Manhasset Minuteman Press

Earlier this year, Gerrit Curran and Emily Wessner opened a Jersey Mike’s Subs in Muhlenberg Township, Pennsylvania. To gain traction in their township of 20,000, these entrepreneurs knew that their new business must be intricately tied to a community connection. Curran and Wessner chose to use print as their primary marketing channel. The Jersey Mike’s staff distributed nearly 7,500 sandwich coupons throughout the community, encouraging patrons to enjoy a free sub and also to donate the cost of that sandwich to the Muhlenberg Township Athletic Association. In the end, the promotion helped raise over $15,000, and the franchise gained an admirable reputation as a devoted community partner. Stand Out in Your Community Print marketing can be especially effective in creating a local marketing presence, especially when combined with integrated campaign efforts. Smart business owners know that catering to a local market can be a point of power. But how do you leverage this connect

Feeling blue? Maybe it's the color of the room you're sitting in. Color psychology is something that has fascinated people for decades. Artists and interior designers have long believed that colors can dramatically affect moods and emotions, and color marketing has become a hot topic in marketing, art, design, and print. As Pablo Picasso once remarked, "Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." Color is a powerful communication tool, so understanding it can help you signal action, sway the mood, and even influence psychological reactions. Want to give it a try? Here is a quick snapshot of color harmonies, including color combinations to try in your next poster, banner, or custom label. The Best Ways to Create Balance The color wheel consists of three primary colors (red, yellow, blue), three secondary colors (colors created when primary colors are mixed: green, orange, purple), and six tertiary colors (colors made from primar

Individual design elements are the building blocks of today's best marketing pieces, and with today's technology, almost anything is possible when it comes to print. Print products can vary in texture, color, shape, and finish, bringing a staying power that allows your company to shine strong among competitors. Step Up Your Game with Memorable, Inspiring Print Promos Here are five simple and impressive print techniques that can drastically improve the appearance of your materials. 1. Cut it Out Whether it's brochures, business cards, or door hangers, printed pieces aren't limited to square or rectangular shapes. Consider reshaping your invitation to match your logo, or creating a custom label in the shape of your most popular product. For brochures or folders, you can add custom-shaped pockets, a peek-through window, or die cuts that accentuate the featured product. 2. Add Texture While embossing was originally known for its use in person

They say a picture paints a thousand words, but pictures go beyond just that. Sometimes they force an emotional response. Consider the Snake Campaign from Playland, an amusement park in Vancouver. This print ad features a horrified man on a background split between two scenes: on the left, a jungle landscape, on the right, an outdoor amusement park. In front of the amusement park scene, the man clutches the handle of his roller coaster safety bar as he seems to be hurtling from a high drop on the ride. In front of the jungle scene, the man's hand is nearly clutching an enormous snake that has slithered itself over his neck and waist. The snake and safety bar are precisely symmetrical, harnessing the man in for a ride he wishes he hadn't taken, while playing on people's nightmarish aversion to snakes. The message? Playland is a place to scream yourself silly: "Fear Made Fun." For the Love of Imagery People like pictures. A lot. Why? F

In business, problems always arise. Things malfunction, customers get frustrated, or miscommunication causes delays. However annoying, big problems are still a gateway for better interaction. Consider this example from Toyota : The year was 2013, and Webin Manzana noticed the dashboard of his 2008 Camry was melting due to the sweltering weather in the Philippines. Because the warranty on his vehicle had long since lapsed, Toyota Motors Philippines refused to get involved. Manzana, frustrated with the inherent defect in the dashboard material, decided to fax a letter directly to the CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda. To his shock and delight, the next day he received a call from Toyota Motors Philippines, arranging to pick up the Camry and replace the dashboard immediately. 3 Ways to Resolve Sticky Situations When handled poorly, customer complaints can deal a heavy blow to your business. Here are three ways to resolve sticky situations while improving relationship

