The Anatomy of an Event Ticket

Posted on July 10, 2019 Written by

Have your customers taken a closer look at their print? While it can be easy to think of their print pieces as a simple piece of paper, the details of their print piece are essential to creating a great print piece. This is especially true of event tickets. That’s why we’re breaking down the details of an event ticket and what makes tickets a great tool for your customer!

The Stock: Stylish Color or Brilliant White
The foundation of great print is a great stock, and event tickets start with a white stock that provides a great foundation for vibrant full color print. Your customer can also choose white, yellow, or blue stock for a spot color event ticket to add a bit more color to a simple and readable design.

And speaking of print…

The Print: Perfectly Suited to Any Event
Full color print is a great choice for event tickets. It can be used to coordinate tickets with event décor, highlight your customer’s branding, or show off a relevant photograph. Not only does this make the event ticket more visually interesting, it also gives your customer a chance to create an exciting look for their event. That can be a great way to build buzz for fundraisers or community events long before the day arrives.

And if your customer wants to keep things simple, we have an option for that, too! Spot color print is readable, and your customer can choose from three different stock options that are a great fit for raffles, community events, and more.

The Cut: Conveniently Sized With a Perforated End
One of the details that your customers should pay close attention to is the perforated end of their event tickets! A perforated end makes it easy to divide raffle tickets from matching stubs or to show that drink or game tickets have been redeemed.

The Numbering: A Practical Addition
Whether your customer wants to keep track of the tickets sold for an event or needs conveniently numbered raffle tickets for a fundraiser, numbering is a useful addition to any event ticket. If you want numbered tickets from Navitor, we offer this practical addition to your customers’ event tickets through our catalog.

The Order: Online or Catalog
Are you ready to place an order for your customer’s event tickets? Choose the ordering option that works best for you! Event tickets are just a click away on the Navitor.com online ordering tool, or you can order them through our catalog. Our online ordering tool includes options like instant proofing and simplified reorders, while ordering through our catalog allows your customer to choose additional options like numbering.

What details do you think are most important to creating a great event ticket? What do your customers love most about their event tickets? We’d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.

Filed Under: Design, Marketing, News, Print Products, Stationery

Door Hangers are Perfect for These 5 Markets

Posted on July 5, 2019 Written by

When your customers are thinking about their print order, door hangers might not be the first thing they think of—but they should! Door hangers are a perfect fit for a wide variety of different markets, from hospitality to education. Here are five of our picks.

1. Hospitality
When you and your customers think of door hangers for the hospitality market, you probably think first of a “do not disturb” sign, but that is only the beginning of the possibilities! Whichever option your customer in the hospitality market chooses, flexible full color print allows them to match the print piece to your customer’s brand and décor.

Door hangers can be used to create practical room service menus that can be filled out and left on the door to order breakfast. They can be used in a bed and breakfast to let guests know what the next day’s schedule will be. They can be hung on bathroom doors to tell hotel guests where to put towels they intend to reuse. They can be left on doors to say that a room has been cleaned—and, for an added personal touch, your customer can feature which member of their staff prepared the room for the next day.

2. Political
When your customer’s political campaign is planning a door-knocking campaign, they should always have a leave-behind for when a voter isn’t home. That’s where door hangers come in! Not only are they a great way to give high level information about a candidate’s position on key issues, but full color print makes it easy to include necessary personal touches like a photograph of the candidate or the colors for their campaign.

3. Lawn Care
Whether your customer is working on a marketing campaign or wants an additional touch point for lawn care services done while homeowners are away or while businesses are not open, door hangers are an excellent option. For marketing campaigns, they can be a great leave-behind when visiting neighborhood houses. They are also a great touch point if lawn care services have been done on a weekend or while homeowners are away—personalized with your customer’s brand, they’ll add a polished finishing touch to the work done.

4. Car Dealerships
Your customer might not think of a door hanger as an essential for a car dealership, but it can be! Door hangers can easily be hung from rear view mirrors to convey essential information about a car and to add a branded look to the showroom floor.

5. Education
Testing at any level of schooling can be a challenge, but door hangers can make the process run more smoothly. Whether your customer works in school administration or produces standardized tests, door hangers can be a good way to prevent interruptions during essential testing times.

Are there other markets that should look into door hangers? What do you recommend? We’d love to see your advice in the comments below.

