. I’ve learned a lot in these 9 months, and met many amazing people along the way. In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought it would be fun to find out what each of our staff members are thankful for this year. Here are everyone’s answers:

Nellie (Secretary)- “I’m thankful for my family’s health. My husband had surgery this summer, and he’s no longer in pain every day. I’m happy to see him back to old self.”

Ana (Customer Service)- “I’m thankful for 3 things. My mother, my family, and the PrintFirm team. There are a lot of things I’m thankful for, but those are the main ones. I’m very grateful to have the mother I have. She is the strongest person I know. My true love; she’s always there for me. She’s my hero—my mom is a solider. I hope to God I’m as strong as she is. I’m blessed to have the privilege to wake up every day and go to work! To work with people I enjoy being around no matter how tough the day gets. I’m blessed regardless because I could be in a worse situation.”

Alex (Operations Manager)- “I’m thankful for my wife and my family, including my 2nd family here at PrintFirm. I am grateful for our customers—we work hard for them, and they make it worthwhile.”

Patrick (Pressman) – “I’m thankful for my beautiful daughter and because Dan’s wife is out of the hospital. I’m also grateful to be employed in this economy.”

Katherine (Marketing Director)- “I’m thankful for my PrintFirm family, especially for Jimmy, our office dog. I’m glad he’s here to make us smile every day—now he has a forever home.”

Eddie (Deliveryman)- “I’m thankful that my kids are healthy. I have 4 of them, and I’m blessed because they are all ok.”

Dan (Shipping Clerk)-“I’m thankful that my wife came home from the hospital! She’s been sick for a while, but she’ll be home in time to spend the holiday with the rest of the family!”

Nick (CEO)- “I am thankful for family and good friends.”

Rita (Prepress/ Designer)- “I’m thankful to have my health.”

Jimmy (Office Dog) – “I’m thankful for my new family who rescued me, and that I never have to go back to the animal shelter!” (Jimmy’s answer translated by Katherine and Ana)

What Are You Thankful for?

On behalf of our team, I’d like to say that we’re all thankful for YOU, our clients, readers, and social media community members! We would not be here without you guys.

Now that we’ve said our piece, we want to know what you’re celebrating today. Tell us in the comments below!

5 Deliciously Free Thanksgiving Vectors for Holiday Designs

Last minute Thanksgiving graphic projects got you down? Have no fear; we rounded up a collection of free turkey day vectors for your fliers, postcards, and web banners. At this point, you probably don’t have any print projects left, unless you plan to place an order today with same day turnaround time. Since most of your print designs should be done already, I’m going to assume that it’s safe to provide images that are formatted for the web; if you do need to print a pilgrim or two, be sure to do a quick prepress check on your work. The last thing you want to do is spend your Thursday evening crying over a botched marketing campaign.

Free Thanksgiving Vector Downloads

Fall Leaves Background

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These simple leaves feature beautiful, vibrant fall colors we don’t see here in Los Angeles. This makes a nice background around a typeface because the leaves almost create a wreath shape.

6 Pack Character Collection (1 pilgrim, 1 Native American, 1 turkey, 2 kinds of fall leaves, and 1 piece o’ pumpkin pie)

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You can always use these familiar symbols to add a hint of nostalgia, although this set clearly exhibits a contemporary style. The turkey’s not my favorite, but I think you’ll agree that the whip cream topping looks good enough to eat.

Maple Leaf Sale Graphic

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Need to promote a holiday sale? Here’s a fun EPS file with a readable script typeface as well as several fall leaves as accents. The original site refers to the design as poster art, although it seems suitable for a variety of purposes from social media marketing to email campaigns or printed fliers. Please note that while you don’t have to pay for the download, you are required to show some social love.

November Icons

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Who doesn’t love attractive icons with fall flair? This set of 5 icons may not qualify as full-fledged vectors (the files appears to contain PNG images). It’s worth noting that the style here leans more on the skeumorphic side than on the flat end. In other words, these may not be contemporary enough for those on the cutting edge.

Flat Style Thanksgiving Vectors

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For my fellow flat design enthusiasts, here’s a similar collection of several useful images, including a handsome live turkey, roasted turkey on a dinner plate, pie, pilgrims, etc. all done in a completely effects free format. These are on sale for the holiday for only $1, so they’re not free. Still, a dollar is a very reasonable price for such high quality artwork.

Bonus Turkey Tutorial

I tried to find a standout illustration for free, but sadly came up short in my search. I did manage to locate an AI tutorial on vimeo I hope you find helpful.

Community Soundoff

Did you gobble up any of these freebies? How will you use them in your projects? Tell us in the comments below!