Branding Gift Packaging

Helping Retailers Build Their Businesses

Make Your Branded Products Stand Out

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Shoppers today are visually driven.
Shoppers today are visually driven.
How can you make your unique brand stand out against the competition in the retail space?

Little Things Could Make A Big Difference

For instance, you can now obtain specially designed stamps and customized logo designs created especially for small businesses and it is not expensive. The end point should always point to a clear and cohesive brand. It should be so unique that the customer may forget the name, but remember the pleasure of the purchase.

Some hints for effective branding and creative business, both online and offline:

Develop Your Online Assets

Begin with analyzing what makes your product unique. Then try to make that special quality obvious through branding, through the use of color and imagery, a logo or any other means that will imprint on the mind of the customer.

Perfect Your Product Labels

Shoppers today are very visually driven. Products that are attractive to buy and that remain attractive when they are displayed in the home are what customers want. Customize labels, boxes and containers to reflect the message you want to send. The packaging is the culmination of the effort you are making to positively identify your product. Labels, stickers and hangtags are handy for specific details. If you are looking at wholesale transactions, remember that a crush-proof exterior is essential.

Hone Marketing Materials

Business cards and supplemental marketing materials are part of the marketing and branding process. Thank-you cards and postcards are ways to extend the relationship between you as the seller and your customer, human touches that invite a return visit. Handwritten notes work, if feasible.

Generate Or Take Advantage Of In-person Events

Find a way to display your products at small events.
Core marketing materials don’t need to change, but if you are displaying your products in a booth, make the signage consistent with what has worked for you before. Your established colors, logo and brand imagery should stay the same. When packaging goods for in-person shoppers, try to make bags as attractive as possible, so they can advertise for you as they continue browsing. Include a business card and care instructions for use of the product if necessary.

Limit Expenses

Don’t forget to include packaging and promotion when considering what your product costs. Make what you can and look for economical and expedient options for what you must purchase. Research companies that make the products you need and try to cultivate a good working relationship with the one that works for you. Don’t overstock. Get quotes on different sized orders. Some companies will require minimums, but there is lots of competition among those who provide packaging and you may be able to bargain.

Small Business Vs Big Retailers

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Small retailers are faced with many problems trying to be competitive.
Small retailers are faced with many problems trying to be competitive.
The total share retail sales generated by ecommerce continues to grow, but experts are advising that five current marketing trends may challenge small ecommerce operations. They include:

Competition In Pricing And Shipping

Dozens and even hundreds of sellers list identical products on marketplaces. Nothing but price differentiates them. That may hurt smaller retailers that don’t have the buying power of the larger outlets. And when the larger competitors offer free shipping, the incentives for shoppers tilt again in their favor. The trend is expected to grow this year. The biggies such as Amazon and Walmart have shipping facilities dotted around the country that allow them to ship from the facility nearest to the customer. As many as 60 percent or orders can be handled in the metropolitan area where the customer lives. That may mean the buyer will pay less and receive the goods faster. Small retailers would do well to look for unique or private labels to sell, decreasing their competition with the larger retailers.

Competing With Manufacturers

The classic model in retail is for the store to buy products wholesale from manufacturers or distributors and then resell at a higher price. That may put the small online business in competition with its own suppliers. The easy entry for ecommerce into the market has encouraged many manufacturers to combine wholesale sales to ecommerce outlets with direct sales to customers. Again, the answer for the smaller competitors is to find private label products.

Social Media

Increasingly a tool for marketers, it hasn’t lived up to the expectations. This year may see a change as social becomes more compelling as an alternative to searching. Facebook and Pinterest, in particular, are among the best sources for ecommerce traffic. There are indications that shoppers are more frequently using these platforms to look for wanted items. Small retailers find it a mixed blessing. More exposure vs. the need to manage another selling channel. The advice is to watch developments and if social emerges as a significant ecommerce channel, learn quickly how to compete in t he market and to manage it.

Consumer Loyalty

Hard to win and easy to lose, loyalty is worth the effort, but may also be a challenge for smaller retailers. With fewer resources to put into the game than do the big sellers, that makes it very important to cultivate a good relationship with every customer. It is easier to double the effort to win a loyal customer than to try to regain the relationship when a competitor offers something more.

Creating Content

Content marketing is becoming more important both to win new business and keep loyal customers engaged. Marketers are becoming expert at creating how-to videos, trendy articles and posts that keep the buyer interested. Again, the big retailers may have entire teams to handle this aspect of their business, but even the smallest online store can learn to produce attractive content to keep customers coming. You know your clientele best. Find ways to keep them interested.

Build On Your Personal Brand Via Media

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How do you build a personal brand? It’s all about getting your name (or the name of your company or product) before as many people as possible. That makes your personal brand a valuable commodity that merits attention. ryan_thogmartin

It may not result in publishing or getting TV interviews, but it does spread the word among your target audience. You set a foundation that lets potential customers know just who you are the what they might expect in an interaction with you. Be honest. If you are laid back and casual and prone to pass on the white shirt and tie bit, say so. You know who you want to impress and they’ll appreciate a straightforward persona.

Ryan Thogmartin, founder and CEO of two innovative companies, DISRUPT Media LLC and Connection Directors LLC, offers suggestions on effective use of social media to enhance your business.

Satisfied Customers

In many businesses, 80 percent of new clients are generated by satisfied customers who pass their impressions along. Word of mouth is the vehicle. In today’s world, social media is how that word of mouth gets around, Thogmartin says. The networking and building via social media is not selling. But when people become aware of you and your product they are likely to remember when they are in the market for what you offer.

