When you are growing a brand you need to make deliberate choices about how to position yourself against others in your field. A confused consumer doesn't buy. Defining what makes you different helps you own a spot in the consumer's mind, otherwise you are thrown into a bucket mixed with everyone else in the same category. Here are some approaches to brand positioning for consideration, with example observations from some of my favorite brands:

The start of a new year means everyone you know will be replacing at least one item in the house or office — their calendar! Calendars in all formats are a great way to keep your brand top of mind all year long, while providing value for the recipient as a useful item. And you don't have to do a standard wall calendar, like the one shown above. Here are eight other calendar formats you could try:

The beginning of a new decade brings about a postage rate increase scheduled to go into effect on January 26^th, 2020. We are lucky that the price of a Forever stamp is staying at the current rate of 55 cents.

Using metallics in design and fashion has been trending in 2019 and looks to be continuing into 2020. Like many other company cards this holiday season, we applied a shiny copper foil to a set of eight different thank you cards. Since most designers don't have a lot of experience with foil applications, we thought that we would share our top tips for designing print with foil stamping.

If you're like most marketers, exhibiting at tradeshows or conferences can gobble up a lot of your budget. When you're spending this kind of money on in-person events you have to look for every opportunity to boost your return on investment. Here are three bits of easy advice that can elevate your response rate at your next tradeshow or conference:

Just like adding different spices and seasonings can create unique flavor profiles for a meal, using a specialty coating on your marketing piece can help communicate your distinct style or add a tactile reinforcement of your messaging.

Brand consistency helps improve the strength of a brand over time through increased awareness. In the eyes of your customers and prospects, a consistent brand instantly makes your company more:

We're just two months away from the end of the year, which means it's time to start selecting holiday gifts for your clients and your employees. Everyone wants to make sure this money is well spent and that the gifts are appreciated and used. Here's some advice to steer you in the right direction:

The trees are turning brilliant colors of orange, yellow, and red which means the holidays are right around the corner. That means it’s time to think about getting those holiday packages shipped out to arrive before Old Saint Nick does. We have a shorter holiday season with Thanksgiving being late this year, planning will ensure your holiday cards, letters, and packages will arrive on time.

Traditional and digital marketing do not have to be mutually-exclusive efforts. In a previous blog we shared 5 examples of how they have been used successfully together. Now I'd like to share some ideas specifically combining social media with print marketing.