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Author: jask Media

Create a Great First Impression with Clients

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. If it’s a social situation, you may get the opportunity to let the real you shine through over time and undo any negativity from your first meeting. In a business environment, however, there’s always the chance that a potential client may take their custom elsewhere if they don’t see what they hope for when they meet you. That’s why it’s important to get those first encounters right.

Know your subject

While you’re undoubtedly an expert in your own field, it may be that clients come to you for different services. If possible, before your initial meeting, do your homework and find out what you can about the client’s needs; that may involve setting up a system whereby someone might fill in a questionnaire before they receive an appointment, allowing you to be thoroughly prepared.

Set the scene

If you’re meeting someone at your own premises, be sure you have a clean, comfortable and welcoming environment prepared. Would refreshments be appropriate? Are toilet and washing facilities clearly signposted? If you have an appointment to meet someone in another location of your choice, make sure it is somewhere you can talk in comfort and without distractions.

Look the part

I would hope that you always present a professional exterior to the world while you’re representing your business. This is doubly important when a potential customer sees you for the first time. Depending on the type of company you belong to, you should wear clean and appropriate clothes and be well groomed; even if you do a manual job, you should make sure you have clean nails when you extend a welcoming handshake to the client.

Put on your happy face

Even if you’re having the day from hell, your client doesn’t need to know about it. Something as simple as smiling as you greet them can make all the difference and put a person at ease. Studies show that the action of smiling can make you happier and more relaxed as well, which is a good frame of mind for meeting with a potential customer.

Pay attention

There’s little more off-putting than being aware that you don’t have someone’s full attention while you’re speaking to them. Focus on your customer! Make sure they know you are listening and considering their needs. It may be that your experience allows you to realise a need they are likely to have before they know about it. If you are completely attentive, the big picture should become apparent, allowing you to make suggestions about how the customer could achieve their goals, which will make them more inclined to use your services.

Unfortunately, there’s no way of controlling everything that goes on around you. You can’t force a person to give you their custom any more than you can force them to like you, but by making the most of those factors you can control, you can lay the groundwork for a good business relationship. You will only make one first impression, so put in the effort to make it a good one.

Banaman are specialists in the printing and supply of superb promotional materials for businesses large and small. For more information, get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help.

Promotional Merchandise for your Band

Trying to get your band noticed can seem like a mammoth task, especially with the innumerable amount of acts that are vying for the attention of the public and record labels alike. However, with a few clever marketing tips, you might soon find yourself ahead of the pack. This article will look at some of the ways that you can promote your band and your music and hopefully give you a helping hand in getting noticed.

Be Unorthodox

What about giving your fans or potential fans some free products to get them on board? Smaller items like lighters and keyrings can be ordered at minimal cost, adorned with your band’s name or logo and given away for free. These can be ordered in any quantity, meaning you can have as many or as few as you want without worrying about minimum orders or breaking the bank. What’s more, the recipients of the lighters will likely use them on a regular basis, not to mention waving them in the air at one of your gigs!

T-Shirts

A tried, tested and very successful method of promoting yourself to the wider world, t-shirts allow for a larger design, making your logo or band name much more noticeable. Due to the cost of printing for t-shirts, it is unlikely that you can give them away for free as you could with smaller items like the aforementioned lighters and keyrings. However, for the extra cost you can get a high quality print that fans can wear on a daily basis, not just to any gigs or shows you might play. If the design is good, people will want to know where they can get their hands on one, which is more advertising for you!

Stickers and Badges

Small, easy to use and very cheap to produce, stickers and badges are perfect accessories for your band’s biggest fans. You may have noticed fans of certain genres of bands have their backpacks littered with badges adorned with the logos of their favourite musicians, so why not add yours to that collection? Their low production cost means you can order a large quantity without an eye-watering cost.

Here at Banaman, we are experts in providing the highest standard of promotional printing services: whether you want t-shirts, badges, stationery or keyrings, we can print your band or business logo onto them and supply them to you with no minimum order. For more information, get in touch with us today.

5 Bizarre Promotions That Worked

Making sure you stand out from your competitors when you are marketing your company is an huge challenge with no set formula for success. There are a seemingly endless number of ways you can choose to market your business, whether you are a fledgling start-up company or a well-established organisation. This article will look at some of the more leftfield marketing campaigns that have yielded results for businesses.

Heineken – Walk-In Fridge

What started off as viral video online in 2009 soon came to life as Heineken took their walk-in fridge idea to beer festivals and allowed people to re-create the video. By taking a viral idea and making it a reality, Heineken brought their brand to their customers and gained new ones, providing an immersive and successful marketing experience.

