New toys made from recycled waste products drive home an extremely important point: creative packaging design can make all the difference. Netherland Developer Maurizio Bricola is working on several different prototypes for new children's toys, all made from objects that may otherwise be considered trash -- things like discarded bottles, bottle caps, and peanut butter jars. One product in the works features several short bottles with colorful and attractive labels; these short bottles can easily be stacked one on top of the other, just like blocks. Another utilizes custom packaging design that transforms a bottle and four bottle caps into a convincing toy fire truck. The recycled toys are designed to help build skills like color, shape, and animal recognition as well as teach kids how to count and recite the alphabet. The materials are, of course, thoroughly sanitized and 100% safe to use.

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You have a product that needs packaging. Whether this is your first time packaging a product or you're adding to your product line, it's wise to know that all package designers are not created equal. If they work for a manufacturer they typically are limited to the solutions of the company the work for. A corrugate printer will only offer corrugate boxes. That material is appropriate for large products and ones that need better packing to reduce damage during transport. But should your product be visible to the consumer?

Do you need help determining the package types and costs?

You need a designer or design firm that can advise what package style is appropriate for your product, budget and brand impression as well as provide custom design service. It may feel daunting asking about something outside of your experience.

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Direct mail has been bashed by many and they claim survey results prove their position. And most that claim direct mail doesn't work are trying to convert your direct response marketing budget to all on-line and email efforts because that is all they do. Don't listen to the nay Sayers because direct mail can be as effective as it was 15 years ago when it is done correctly.

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Are you using social media to promote your business successfully? Or are you still watching unsure of the advantage your company will gain? I only advise social media when a company has their other advertising plans working well. That includes that their website is built well and has optimized SEO and PPC marketing efforts.

I am going to make a statement you rarely, if ever, will hear. Social media may not be right for you, for your business, because you can get greater ROI elsewhere and/or you aren’t prepared to execute it regularly.

Social media success depends on regularly posting to the networks that your customers are on and developing a loyal following. In all honesty, it is not quick or easy though in theory it is simple. Determine which social media has the biggest audience of your customers and engage them there. Sounds easy but it can use a lot of time with difficulty in measuring results. Measuring results is more than how many people saw your post.

Coca Cola was one of the first brands to embrace and use Facebook and other social platforms to market their brands. 2 years ago they evaluated their efforts and Ad Age published that Coca Cola found the social media attributed to “0” sales. That’s correct. Their big efforts on Facebook did not achieve any sales of their product. They were ok with that because their efforts on Facebook and other social media sites is to increase brand visibility and engagement.

Please continue reading because you have to define the results you want from social media before interviewing consultants. If they tell you they can show results quickly it may not be the results you expect.

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It’s no joke that great branding is important for your product and your business.

Leveraging company image requires strategies and designs that make you stand out in the marketplace.

Build your brand by taking these 6 steps.

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Google has just announced that as of April 21st they will be adding a Mobile-Friendly Ranking Factor into their algorithm.  This is BIG NEWS for two reasons.  Google is actually telling us WHAT will happen and WHEN it will happen.  No 'read between the lines' type of algorithm update.  Google has been warning webmasters for some time that this was coming. Now that mobile is much bigger part of the search world and in an effort to make mobile searches more relevant to users, Google is adding this factor into their algorithm.  If you've been ignoring the call to make your site mobile-friendly, you may pay the price come April 21 with a drop in ranking!  

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Here are 5 low cost ways to put a professionally branded product on the shelf.

How many do you need?

The 'quantity' question plays heavily on what package you can produce economically.  

Low quantities are possible but you need to be aware of which type of package can be produced at low quantities (1,000 or under) and not break the bank.  

For more information on the ins and outs of quantities and price - check out our previous blog post on package pricing here.

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