Filed Under: Marketing, News, Print Products, Stationery

4 Sales and Marketing Tools You Can Use Without Leaving the Air Conditioning

Posted on July 4, 2019 Written by

personalized print sales tools you can use without leaving the air conditioningWhen summer heat is here, sometimes it’s nice for both you and your customers to stay inside where it’s cool. That makes summer the perfect time for digital sales tools! Not only are these tools an ideal way to inform your customers about your product offering, they also allow both of you to stay cool. Here are four of the best sales and marketing tools you can use without leaving air conditioning behind.

Getting Digital with Emails
Emails are a wonderful tool when the weather heats up. You can send a company newsletter. You can start a conversation with your customer about their order or ask whether they need to stock up on a product they ordered last summer around this time. You can send PDF proofs of your customer’s print piece for one last check before the order goes to press. Emails are a modern essential sales tool for a reason.

And don’t forget to update your email signature with favorite products for summer or with a link to a digital sales tool. Speaking of links to sales tools…

Send More Information Fast With ZOOMcatalog
When you’re showing your customers the wide selection of print products that your business offers, don’t be afraid to send them the entire Navitor catalog! ZOOMcatalog gives you the option to personalize an unbranded version of our catalog and either download the PDF or link your customers to it directly. This gives your customers the time they need to browse those products.

Highlight Products with Digital Flyers
Want to highlight a single product without getting bogged down with an entire catalog? We’ve got the digital tools for you! Download an unbranded flyer and attach it to an email for a ready-made awareness campaign or send a flyer when starting an email conversation with customers who are interested in a particular product. We’ve also got vertical market focused sales flyers to you to explore.

Keep it Simple With Your Phone—and Your Voicemail Message
You might use your phone every day, but it’s still important to consider when you’re marketing your business—especially when the weather is hot. Whether you’re reaching out to your customers to touch base after some time or you are returning a call with more information about their order, your phone is a powerful way to reach out to your customers wherever they are.

And don’t forget about your voicemail message! Take a moment to record a new message for your business phone to let your customers know both that you’ll return their call and the popular products they might want to add to their order.

How do you keep your marketing efforts moving when the weather is hot? We’d love to see your ideas in the comments below.

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, Misc, News

Great Signage is On The Menu

Posted on June 28, 2019 Written by

From the perfect menu to the plates and napkins that form the foundation of the dining experience, there are many important details for your customers to consider when they are operating a restaurant. However, it’s important to look at the complete dining experience, and one of the biggest ways to ensure that the décor evokes the right mood is to create great signage. What great signage is on the menu?

Even Before They Step Through The Door
Whether they’ve been to a restaurant before or are stopping the first time, outdoor signage is a diner’s first impression of a restaurant. You want to ensure that the outside of a restaurant is an inviting and enticing promise of what will be inside, and architectural signage is the perfect way to bring their restaurant’s style to the building.

If your customer wants to add even more flair, they can use their windows and doors as an additional branded space. Decals can easily be coordinated with branding and are a great way to display business hours, new menu items, and other details on restaurant windows.

Making the Space Accessible
Accessibility is essential for running a business, and restaurants are no exception to this rule. Stock Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant signage makes creating accessible spaces easier, while custom signage brings branded flair to the signs your customers need. These signs are especially important for restrooms and other essential signage.

Coordinated With Brands and Décor
The biggest reason for your customers to create custom signage is that it will ensure that their restaurant’s look and feel are consistent, and their signage is a great way to achieve that. Floor decals, wall decals, murals and wall coverings are a great way to personalize almost any surface in a restaurant without having to worry about the mess and permanence of paint. Dry erase and chalkboard laminate signs are an ideal way to create a branded sign for daily specials or other short term menu details.

Your customer should also look at coordinating their signage with their badges for much the same reason! Not only will a matching set of badges bring the branded style of their signage to every customer interaction, it will help bring together the image of a restaurant.

Banners and Signage for Special Occasions
Whether it is a grand opening of a new location or a special event, banners are a great way to add to a restaurant’s décor for a shorter time. They can be hung in the restaurant itself or outside. A-frame signs, pedestal signs, table tents, and yard signs can also be used to build buzz about new menu items, upcoming events, and more.