Target Lightshow

American retail giant Target illuminated the streets of New York with a fantastic lightshow. Renting street-facing rooms in the Standard Hotel in New York, Target opened the curtains revealing dancers in luminous suits who were accompanied by a soundtrack from DJ Sam Spiegel and a vibrant catalogue of lights. The campaign reached 3,000 people on street level and yielded 12.6 million Google hits.

Global Warming Awareness Campaign

A campaign to raise awareness of a serious cause was devised by Offsetters, an organisation specialising in helping companies cut their carbon emissions. They suspended life-rafts on the side of high rise buildings in the city, set up ‘lifeguard on duty’ signs and put lifeguards ‘on duty’ in parks. All of this was to highlight the effect that global warming could have on our cities should we not take care of the environment. The resulting coverage in countless media outlets and blogs meant that their campaign reached a huge amount of people, helping to spread their message.

FM 96.3 – Free Air Guitar

While giving away real guitars for free would cost an eye-watering amount of money, Glasgow radio station FM 96.3 came up with a novel alternative that helped put their name on the map. By setting up empty guitar racks with a ‘free air guitar’ sign, the station helped promote their rock ‘n’ roll theme and inform rock fans of the new station. At very little cost, FM 96.3 gained a lot of coverage on blogs and social media.

MINI’s Porsche Challenge

In 2010, car manufacturer MINI, owned by BMW, challenged German car giant Porsche to a race via YouTube. While Porsche did not ultimately accept the challenge, the video soon went viral, and Japanese manufacturer Hyundai got involved in the act. The stunt generated thousands of views and hundreds of blog posts from industry writers, creating valuable publicity for MINI and, perhaps most importantly, Hyundai, the smaller manufacturer of the three.

Banaman are specialists in providing excellent promotional materials and printing services for business of all sizes. Whether you need 10 branded t-shirts or 500 branded pens, we have the skill and dedication to give you the best possible service.

 

5 of the Best Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns

Marketing campaigns can take on many forms, each one with varying degrees of success for the company it is employed by. The best marketing campaigns capture the attention and imagination of potential customers by using a mixture of originality, creativity and information – a lot of businesses have turned to ‘guerrilla’ campaigns to further their brand. Guerrilla campaigns are ones that break from the traditional mould of slick, polished, advertising and use a more unconventional slant.

Cingular

US telecoms giant Cingular came up with a novel and very creative way to promote their services to potential customers. The Times Square billboard depicts the question ‘Hate Dropped Calls?’, but the ‘calls’ section has ‘fallen’ to the street below, creating an artistic and quirky way of recruiting new business.

Goodyear

Tyre company Goodyear created perhaps the most infamous guerrilla marketing campaign when they adorned a huge blimp with their logo and took to the skies, creating some unmissable promotion for passers-by. The original blimp was created in 1911, before Goodyear introduced The Pilgrim, its own blimp, in 1925. There are currently three blimps in use in the United States, a testament to the effectiveness of the century-old innovation.

Nike

Nike utilised some urban destruction for one of their marketing campaigns, known as the ‘crashed ball’. The giant version of their 2005 official matchball, the Total 90 Aerow, had seemingly crashed into buildings across the UK, apparantly destroying the structures in the process. The installations were created with the help of Altitec.

Tent City

A guerrilla marketing campaign with a twist – this was not designed to promote a product, or a business, but a problem within Paris. Developed by Medecins du Monde, the project was aimed at highlighting the huge housing problem in Paris by distributing hundreds of tents to the city’s homeless people, who then set up the tents around some of the French capital’s most famous landmarks. The project was a huge success, with the French government holding an impromptu meeting where it was decided that $10 million would be allocated for emergency housing in the city.

Red Bull

An incredibly successful marketing campaign, and a live-action one at that, Red Bull’s ‘pitstop’ installation in Times Square, New York, was a superb and innovative idea that captured the attention of everyone who saw it. It involved a team of engineers performing a rapid wheel change on a Nascar vehicle emblazoned with the Red Bull logo.

Banaman are specialists in the design and printing of promotional products for both large and small businesses. From mugs to business cards, our team of expert designers can ensure your promotional products are printed to the highest standard at excellent rates, with no minimum quantity on your order. Get in touch today to find out more.

Choosing Pencils & Pens for Art and Design

As an ink-drawing or pencil artist it’s essential that you choose the best tools to produce the best results, and whilst your personal preference or the type of artwork you create will influence your choice of pen or pencil, there are few staples that should be present in every studio.

Pen Types

 

 

Ball pens are a cheap choice and available in many different colours in all stationary shops. They can produce exceptional results, making them perfect for fast artists who rely on free flowing ink to keep up with their artistic flow.