Ready to launch out with a new ad campaign but nervous about keeping the project below budget? Not all projects are smooth sailing. Sometimes things go wrong, and your expenses can spiral out of control quickly. Here are five tips to keep your next project on track and on budget: 1. Ask Questions Upfront When partnering with a design professional, be sure to clarify the contract up front. Will you be paying a project fee or an hourly rate? What services are included in this fee? Clarify how long the project will take, how often you'll get to review the work, and how many revisions are allowed in this agreement. 2. Plot Your Course Early Involve your design professional in your brainstorming as early as possible. Designing one piece can have a quick turnaround, but re-branding or crafting large-scale exhibit pieces can take months, especially if there is confusion about the parameters or design presets for a particular project. One costly mistake

Millennials and their Gen Z siblings are the first truly digital generations, some learning to swipe a screen before they could wipe their own faces! Millennials are a particularly powerful bunch, currently holding more spending power than Baby Boomers. By 2020, this group will have a collective spending power of $1.4 trillion . What does this look like in a daily snapshot? More than nine in ten millennials own smartphones, and 90% of millennials have at least one social media profile. Of that majority, 52% are active on 5 or more social media sites Millennials make up 58% of mobile shoppers and are 2.5 times more likely than the average shopper to be influenced by a mobile app. 73% of online millennials believe that internet has been mostly a good thing for society, and they certainly believe their gadgets bring personal benefits: 53% of Millennials said they would rather give up their sense of smell than their technology!  While young people love being online,

Work and sleep are two of the most time-consuming things we do. The average American will spend nearly 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime, so the way you approach your job can have a huge impact on your quality of being. As Annie Dillard famously said , "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." Do you want your experience at work to be as happy and anxiety free as possible? If so, perhaps it's time to put the scalpel to some of your less-than-desirable work habits. Here are just a few ways bad choices might make your life more difficult at work. Habits that Hurt You Personally Skipping Breaks Sometimes we think we're too busy to take breaks or grab some fresh air. But this simply isn't true. Research shows productivity is highest when people work in "sprints" with frequent breaks (around 90 minutes with 15-minute rests). Winging it on Mondays Do you struggle to get down to business at the s

Social media is an increasingly popular way for brands to connect with consumers. Almost 60% of Americans engage with brands on social media between 1 and 3 times daily . But pinpointing the right strategy for your business can be a challenge. Need inspiration? Here are three practical examples of entrepreneurs who are jumping off the screen to convert and keep customers through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Edge Body Boot Camp Edge Body Boot Camp (EBBC) uses both Instagram and Facebook to create a vibrant, friendly social media presence. EBBC uses social media to create a sense of community by incorporating members into their content. Using photos of individuals holding "I survived" chalkboards, personalized posts congratulate people for things like finishing their first workout, completing a 30-day fitness challenge, or achieving a specific goal over time (pounds lost, miles run, etc). Takeaways: EBBC uses social media to create brand loyalty

Once there was a businessman on a routine domestic flight. Though a seasoned flyer, he felt tense when, shortly after takeoff, the pilot asked everyone to stay in their seats with belts fastened. Moments later the pilot announced there would be no beverage service due to unexpected turbulence. People looked worried, and soon some were shrieking with alarm as a storm bounced the plane erratically. Nearby, the man saw a little girl sitting all alone, but acting totally calm. When the plane jolted she closed her eyes briefly but eventually started reading, looking out the window, or fiddling with toys until the shaking subsided. After the flight, the girl waited quietly as others exited. When the man approached and asked how she could be so brave, she said: "My dad is the pilot, and he is taking me home." Weather the Storms Does your team trust that you are taking them home? When the clouds form and turbulence comes, do your people trust you to guid

Nothing was going right at the plate for Dave Concepcion, the shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. About a month into the 1976 season, he was suffering a hitting slump, a plague of physical and mental anguish that had frittered away his batting average to around .150. The Reds were in Chicago, where the Cubs had a large industrial gas-operated clothes dryer in the stadium. Feeling goofy, Concepcion hopped in the dryer and called to his teammates. "Hey! Maybe this will help me get hot." Going along with the gag, Pat Zachry, the pitcher, hit the side of the switch, pretending to turn on the machine. With a puff of smoke, sparks flew, the machine whirred and began to rotate with Concepcion inside. ''I'll never forget it,'' said Zachry. '' Davey started spinning , and I froze with my eyes bugging out. Oh, it was terrible. Then I banged the side of the switch again. And the machine stopped. ''Davey went out that day and got fou