Want to know more? Sales tools and information about the restaurant industry are just a click away! And once you and your customers are feeling inspired, explore our signage selection online or take a look at our catalog to learn more.

Do you work with customers in the restaurant business? Which signs are their favorites? We’d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.

Filed Under: Marketing, News, Print Products, Resources

Designing an Extraordinary Business Card

Posted on June 27, 2019 Written by

When everything works—from the print design to the stock choices—a business card can be a key part of making a great first impression. And if your customers are coming to you for advice on their business cards, considering all elements of the design can help ensure that their business card is striking. Here are our tips for designing a business card that is truly extraordinary.

Remember Your Design Principals
Good design starts with the basics, so keeping those basics design recommendations in mind is an ideal foundation for designing a great business card. Keep important information and images at least 1/8 inch from the trim edge, work at 300dpi for a clear image, use CMYK for full color print, and ensure that your fonts are above the minimum size to ensure that the card is legible.

Change it Up
A memorable business card is often a business card that stands out, and that’s why it can be a great idea to change things up. If your customer’s business card design features rounded shapes, for example, choosing rounded corners for their business card can help their card stand out from the square-cornered crowd and reinforce the look of their design. A vertical business card can also be a great way to change things up.

Keep it Simple
A business card is a great canvas, but it’s also a small canvas—don’t oversaturate it with information! Talk to your customer about the information that absolutely needs to be included and focus on the details that will be most relevant to a potential client.

Talk To Your Customers About Stock
A great design can be made even better when it’s printed on a great stock, so be sure to talk to your customers about how their stock selection might impact their design. A bright white will give them the truest color, while an ivory or ecru will soften the colors slightly. They can use a specialty stock like pearlized stock to add a shining dimension to the design, or they can add an accent color with color core stock for an added visual pop.

And speaking of business cards, keep an eye out for more exciting business card options coming soon from Navitor. Click here to adjust your email preferences to ensure that you receive news about new options that will help your customer’s business card order truly extraordinary.

What do you think makes a great business card design? We’d love to see your recommendations in the comments below.

Filed Under: Business Cards, Design, Marketing, News, Print Products

Challenging Customers You Might Meet This Summer

Posted on June 26, 2019 Written by

challenging customers you might meet in the summer at your custom personalized print businessSummertime is filled with great weather, summer trips, events and distractions, and that can make the sales process challenging. There are also a few customer challenges that you’re more likely to see in the summer. Here are just a few of the challenging customers that you might meet this summer and how to better serve them during this very social season.

The Very Ready Vacationer
You’ve probably worked with this customer. You might have even been this customer when you were on the cusp of an exciting trip. The Very Ready Vacationer might be trying to get as much off their plate as possible, or they might be trying to put off an important meeting until after they’ve returned from their trip. Whichever way they try to clear their schedule for travel, chances are you’re going to run into difficult scheduling with this customer, especially if they also have deadlines to meet.

When you’re working with a Very Ready Vacationer, make sure that you’ve talked about whether there are any deadlines that will hit during their absence. If there are, ask them about how you can contact them with important questions or who to contact while they are away. If they need their print pieces after they’ve returned, take a moment to touch base with them once they’re back.

And, speaking of vacations…

The Wistful Worker
When you have a customer who isn’t going on vacation—but really wishes they were—you face an entirely different kind of distraction. This person might try to rush every sales meeting or forget what you’ve told them because they aren’t necessarily focusing on the work ahead of them.

How can you connect better with the wistful worker? When they’re distracted, logic is less likely to bring back their attention. Show them something exciting or ask them what they’re most interested in to get them more emotionally engaged in the conversation.

The Unconventional Office
Summer can lead to some unconventional work environments, and that can lead to big distractions. When your customer is working outside to take advantage of great weather, working from a coffee shop to change things up, or working from a summer event where they are promoting their business, the Unconventional Office can be difficult to speak to over the phone. Consider switching to email or text unless you need to have a conversation.

The Friday Flyer
This person’s personal life got much busier when summer started, and they’re prone to flying out the door earlier in the afternoon. And their absence might not just be an early exit on a Friday. Whether it’s children’s activities or sports event, the Friday Flyer’s absence can be a challenge no matter the cause. They might not be there to receive your call, and that can leave you without the information you need to move forward with their order.