For more experimental artists, there are also a range of different nibs you can choose,  for example a  firm steel split nib is a great all-rounder, whilst calligraphy nibs are more specialised and take a while to find one you are comfortable with, and a copperplate writing nib offers a softer solution that lets you create a more varied effect.

 

 

Bamboo pens are an acquired preference as they produce broad definite lines, and the pens don’t hold much ink. This makes them more suited to minimalist artists, who prefer to give an impression rather than extensive detail. Another point is thart as the ink runs low it produces different textures and effects – so they can take quite a while to get used to, but produce great results once you’ve mastered the technique.

 

 

Fibre tip markers, such as the one from Faber-Castell are a wonderful way to get precise, crisp lines and beautiful colour quickly. You can buy fibre tip markers in a variety of nib sizes and brush tips, ensuring you’ll find something to suit your drawing style and artwork.

Pencil Grades

Choosing the right grade of graphite pencil for your designs can be tricky if you aren’t used to the different effects, but once you’ve learned the differences you can produced detailed and deep artwork that allows true expression of your creativity.

The grades range from numbers 2 to 9, and will be following by a ‘H’ to indicate the graphite is hard and produces a lighter tone, or a ‘B’ if the pencil is softer and darker. There’s also a middle ground of ‘HB’ and an ‘F’ for finepoint pencils. The most common pencils for drawing, include:  

The 2H

A very hard lead pencil that makes thin light marks, making it ideal for detailed artwork and initial, non-permanent drawings.

The 6B

A very dark, soft pencil which is great for expressive drawing and fast sketching.

The HB

This is the pencil you would have used in school! The lead is the perfect medium between hard and soft led, making it a great all-rounder.

The 2B

This pencil is much softer than a HB pencil and produces fine, dark lines making it is great for outlining drawings, or adding in darker shading.

Finding the right stationary for ink and graphite drawings can take a lifetime, and even if you think you have the perfect tools for the job, it’s always worth experimenting when you come across something new.  

 

The team at Banaman supply bespoke promotional pens and pencils, printed with your company’s details, making them the perfect giveaway item for potential or existing clients.

Top Tips for Promotional Printing in Different Formats

Whether you’re printing new staff uniforms, banners for a promotional event or an informational brochure about your services, high quality printed promotional products will boost your corporate identity, helping your company brand to be more memorable.

If your printed promotional products are not of a high quality however, they will have the opposite effect. Badly formatted graphics or text will look shoddy, unprofessional and unattractive to potential customers. So it is essential that you format any design correctly to get the best possible results when the information is printed.

Text File Formatting

If you are printing products that are solely text-based, you must remember that not all fonts and effects are available in every programme. If your printer’s equipment doesn’t support your chosen font, it may convert it to one that doesn’t suit your design or layout, creating a substandard product.

Artwork and Graphic Formatting

Formatting artwork for printing has 2 main issues: recreating the colours effectively, and upholding the quality of the graphics.

The key to producing high quality promotional printing is to prepare your designs carefully, choosing the perfect formats that will allow your artwork, graphics and fonts to be reproduced precisely and meticulously.

For more information about getting the most from your printed promotional products, and ensuring you make a great impression on clients, potential customers and competitors – simply contact the team at Banaman for expert advice.

Writing a Good Company Tagline

A tag line can be an incredibly useful tool for your business, helping it to stick in the minds of existing customers and grabbing the attention of potential ones. However, coming up with the perfect tagline for your company is much more difficult than it sounds, as you need to find one that is the perfect mix of originality and relevance. This article will look into some tips and advice that will help you create the ideal tagline for your brand.

Simplicity is effective

One of the key points to creating a memorable slogan or tagline is simplicity. By using a one-line slogan you can create a phrase that sticks in the mind of those who see it. It can be funny or serious – as long as it’s well worded, succinct and to the point you will have created something that people will remember.

Consider using humour

Using humour to sell your brand can be a wonderful tactic – people will remember taglines that make them laugh just as much as they will remember a powerful, serious slogan. However, humour doesn’t work for all brands – it can detract from the purpose of your business, so make sure that humour and your company or sector work well together before you opt for a joke.

Be honest

Obviously the idea of a tagline is to sell your product or business to consumers, so you need to make it sound as good as possible. However, make sure you stay true to the purpose and quality of your product – don’t make claims that you can’t back up. Claiming your company is the best at something might seem like a smart thing to do, but if you can’t actually prove such a claim then it’s not the best idea for a slogan.

Take your time

It can take many attempts before you come up with a slogan that you feel best represents your business. It can be tempting to use one just for the sake of having a tagline, but just by taking a little extra time to pick your slogan you can reap the rewards. Going over your slogan in stages from the drawing board to the design can help you fine tune the results until you have something you’re truly happy with.

