Remember it can take 7 approaches before a client becomes interested in what you have to offer so maintain regular contact but do not PUSH too hard.

The stats are pretty amazing and reinforce why it makes sense for our clients to use WordPress for their website.

QR Codes were created by Tokyo-based Toyota

Yes, the very same Toyota that makes cars. More accurately, QR Codes were created by a subsidiary of Toyota and that is where the name Denso Wave comes in. The technology was initially created to identify car engines. Because of how quickly it can be scanned and how useful it others, why waste it on just car engines?

QR Codes are FREE to generate

uPrint even has it’s very own QR Code generator free to use right here on our website.

What are QR Codes?

Scannable codes, similar to traditional barcodes, that provide information (originally used for automotive inventory). They’re not a new technology like most people think, they were released in 1994. Sophisticated scanning technology on smartphones, as well as the large amount of data storage available in QR codes, has helped make them more ubiquitous in recent years.

What makes them different to traditional bar codes?

They are coded vertically and horizontally (so they can contain more information), hence the ’2D’ term. They are also scannable by many different hardware such as smart phones.

Why are they so good for marketing?

They are a great way to bring closer together the world of print and mobile technology. They are interactive as they allow advertisers to take users straight to their online content without the need for searching. Scanning a QR Code will instantly take users to the advertisers content online.

What else can QR Codes do?

You can store much more than just a web address in a QR Code. For instance you can store your entire address and contact details including Twitter, Facebook and mobile numbers in a QR Code. When the users scan the code your information will be added to their smartphone device.

Can I track who has scanned my QR Code?

Yes, using either trackable links or Google Analytics you can see how many people have used your QR Code to find your website.

To be part of a successful marketing strategy, QR codes should do the following:

• provide new information that the user hasn’t already seen,
• in a format that works for mobile devices,
• with a call to action that the user can complete on the mobile device.

What next?

You can call uPrint on 01442 560054 to find out more about how QR Codes can help your marketing and to get some innovative ideas as to how you can bring print and mobile internet closer together.

That’s when you have from 30 seconds to one minute to pitch your organization, your product or yourself to a policy maker, venture capitalist or potential employer. It may not occur on an actual elevator. But savvy CEOs, entrepreneurs and salespeople commonly practice their elevator speeches and use it in business and their personal life.

A business card is like an elevator speech, except you only have about 3 seconds to define yourself and your value proposition.

Three…seconds. Probably less time than it took you to read the preceding paragraph.

And in those three seconds you have to convey who you are and what you stand for. A tough assignment.

Most business is still conducted face-to-face. If you fail at the moment you hand someone your business card, the consequences can be dire.

Most business cards are pretty boring. They don’t have to be. How do we communicate something serious in a way that is memorable yet whimsical, makes a point but isn’t frivolous?

• Writing a blog post (like this!)
• Adding some new work to your Facebook business page
• Creating a targeted flyer for a particular market you’re chasing
• Interacting with prospects through Linkedin
• Lining up some tweets for the day on Hootsuite
• Creating a digital brochure for your customers to download and view
• Creating a printed newsletter and mailing to your customers
• Creating an email newsletter to send to your customers and prospects

So, while you’re having your morning cup of tea before you start the day, it’s worth setting aside a small amount of time to spend on mini marketing projects like those above.

Just by doing 30 minutes each morning you’ll make a huge difference to your business going forwards. It’s easy to sit and procrastinate at the sometimes huge task that lies ahead of you, but by breaking it down into smaller chunks, you can chip away at your marketing with relative ease.

If you need help with marketing your business more effectively then talk to the team at uPrint – we’re full of good ideas and can help turn these ideas into reality. Call us on 01442 560054 or email sales@uprint.me.uk

Recently we have launched a ‘mega deal for trades‘ bringing together lots of various marketing solutions under the banner of one simple package. As a business, trades need to distinguish themselves from the crowd – and traditionally they’ve not been very good at it!

Over recent years we’ve helped lots of trades develop their business by using a brand and establishing themselves in the marketplace. They have become well known, portray a professional image and have a memorable brand that customers can recognise.

Leaving all the marketing bull aside, I thought we’d demonstrate from start to finish how we’ve recently helped one local trade go from nothing to everything in a matter of weeks.

Stage one – the branding

Back in early February we had a meeting with local property maintenance guy – James Dallimore. During the meeting he expressed a need to develop his property maintenance business. We suggested that he might need to start with a logo and wider brand for his new business. So we set about discovering what he wanted his brand to stand for and what he wanted it to say about him.

Based on discussions we had with James, we developed the ideas and colour pallet into 5 concepts for him to choose from. We presented James with the following ideas…

Stage two – refining the logo

Based on feedback from James we refined the design and presented the final logo as seen below. He chose an amalgamation of two of the designs above…

Stage three – applying the brand

During initial discussions with James we targeted a number of products that would help James establish his business and market it locally. These included:

• Van signage
• Business cards
• Site boards
• Direct mail letters
• Professional web/email address

Conclusion

Every business needs a brand, and hopefully we’ve demonstrated above how effective and powerful it can be to create something unique for your business. Evergreen Solutions now has an identity that can be applied in all sorts of creative ways in their marketing going forwards. They decided that the investment in a brand was important for the development of their business.

If you feel that a professional brand is key for the growth of your business and you’d like some help, call our team on 01442 560054 or email sales@uprint.me.uk for friendly help and advice.

A business card is now often the first point of contact someone will have with your business, so they’ve got to stand out and make your business memorable. With most business people having hundreds if not thousands of business cards, how do you ensure yours is remembered.

With ASH Lock and Secure we suggested that they look at having some Spot UV applied to the reverse of their cards. The design supplied to us by Now Design gave us the perfect opportunity to take the faded writing on the reverse and ‘enhance’ it using spot uv – creating a magical reflective finish on the text, seen when the card catches the light.

Now, we could have just accepted the re-print job and dutifully ran off 500 cards. But our ethos at uPrint is always to push the boundaries for every client no matter how big or small the job.

Comments from people coming in to contact with the cards have ranged from ‘amazing‘ to ‘wow, these are great – the effect is stunning!‘. Now, isn’t that something you’d like your business to be remembered for?

If you’d like some of the uPrint shizzle applied to your next job call us on 01442 560054 or email sales@uprint.me.uk for the best advice and service in Hertfordshire.

See the effect in action

For a long time we’ve been the printer of choice for many local trades from plumbers and electricians to builders and tree surgeons! Now, we are pleased to bring trades a great deal on a complete branding service from start to finish.

One of the challenges for trades is using time to best effect – so it doesn’t make sense to visit four or five separate businesses for your marketing. Now with uPrint’s service for trades deal – you can get everything need under one roof! Check out the deal below, and if you’re a local trade (or any business that could use the deal) contact our team on 01442 560054 for more information.