When you’re dealing with a Friday Flyer, documentation and planning ahead are key. Try to use email to schedule conversations ahead of time, and, if you aren’t able to update them in a conversation, leave a message and include a mention of when you intend to follow up. And, if you need more information from them, make sure that you tell them exactly what information you need and that their order is on hold until you’ve heard back from them.

Have you met these challenging customers? How do you handle these summery challenges? We’d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, Misc, News

4 Ways to Make Your Next Project Run Smoothly

Posted on June 20, 2019 Written by

Whether you’re working on creating a new marketing campaign or getting ready to exhibit at a trade show, large scale projects can be a challenge. When things go right, having many people working on a project can help get things done faster. When things don’t, however, the friction between team members can bring progress to a halt. So, how can you keep things running smoothly?

1. Make Sure Everyone Knows the Plan
Nothing helps a project so much as keeping everyone on the same page, so make sure that everyone involved in your project knows on a high level what the plan looks like. That way everyone knows what their part is, what their deadlines are, and whose work might rely on theirs.

2. And Make Sure that Plan is Consistent
Have you ever been in a meeting and walked out of it with a strong game plan, only to have someone else get a completely different message from the meeting they attended? Not only does this make a plan hard to execute, but it can become frustrating for everyone working on the project. Instead, make sure the plan for your project is as consistent as possible and make sure that everyone is updated when changes do occur.

3. Give Updates When Needed
Take time to touch base often! Not only does this ensure that everyone knows how much progress you’ve made as a team, it also lets everyone know when one person’s task has hit a snag. For example, if one employee is researching the market before another employee can get started creating a marketing piece, it’s essential for both employees to know where the research has hit a snag.

One of the best ways to do this is to have periodic meetings. For big projects with a quick turnaround, scheduling 30 minutes every day to touch base can help keep things moving. For long term projects, a weekly, biweekly, or even monthly meeting could be the option you need to keep things moving.

4. Don’t Neglect the Social Aspect
While not a result of the project itself, social friction can also cause difficulties in your work day. Being short or grumpy while working on a project can easily stress everyone out.

That’s why it’s important not to neglect the social aspect of a project. When possible, give employees a chance to talk face-to-face about the project and its progress, because it can be easy to lose sight of the other people working on a project when we’re buried in our work. Consider ways to keep morale up when deadlines loom. Not only will this help employees keep their mood up individually, but it will help foster teamwork overall.

How do you ensure that projects keep moving? We’d love to see your suggestions in the comments below.

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, News

5 Ways to Keep Up Momentum During the Summer Months

Posted on June 19, 2019 Written by

ways to keep up productivity during the summer slump at your personalized custom print businessWe know that sometimes your sales can slow in the summer, but that additional space in your schedule could give you the opportunity to build momentum that can continue through the end of the year! Here are just a few of the ways that you can keep your business moving during the summer months.

1. Take the Opportunity to Make a Personal Connection
When things are a bit slower, consider using that extra time in your schedule to contact customers directly. You could take a moment to give top customers a call to thank them for their business—and let them know about products that they might be interested in—or you could call customers whose sales have flagged to encourage them to come back to your business. Not only will this help encourage sales during a slower time of the year, but it will help make your customers feel more emotionally connected to your business at the same time.

2. Prepare for a Busier Season
Just like a more open schedule gives you the opportunity to connect with customers, it also gives you the chance to work ahead. Organize your financial information from the first half of the year so that your documentation is ready come tax season or prepare your emails for upcoming events. Go through your files and remove documents that you no longer need. The slower season is a chance to take those tasks off your plate before sales pick up again in the fall.

3. Take a Look At Your Goals
You made your goals early in the year, but you might not have spent much time looking at them since. After all, between winter weather and customer needs, you’ve had a lot on your plate. The summer slump is a great time to take a look at your goals, see how you’re doing on those goals, and readjust as needed.

4. Build New Habits
Is there something you want to do better in your business? Do you want to get better about building to-do lists or more diligent about sending updates on customer orders? Do you want to neaten up your desk at the end of every week or file documents more regularly at the end of a project? This is the time to build those habits! When business is slower, it’s easier to get into good habits and ensure that they’ll stick around during busier months.

5. Take a Break
Rest is important, and whether you’re a workaholic or tempted by the sunny days outside the window, taking a break can help you be more productive in your day-to-day work. When you take a break, you’ll come back rested, refreshed, and ready to work harder and smarter.