Mention your Purpose

It can help to give those who read your tagline an idea of what it is that you do. It doesn’t have to be a detailed explanation – this is a tagline, after all, it needs to be brief – but if you can think of a succinct way to inform people of your purpose, then you’ll help promote your company even more.

Here at Banaman, we are specialists in the supply of premium quality promotional products. Our expert design team can add your company slogan or logo to a range of items, from t shirts to mugs, ensuring that you have a promotional product that you can be proud of. All our items are available in any quantity, whether you need 50 or 500 of your chosen product, so we are able to cater for both small and large businesses. Get in touch with us today for more information and our friendly team will be more than happy to help.

Three Ways to Distribute Flyers

Designing and printing your flyers is one thing, ensuring that they serve their purpose of promoting your brand is another, and they can’t do that without effective distribution. There are a number of ways you can help your flyers get the attention of prospective customers and this article will look into these methods.

Distribution by hand

There are always opportunities to distribute your flyers, whether you hand them to passers-by in the street or take advantage of any business conventions or exhibitions your company may be present at. The benefit of using exhibitions in this manner is that the people in attendance will at least be familiar with your sector, if not your company. Handing them out in the street can also yield results, but it is unlikely that many people that pass you by will be familiar with your business or industry.

Door to Door

This method means that you don’t have to rely on there being a large amount of people in any one location, such as a town centre. By posting your leaflets through doors, you can dictate how many flyers you hand out and where you distribute them. The downside to this method, of course, is that a lot of homeowners don’t have much time for leaflets that come through their door. However, if you can make your leaflet eye catching and effective, then you may find success.

Newspapers

This method is a similar process to door-to-door, except you don’t have to put the leaflets through the letterboxes yourself! By arranging with your local paper to put your leaflets within their publication, you can get your advertising out to potential customers without having to visit their homes yourself. Some papers may ask for a small payment in order for them to include your leaflet, but it is a worthwhile expenditure when you consider the potential reach of your advertising.

Having the perfect distribution method for your flyers is one thing, but you must make sure that your flyers look the part, too. Contact a professional promotional design agency to help engineer the perfect flyer for your business. By ensuring you have the highest quality leaflet design in sufficient quantity, you can make sure that you have both the right amount of leaflets and the right design to attract maximum exposure and interest.

Above are the three most effective methods that you can undertake when it comes to distributing flyers, each one with its own set of benefits. Decide which one of these suits you the most and then begin your distribution process – if done correctly, you’ll gain great exposure for your brand and hopefully entice some new customers on the way.

About the author: The staff at Banaman in Grimsby have over 20 years of experience in promotional printing and produce a wide range of promotional items including flyers, banners, stationary and clothing.

 

Why you should Use a Mouse Mat

If you are a person who regularly uses a desktop computer, then you have probably used a mouse mat before. It’s not something that you give a lot of thought to – it’s always on your desk, ready to be used. But if you have ever misplaced your mouse mat and had to use your computer without one, you may have noticed quite a considerable difference in how easy it is to use your mouse. As well as making your mouse easier to use, it can also be good for your health. This article will detail some of the key reasons why using a mouse mat can be beneficial for you.

Ease of Movement

One of the more obvious advantages is the way it makes the movement of your mouse much smoother and more accurate. If you use your mouse on the desk with no mouse mat, it is likely to stick on the surface which can get quite annoying if you constantly have to reposition your mouse. A mouse mat will allow for smooth and accurate tracking of the mouse, meaning you never have to worry about clicking on the wrong area of the screen accidentally.

Wrist Support

This is a particular concern for those who use their desktop computer on a daily basis for an extended period of time, perhaps as part of their job. Using a mouse without proper wrist support can cause damage to your wrist, known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and also carpal tunnel injuries. There is a vast range of mouse mats that come with built-in wrist support and these can save you a lot of discomfort when using your mouse for long periods.

Extra Promotion

Like many desktop items, you can use your mouse mat to provide some extra promotion for your business. Your mouse mat can be adorned with your company logo or slogan and handed out to both existing and potential clients/customers, helping you spread the name of your business and keep it fresh in the mind of those who use the mouse mats. Think of it as daily advertising but with minimal effort required.

If you want to combine the purchase of mouse mats with some excellent promotion for your business, brand or company, then Banaman are exactly the people you need. We specialise in providing top quality promotional items for businesses both big and small. Our design team can add your logo to stationery, clothing or leaflets with the utmost care, precision and design quality. There is no minimum order limit with our products, so whether you need promotional items for 200 customers or 20 customers, we’ve got you covered. For more information about our promotional printing services, get in touch with us today and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Not sure what you need? Call one of our friendly advisors on: 0800 086 2840