This past week for our #Print4Blogher session with Debba from Girlfriendology and the UPSStore, we went over what to put on our marketing materials as well as proofing them to make sure they are fabulous! Debba hosted this session and went over a wealth of information. Here are a few things she shared with us to include when printing our business cards!
Easy to identify YOU, your brand and your ‘USP’ – Back to that ‘never get a
second chance to make a first impression’ – your cards and materials reflect
you and your company. They instantly create a professional impression – by
being professional or not. You’re there to make the right connections and the
best ‘first impression,’ then make it easy for them to read the card/materials,
understand who you/your blog (brand) is and your “USP.” USP is your unique selling
proposition – or as Wikipedia defines it, “any aspect of an object that differentiates it from similar objects.”
Easy To Read - Make sure the font is clear and that your business card is not overly crowded.
Great Design Stands Out! Make sure you do your best to stand out amongst hundreds (if not thousands) of business cards that will be passed out at Blogher. Get creative!
Here are the necessities of what you should consider putting on your business cards:
- Name, Business/Blog name/logo, tagline
- Blog URL, Email
- Social Media: Twitter handle, Facebook and LinkedIn links, secondary sites
- Phone number/Address (I actually do not do this, but it is an option)
- Photo of you, your avatar or brand image/icon
- QR (Quick Response) Code – A square graphic (seen here), can be scanned to send them to a specific URL. It could lead them to a page on your site with complete contact info, your newsletter sign-up form or just your home page. Makes it easy to scan and open a website without putting in the URL. To create a QR code, the New York Times recommends Kaywa, Qurify and Delivr.
Proofing –
Before you print your items, be sure to have a checklist that looks similar to this:
Read, re-read and re-read again - Look for misspelled words, grammatical errors and items that seem out of place or context.
Read aloud - then Read Backwards! - If it doesn’t sound right out loud, it probably doesn’t sound correct to a contact who doesn’t know who you are or what you meant to say. I actually do this for everything I write (emails, posts etc) so I have no problem talking to myself!
Have someone else read and proof them - Actually, for important elements (like business cards, one-pagers, etc.), its best to have at least ‘two sets of eyes’ review it for typos and questions on how you can improve your materials. This is another great reason to come into the UPS Store, they can be your second set of eyes!
Ordering Materials:
This week the ambassadors took their items to be printed at the UPS Store. The UPS Store can handle Microsoft® Word, Excel®, PowerPoint and Publisher files, as well as Adobe PDF files and
much more. I took a USB thumb/flash drive to my store and was able to plug it into their computer and bring it up and explain what I wanted. Check with your local UPS Store but most stores actually offer the ability to upload your documents online! Visit www.theupsstore.com
Ordering materials was actually pretty easy. Easier than I thought they would be! I have been so busy, I haven't really had a chance to put a "layout" together for my cards. So I went to the UPS Store with just my logo. The person who helped me was great, she helped me put one together, put the layout together, font etc. I uploaded my header and had it done in about 5 minutes! For my media kit, she went over numerous options on what type of paper, color/no color, binding etc. I ended up going with fancy glossy paper which was 10 cents more but worth it in my opinion! The media kits were printed right there in less than a minute!
When I ordered my business cards, I chose the non glossy because I wanted people to be able to write on them but the paper was still very good quality. When I placed my order, she said it may take up to 2 days but I got a call the very next morning!
So what did I put on my business cards?
Logo
Site
Tag Line
Site
About.me link
Twitter Handle
I sat at the computer going over this about 10 times making sure everything looked correct. Spelling, layout and of course links!
I will be attaching cute money related candies to help make them stand out.
I also ordered 5 media kits, which contain 4 pages.
First page: Logo
Second Page: Information about me and my blog
Fourth Page: Blog Features and conferences I have attended
Third Page: Rate info
I really liked the professionalism and quality of my items ordered from the UPS Store. I am so glad they helped make this experience less stressful for me as Blogher is only a week away!
You can see more about my UPS Store journey here: http://intersect.com/stories/282hrPLzwfYH
*Also, check out other awesome @TheUPSStore #Print4BlogHer Campaign
Ambassadors:
Amy Lowe – Dealusional – http://www.dealusional.com
Shelby Barone – Glitterful Felt Stories – http://www.feltstories.com
Melissa Lockcuff – MamaBzz – http://www.mamabzz.com
Wendy Limauge – Sweeties Sweeps - http://sweetiessweeps.com
This opportunity is being compensated by #CollectiveBias as part of the #Print4Blogher campaign. All opinions shared on the calls and weekly write ups are my own.
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