Fashionable. Admirable. Timeless. If you were to define cool, what words would you use? Cool is just . . . cool. In some sense, even describing what makes something cool can diminish its appeal. But in print and design, nothing is more appealing than cool. What Makes a Brand Cool? How do you add this edge to set your products apart? To find out, marketing scholars Caleb Warren and Margaret C. Campbell carried out six experiments comparing consumer products, coolness ratings, and participant reactions. In their research, Warren and Campbell discovered a relationship between the qualities of coolness and autonomy, finding designs perceived as cool were those that radiated autonomy in a socially acceptable way. Cool things tend to go a step beyond "stylish" things, so cool designs often push the boundaries of style. Think normative styles like jeans – but add excessive grunge rips. Or ordinary 1950s T-shirts – but add packs of cigarettes rolled i

While you may not be able to launch a 3D billboard and party-train campaign, you can to stop traffic with 3D elements and hot design trends from 2019. Here are four animated styles with practical examples to try in your next printed piece. Three-Dimensional Designs 3D works seem to be everywhere right now: entire compositions that have so much depth, you can't help but reach out and touch them. Examples include 3D typography (that works with any kind of font rendering), metallic 3D pipes pulsing with neon electricity, or effervescent 3D poster compositions that jump off the page and make it impossible to look elsewhere. Asymmetrical Layouts While rigid designs have been standard for several years, layouts that break free from the predictable grid are now soaring in popularity. Asymmetrical balance results from using unequal visual weight on each side of your page. For example, one side might contain a dominant element, which is balanced by lesser focal p

Want to get more people to pull the trigger on a purchase? Give them a push with perfectly placed coupons! Coupons have a built-in visual appeal and an innate call to action. A coupon with a limited time offer adds a sense of urgency in a customer's mind for two reasons: 1. If they plan to buy something, they want the best possible price. 2. If they don't buy now, it might be out of stock (or full price again) later.   Why should you use coupons? Many reasons! Coupon offers can make the difference between someone who's browsing and a purchasing customer. Coupon offers are also a major incentive to drive traffic to your website. Besides stimulating sales of existing stock, coupons also generate cross sales between products and can energize your brand. Building a successful coupon campaign may take some trial and error. Here are several action steps get you started: Start Small The first step in coupon marketing is to track the performance

Design involves a special kind of communication. First, creators must have an idea or concept in mind. Second, they need to articulate their ideas in ways graphic designers can bring to life on a page. This requires a common language, and sometimes graphic designers are known for having a vocabulary all their own. If you're working on a design concept, knowing the right terminology will help you communicate to produce the results you envision. Here are some design adjectives that can help you articulate the concepts you'd like to see in your next print project: Cool vs. Warm On the color wheel, warm colors range from yellow to red-purple. Those colors that are reminiscent of fire or the sun are called warm colors. These hues are reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. Warm colors communicate energy, playfulness, happiness, sociability, and optimism. Cool colors include blue, greens, and purple. These colors typically stand for sky, space, water, and nat

Do you have a small business that could use a revenue boost? Most marketing strategies are crafted around costly advertising campaigns, but there are many free or affordable tactics you can use to grow your business at any stage. Here are a few offline marketing fundamentals to get you started, no matter how small your budget! 1. Take part in local events. Sales are based on relationships, and relationships require connection. Network in proactive ways by attending or taking part in local events. Get to know other small business owners and have your business card or flyer ready; you never know when the opportunity will present itself! 2. Create customized stickers or labels. It's not just a kid thing – people truly enjoy stickers! Create a colorful custom sticker and pass them out anywhere your target users might be. Stickers and labels can be used on car windows, water bottles, notebooks, and more. 3. Start a simple rewards system. One of th

