What Makes a Good Logo?

What makes a good logo? If you are working on your company's brand and are developing a logo as a part of that process, several things come into play:

• What your company does?
• Who is your primary audience?
• What does your company stand for?

With these (and other criteria) in mind, a designer will consider the following "memorable" list:

• Describable (simple)
  
• Memorable (timeless)
  
• Effective without color
• Scalable (versatile)
  
• Relevant (appropriate)
  

A good logo represents you and your company. This list of attributes is a best case. If you arm a designer with the background information (the first list is a start) they will create something that holds the brand up and together. Don't just give them your desires for color and shape, let them know more about you and your company so the personality of the company shows up in the design.

The Executive

Thanks to Lee Newham, David Airey and Jacob Gass.

Direct Mail Ideas

Now that you have decided to use direct mail as a marketing tool, how can you ensure the campaign's success?

Here's a list of a few things to consider:

• Provide a coupon or some other incentive and give it a time limit. For example, so many cents off until the end of the month.
• Participate in a co-op mailing. Is there a valued partner you can team with to make sure teh mail gets attention?
• Test the program. Try sending the initial mailer and offer to a smaller sample than you plan just to see the response.
• Use the mailer to drive traffic to your website. There they will find teh rich content they are looking for to make a buying decision.
• Use a catchy headline. Underlined copy or colored blocks also help draw attention to what needs to be read.

There are more. These are some basic ideas to start with.

The Executive Pressman

Gift Giving and the Holidays

With the holiday season officially started with Thanksgiving tomorrow, we thought it a good idea to pass along a few ideas on gift giving for your clients and hosts.

Here's a short list of what and how to give:

• If you go to a dinner party or holiday part, consider bringing a bottle of wine. If your host isn't a drinker, opt for a simple fruit basket.
• Company gift exchanges usually have rules on dollar amounts and types of gifts. Neutral gifts such as artwork, desk accessories or a clock work in these instances.
• Annual gifts to clients or prospects can vary depending on how many you have and your budget. From elaborate gift baskets to gifts such as warming blankets, choose carefully.
• Thank you cards after you've attended an event are an excellent idea, when done sincerely, to keep you and your host in each others' thoughts.

Happy Holidays and have a great Thanksgiving.

The Executive Pressman

Choosing an Appropriate Printing Partner

In today's economy, we all have to be more and more discerning about how and who we choose as partners to help us with our business challenges.

Do you know what to look for in a printing vendor?

We all need printed communication. From letterhead and business cards to catalogs and instruction manuals, the printing needs of a business are myriad. Here is a short list of what to look for in a potential printing partner/supplier:

• What is the range of their capabilities?
• Do they offer design services as well as printing?
• Do they offer both offset as well as digital printing?
• Can they bind or package your final product?
• Are there limitations on size of the final product or number of finished pieces?
• Do they offer mailing services?
• Do they deliver or ship?
• Do other people you know do business with them?
• What is their reputation in the community and their industry?
• Is their pricing competitive?
• What do they know about your industry?
• Do they ask questions?
• Do you know anyone at the company?

These are just "getting started questions" but we all have to start somewhere. Maybe you want to give them a trial job before you choose to give them all of your business. Be discerning, choosy and careful--but also be fair.

The Executive Pressman

Direct Mail: Making Sure Your Program is a Success

Before you embark on that direct mail project too far, make sure you have the right elements in place to make the program a success. Here is a short list of things to consider as you devise your strategy:

• Are your lists in order?
  
• Are they correct?
  
• Are their duplicates?
• Is the list matched to the offer you are making with the mailing?
• Can you monitor the results?
• Do you know what works and what doesn't in terms of design and copy (message)?
  

A successful direct mail program is more than just printing a post card and stamping it. You have to be very deliberate about who is getting and when and what you expect them to do with it once they receive it.

Thanks to our friends at Frugal Marketing dot com for the ideas presented here. Here's the whole story (http://www.frugalmarketing.com/dtb/directmail.shtml)
The Executive Pressman

The Value of Direct Mail

With all of what today's technology offers in the way of outreach to potential customers and clients, we shouldn't discount the value of direct mail.

While it is a bit 20th century, people still receive and open mail received either by the US Postal Service or the package delivery companies.

A recent story at Printing News.com came up with these three key attributes for direct mail:

1. The colors in a print add or mailed piece are usually more correct than what you can see or print at home from an on-line site.
2. We are still tactile and like to hold things in our hands. Direct mail is a thing you can hold.
3. Print has credibility. The reader knows that this piece they hold in their hands had to be research, edited, proofread and press checked before it got to them. Something comforting about something that gets that scrutinized.

So, before you cast direct mail to the scrap heap, consider these ideas. For the whole story, go to http://www.printingnews.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=3&id=7093&pageNum=1

The Executive Pressman

More Holiday Printing Ideas

With Christmas and the other end-of-year holidays approaching, it is time to consider other printing projects to help grow your business. We've already covered Christmas Cards. Here are a few more ideas:

• Consider customizing your business cards and letterhead for the reason. Either print a small quantity or add adhesive messages.
• A direct-mail offer for a reduced price item or special good during the season.
• A first-quarter catalog--we really need to think about holiday and Christmas catalogs the summer before the current holidays.
• A Christmas Card that is an ornament. Dye-cut printed items are easily done in small quantities.

Try something different and get attention for your business at this busy time.

The Executive Pressman