Do you have tips for staying productive during the summer season? We’d love to see your tips in the comments below.

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, News

Brochures vs. Sales Sheets: Which One is Right For Your Customer?

Posted on June 14, 2019 Written by

Sometimes the print piece your customer needs is obvious. It might be the perfect business card or just the right promotional product to make their business memorable. However, the right product doesn’t always jump out at you. Sometimes it takes some thought. This is especially true when those print pieces are seemingly very similar—like brochures and sales sheets. That’s why we’re running down the questions you should ask to help them decide whether brochures or sales sheets are right for them.

Do They Want Their Piece to Stand Alone?
If your customer wants to create an informational piece that will create a big impact right away, flyers are a great choice. Their large, unfolded size and vibrant color allows them to stand alone, catching consumer attention and informing at a glance.

Brochures, on the other hand, are a better fit for customers who want a larger number of informational pieces to be displayed in one place. Their more compact folded size makes them easier to display in a compact tradeshow booth, as a part of a tabletop display, or at the front desk of their business.

Will Their Customers be Reading Now or Later?
If consumers are going to read their piece now, your customer might want them to get directly to the message. Sales sheets are the perfect way to deliver that! With no folds to undo, they are easy to read immediately after they are received.

Brochures are a great option for customers who want their piece to be read at a later date because of their more compact size. However, if your customer is creating a folder of informational pieces or sending a piece along with a mailing, a flyer might still do the job—just remember that its size makes it harder to stow in a tote bag.

Who Will Be Reading This and How Familiar Are They With Your Customer?
If your customer is looking for a great introduction to their business, flyers printed on sales sheets are a great choice. With a large size, vibrant color and no folds standing between the reader and the information in front of them, they can be a splashy introduction to your customer’s business or to a new product.

Brochures, on the other hand, are a good option for consumers who have a little more of an idea what they’re getting into. Whether your customer has had a chance to chat with them at a tradeshow booth or they’ve had an introduction to the company but still need to get to know the products, a little more knowledge is often the incentive that consumers need to open the brochure and discover the information inside.

What questions do you ask to help your customers make a decision about their print order? We’d love to see your suggestions in the comments below.

Filed Under: Education, Marketing, News, Print Products, Stationery

Perfect Print for Real Estate

Posted on June 13, 2019 Written by

Whether you’re working with a small realtor or a large company, print is an essential part of their repertoire of sales tools! Print pieces add professionalism to their office, help bring together open house events, and more. Here are our top suggestions for print pieces perfect for the real estate market.

Signage
With versatile full color print, different styles to suit different budgets, and a freestanding style that makes them easy to display in front of houses, yard signs are a classic print piece for the real estate market for a reason! Full color plastic yard signs are a lightweight and eyecatching option that your customer is sure to love. If your customer wants to make a bigger investment in their signage, on the other hand, they should consider full color metal yards signs; these durable signs are easy to reuse time and again.

Business Cards
Another business classic that real estate professionals should keep on hand is a business card. They should particularly look into including realtor photos on their business cards because it is one more way to reinforce the personal connection that realtors build with home buyers.

Folders
No matter how many homes are on a buyer’s list, it can be hard to keep their information straight. Offering them a branded folder is a great way to keep that information organized and to add a polished finishing touch to the home buying experience. Branded folders can also be used to hold paperwork, create welcome packets to be given at closing, or to hold files in the office with professional polish.

Promotional Products
Promotional products are an ideal way for your customers to get the word out about their business. Your customers in the real estate market can attach key fobs to keys at closing, give business card magnets to remind new homeowners of their realtor’s contact information, and hand out a variety of other promotional products at community events to connect with new buyers. They can also create personalized napkins perfect for adding a branded touch to any refreshments offered at an open house.

Labels
In addition to more traditional uses like address labels and name labels, labels are also a popular addition to open house events. Use labels to personalize water bottles at the refreshment table, seal paperwork, and more.

And this only scratches the surface of what print can do for the real estate market. Want more ideas? Consider requesting a copy of our property management vertical market kit for your next sales meeting!

Are there any other products that you would recommend for real estate? We’d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.

Filed Under: Business Cards, Deals, Folders, Labels, Marketing, News, Print Products, Promotional Products, Resources, Stationery
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