Social media gives you the advantage of controlling what others see and hear when they search your name. Build a solid plan around the message you share with them to assure that what they see is what they get if they choose to do business with you. Use your personal Facebook profile to share video, blogs and opinions that broaden your exposure. When it’s appropriate, share posts from your business, making the subtle connection between your as a person and what you do. People who come to trust your personal brand will automatically transfer their opinions to your business brand.

Protecting your reputation is a consideration. Be circumspect in what you post on social media. You are sharing little snippets of what you are as a person and the transfer to what you are as a businessman/woman or business should not be an embarrassment. What you place on social media tends to be around for a long time and you don’t want to be caught up short. Among those likely to see your social media postings are family members, business and church associates, customers and those who might consider becoming customers.

Warren Buffet said it succinctly: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

Using social media to build your personal brand is more important now than ever, Thogmartin says. If you don’t do it effectively now, you can bet your competition is on the move via the route you have neglected.

Valuechecks.net is a brand that offers many cheap checks from a variety of check printing companies. Their brand is built strictly on a huge database of high quality persona checks and business checks.

What brands are you attracted to and why?

Let Recycled Bags Help Your Business

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reusable-bagsIn an era when recycling is a popular approach to keeping the environment healthy, there are things your business can do to benefit from the movement.

Many of your customers are eco-conscious and when you use recycled bags, they gain a perception that you are doing your part to promote something they believe in. It’s a small eco-friendly step that earns you bragging rights. A small news release can spread the word that you are doing your bit to keep things green.

There is a lot of talk about saving the planet, but it isn’t always translated into action. The use of recycled paper products is a tangible sign of actions that speak louder than words. Putting up a sign or two pointing out your commitment is okay.

You can expand the effect by cooperating with groups that have the same tree-saving objectives in mind. Offer to help sponsor or participate in festivals or other events in your area that focus on environmental issues. There are national efforts as well, such as the Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million promotions that focus on books and other publications printed on recycled paper. Research the possibilities in your particular business arena.

Recognition of particular efforts can encourage conservation. The Aveda Environmental Award is presented to publishers that specialize in sustainable publishing. Local awards such as Environmental Excellence Achievement recognition, as presented by the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility and Environmental Management Corp. of Evansville, Ill., could be a pattern for an effort in your own area.

Reusable fabric bags are promoted as one environmentally friendly approach to packaging, but they are more expensive than recycled paper products. The recycled paper achieves the same eco-friendly impact without the greater cost.

Keep an eye on the competition. If they are taking steps to be green, you need to keep up. Using recycled paper for packaging should be only a first step toward building an environment-conscious business. Develop products and policies that keep you in the forefront of the effort. As word gets out that you are serious about making your business good for the environment, it is possible you’ll see the bottom line positively affected. In today’s atmosphere, people who are genuinely serious about the issue will recommend you to like-minded friends.

A comprehensive environmental strategy may begin with recycled bags, but it certainly should not end there.

The Stories Behind Famous Logos

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logo-2When it comes to creating logo designs, we can study the famous logos that have been imprinted on many minds in the nation. We recognize dozens of logos, those little bits of art that represent companies we all do business with. For instance, the Nike swoosh or the Coca Cola broad-tailed “C” are immediate interfaces with the products they advertise.

It certainly is a not a new idea. As far back as the imperial age of Rome, the imprint of an eagle was ample warning to enemies that they were facing a potent force. And each legion had its own logo to distinguish it from others. In Egypt, a carefully designed cartouche was the insignia of a pharaoh. Even the American flag, with its meaningful stars and stripes, is a logo of sorts that is recognizable around the world.

logo-1Even those who do business on a smaller scale often find it helpful to design a logo that makes their product immediately recognizable to customers without writing it out. Setting yourself apart from the competition is the whole idea, so designing a logo is one of the tasks many start-up companies undertake at the start. Imprinting it on the products themselves, or using it in packaging, makes this particular item uniquely yours.

Learning from the experts is good advice. Take a closer look at these popular logos and see how forms, styles, colors, shapes and symbols have been combined to make a memorable representation.

The long-standing BMW logo tells about the company’s background, for those who can interpret the symbol. BMW has a background in aviation and the blue and white segments of the classic circle show it: white to represent propellers and blue for the sky.

Goodwill effectively repeats a theme to draw the viewer into the feel-good aura of the charity. The smiley face in the upper left corner is simply an enlarged repeat of the “g” underneath.

Proud of its accomplishments, TV pioneer NBC touts itself in a logo that embeds a white peacock in the 180-degree spread of colorful plumes. Since peacocks are a widely accepted symbol of pride, the message is easily absorbed.

Eagle proclaims itself in a simple word that might be taken at face value if not for the highly stylized “E” that takes the shape of an eagle’s head.
logo-3
FedEx has what appears at a quick glance to be a very straightforward bi-colored logo, but the company’s devotion to speedy delivery is proclaimed in the arrow artfully place between the “e” and the “x.”

Amazon uses a contrasting curved arrow to show that it is an “a to z” company, covering products from hundreds of industries.

A little pin cleverly placed in the Capital “P” of the Pinterest logo tells customers what they need to know about the company . . . that it provides users a way to “pin” web clippings onto their own customizable online board.

An old and well-known brand, Gillette, too, has a hidden message. The razor-like slash between and “G” and “I” is a plug for the sharpness of the product.

These and others are a handy guide to creating a logo that you’ll be proud to make the insignia of your own company.

About BowsNBags.com

The BowsNBags blog presents retail store owners with resources that will be helpful to them in growing their businesses. From suggesting conferences to attend to finding the best sources for their products, we cover a wide range of simple, helpful tips and suggestions for your retail store operations. On our store front at BowsNBags, we provide our customers with all the supplies they will need to wrap packages for customers, to provide shopping bags for customer and to provide retail gift … Read More

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