Long before television and online marketing, direct mail ruled. One of the most popular examples of direct mailing can be traced back to Sears in 1888 . The company sent a printed mailer to potential customers advertising watches and jewelry. Not long after, the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog became extremely popular nationwide. Today direct mail has received a bit of a bad rap. The term "junk mail" isn't exactly a compliment! Some refer to direct mail as an "old" form of advertising, thinking of direct mail as antiquated or off-target. But is that really the case? The fact is, many companies do use direct marketing. According to a 2015 study by the Data & Marketing Association, 57 percent of total mail volume was comprised of direct mail pieces. Response to direct mail continues to be strong every year, generating leads for businesses across a range of industries. Consider customer response rates from these common marketing

A new era in business is bringing fresh flavor to Kohl's. As traditional retailers struggle to keep their doors open, Kohl's executives are trying something radically different: a grocery partnership with Aldi. In March of 2018, the department store announced it would team up with Aldi to offer grocery sales in 10 of its locations. "The key priority we have as a company is to drive traffic," Kevin Mansell, the chief executive of Kohl's said in a Thursday earnings call. "We're focused on traffic-driving retailers: Groceries, supermarket chains, they drive a lot of traffic. We're finally on a path where we're getting more [shoppers]." In an age of online shopping, brick-and-mortar businesses have to hustle to make their company more relevant to consumers. Kohl's has experimented with lighter inventory, smaller stores, and more streamlined partnerships with companies like Under Armour and Amazon. Other retail giants have

As a small business owner, you need ways to grab attention and look your best, and business signage is your foremost advertising tool. For high-traffic areas custom printed vinyl banners are an excellent investment. In terms of cost, a vinyl banner is one of the most inexpensive, most high-impact marketing tools. Vinyl banners are also versatile, great for large exteriors, point-of-sale kiosks, welcome centers, or interior displays. Studies show that good signage directly boosts a business' profits. Pole banners can add up to 15.6% to your bottom line and larger storefront signage may boost sales by up to 7.7%. Banner Inspiration Need some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing? Here are several types of banners that can give you a killer first impression. Ceiling Banners Get your customers looking up by taking advantage of your unused ceiling space! Use ceiling banners for event signage, special events, product features, or welcome messag

If you're a small business owner, you know time is limited. Usually, your task list far outweighs your capacity for meeting your goals. When identifying social media objectives, you have to be clear on the what, why, and where you will engage. How Can Twitter be a Valuable Resource for You? Stats show that Twitter is still an effective way to connect with a broad range of customers. Forty-seven percent of people who follow a brand on Twitter are more likely to visit that company's website, and 75% of companies with an online presence are now using Twitter for marketing. Twitter's own study found that Twitter users, compared to the general online population, were more likely to discover or try new things and were more receptive of change. Twitter can help you reach broader audiences and engage with a generation that values interaction and experience. As you evaluate your Twitter marketing in 2019, be clear about your goals. Do you want to increase br

Ever feel stuck in a rut when it comes to your print or graphics capabilities? "It's impossible," you say. "I just don't have an eye for design." There's hope for even you! In today's generation, incredible graphics, fonts, and digital capabilities are literally at our fingertips. And while design may not come naturally to you, everyone can make their projects look better. Whether you're creating newsletters, small advertisements, or presentations, here are four concepts that are fundamental to every well-designed print project. 1) Proximity The main purpose of proximity is to organize. When you begin your layout, remember that items relating to each other should be grouped close together. This reduces clutter and gives your reader a clear sense of structure. When you're thinking about proximity, organize your elements as groupings that form one visual unit rather than scattering around several separate pieces. Physi

From Tarzan's treehouse to the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Disney's creative team has spent decades constructing fantasy lands depicted in Disney movies. Bringing dreams to life is Disney's business, and its empire spans 11 theme parks, a town, four cruise ships, dozens of hotels, and many waterparks and restaurants that help guests experience the happiest place on Earth. The dreamers, or "Imagineers" at Disney are the brains behind the vision. Peter Rummell, who served as chairman of the Imagineers for 12 years, said creativity doesn't just happen . It has to be engineered: "It is a process and if you don't understand that and if you sit around and wait for the lightning bolt, you're not going to be very productive." Walt Disney himself was a master of creative thinking and brainstorming. Not only was he talented in discovering ideas, he knew how to convert possibilities into reality. One associate said this about Disney: