Blog

Small businesses have to use every tool available to them when it comes to reaching new clients and keeping established ones. Creating a brand identity and making your vision clear and accessible to clients is necessary for every small business, but how that is done is likely to vary on a case by case basis. Businesses should be aware of what they offer and who they want to reach. 

Promotional products should generally follow the mantra that the less quirky a theme or item is, the more likely it will be successful with a potential client. However, some companies have embarked on bizarre promotional advertising schemes in the past, and small businesses can learn valuable lessons from these examples. 

When it comes to promotional marketing, there is nothing more important to a business than projecting an image of personal responsibility and general caring. There are innumerable charities dedicated to specific diseases and ailments, and by supporting such an organization, a small business can expect quality positive reinforcement. 

Nine Q Code Suggestions
1. Use error correction at the M lever (most code generators have this option). This means that even if up to 15 percent of the code is blocked or dirty, it can be corrected and still be read.
2. Save your codes as a SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) if possible, which is a vectored image XML file. It can be increased or reduced without losing resolution and makes for a better printed code. You can also put colors into the code using Illustrator or CorelDraw. Try out different colors and test, test, test.
3. A good margin or white space is important to the proper rendering of a code. Most codes are 25 modules up and 25 modules across. I like to have at least three or four modules of white space. Do not print on black without having white space beyond the code itself around it.
4. Not every target has a smartphone... it's best to show the URL link the code renders to next to the code when you print. This helps increase your scan rate. About 50 percent of mobile phones in the USA are smartphones, make sure the other 50 percent can respond to your promotion by showing the URL link.
5. Show how to get a free reader. Print "get a free reader at your app store" near the code.
6. Some URL shortener services will let you change the destination link without changing the code. You could then use the same code and redirect it to a different YouTube video or offer each week.
7. Make sure you have color contrast... a dark and a light color... no less than 4:1 ratio (black/white is best). If there is not enough contrast, your code will be harder to read or not be read at all. Other colors can be used as long as you stick to the 4/1 ratio; brown/yellow or red/white would work.
8. Create your code so you can track how many scans it generated... using analytics to improve your project. Both bit.ly and goo.gl offer free analytics when you use their service to shorten an URL.
9. Finally, make sure any code you create for printing is not RGB. Even when printing black and white, it should be changed to a grayscale or CMYK so only the black plate is used when printing. This will help the resolution and make scanning easier by more smartphones. Saving a SVG code as a jpeg will work if it is the actual size it will print at, if it is saved as CMYK and if it is saved at a minimum of 300 dpi. EmbroidMe can help print the Q code on pen's bags, drinkwear, shirts and more. 

DO's
1. DO | create a Call to Action... give them a reason to scan your code, tell them what they'll get; view this video on YouTube (create a video about your product)... join our mailing list... find our nearest location... download this info article about... enter our drawing... like us on Face book... follow us on Twitter.
2. DO | always Test, Test, Test... before publishing, test your code on all Smartphone’s (Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Win7) with different readers. There are many popular code readers available. I personally use i-Nigma on my Android (go to www.i-nigma.mobi on your phone to download it free).  

Small businesses should always be looking to support a good cause with promotional products. Supporting a health foundation by providing things like Breast Cancer Awareness promotional items is a great way for a start-up enterprise to project a positive public image. Many health organizations designate specific times of year for support, and the upcoming month of February is American Heart Month. 

He brought cool to new heights with his troubled, loner persona and bad boy looks in Rebel Without A Cause. Girls wanted him and guys, well, they just wanted to be him.  But, it’s James Dean in a White T-shirt and leather jacket that solidified his place in American fashion.  In the transformation his functional undergarment from something Ozzie Nelson wore under his button down shirt. 

Color trends for 2012 are similar to last year’s but all seem to take a small twist. Here, we’ll look at three trends that will impact the printed apparel industry to better understand the implications of these color sets. 

Beginning with commemorative buttons used in George Washington's inauguration back in 1789, promotional products have had a long history as effective means to advertise and/or promote a message, logo, image and/or event. When businesses realized early on that promotional products, then called "novelty and specialty goods", could be used to advertise and promote, the promotional products Industry began to grow, giving way to new and exciting products and providing businesses with new tools for growth.