Optimalprint Blog

Our first YouTube video showcases the benefits of our business printing solutions

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:51:22 +0000

Hello. We've just placed our first clip on YouTube. The video explains all about our multiple office design and printing solution that helps businesses change the way they manage their office stationery and marketing literature, saving both time and money. Check it out at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFsmRMo6yXo

Let me know what you think, do you like it?

Here are some of the benefits:

Save time and money: Optimalprint’s product prices are highly competitive as the ordering process is automated and online sales offer significant savings, of up to 50%, on print costs. Customer orders are saved in an online account for easy repeat ordering.

Worldwide knowledge and resources: Optimalprint provides an unparalleled service for companies with offices in different countries arranging local VAT, worldwide shipping,
local languages and currencies.

Avoiding traditional agency costs: Via Optimalprint.com’s website you can design office
stationery and marketing materials using a simple on screen process where you
can upload files, images and photographs or use a vast range of custom designs. You can create and control your branding and develop your own house style with online assistance.

Improve Your Customer’s Experience

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:13:30 +0000

Time to Get Started

Now that you have some ideas on how to improve your business the question is where to start. One basic framework for customer experience consists of five steps, and is applicable to both online and offline stores.

Awareness: How to reach your customers and how to get them to your store?
You need to tell potential customers that you exist. Make sure you use both online and offline tools. Create leaflets to promote your business or add your company in Google Maps. For a great guide on how to asses your business to Google Maps click here.

Acquisition: What share of the customers do you reach and why?
Once customers know your business exists, make sure you entice them to visit the store. Let them know that you have a great discount/offer or a new product. Tell customers that they can try your products/services for free. If you ever visited Barnes & Noble, then you know that you can read books and have a coffee in the store – and all you have to pay for is the coffee.

Engagement: When customers explore your shop, do they trust your value proposition?
Once customers are in your shop you need to exceed their expectations. It should be easy for them to find products that are displayed in the right setting and with a good price. It is also remarkable how easy small things can put customers off. Dust in the corners might not mean a lot to you, but I guarantee that customers will take notice.

Conversion: Do customers buy your products or services?
If you have low sales, lack of compliance to one of the previous steps might be the reason. If not, then you need to look at the service and payment process. Is your staff welcoming and helpful to all customers? If there is a long line of customers waiting to pay, congratulations! But be efficient. There is a reason why H&M have multiple counters in their stores.

Retention: How to make the customer connect and come back to your store?
If you have done the first four steps well, you are in a good position. But you need to be ahead of your competition and connect with your customers. Ask them to sign up for your emails or hand out your business card. It shows that you care and they will remember you positively. After all, that’s what it’s all about.

What are you waiting for? Get started - your customers will note the difference!

Improve Your Customer’s Experience

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 03 May 2010 12:55:00 +0000

Help Your Customers Decide

Never underestimate the value of a satisfied customer. Just as you’d like friends to enjoy your party, you want customers to enjoy the visit to your shop, be happy with the purchase and come back or even recommend your business to their friends.

Why do customers visit your store and what do they expect to find? How well are you displaying your products and in which setting? For all it is worth, you can have the best product in the world, but if no one understands how to use it they won’t buy it.

IKEA for example, displays their products in a setting where customers haven’t thought about them before. Why would you hang your postcards or wedding invitations on the kitchen wall? And yet, it's practical. It looks good and it makes you realize how organized your home could be. At this point IKEA shows their sales tactics. The clips are sold in packs of three, at a price so low that it is hardly worth not buying them. After all you’ve traveled a long way to get to the store. Right?

If you visit local shops, you might see similar examples that can inspire you. Showing how to use your products or placing a flyer with instructions can boost your sales. It is all about assisting consumers to make the most of their daily lives and offering them something they did not expect.

Move beyond products and services and make it an experience. Thus McDonalds offers more than a meal; it will host your child's birthday party, complete with a candle lit cake and clown. Or Hard Rock Café – are they really in the restaurant business?

The next post will give an example of a customer experience framework and some ideas on how to approach it. Until then – why not take a walk up the street where your shop is located. How does your business stand out in the crowd?

Improve Your Customer’s Experience

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:47:54 +0000

Where is Your Business’ $300 Million Button?

Companies worldwide invest heavily in improving the customer experience. New websites are launched, shops are redesigned and marketing campaigns launched with the purpose of increasing sales. There are plenty of low cost alternatives and quick fixes you can do to improve your customers’ shopping experience. And it can be fun to do!

One of the most simple and successful improvements online is “The $300 million button”. An online retail company increased the number of purchasing customers by 45%, which amounted to an extra $15 million the first month and $300 million the first year. How did they do this? By simply changing the name of a button from “Register” to “Continue” and informing customers of the value of creating an account during checkout. This is a good example because it shows how important it is to recognize what your customers want or don’t want.

As a previous post stated, listen to your customers. That is still extremely important. But the problem is that your customers may not tell you what they want, because they may not know.

It is your job to help them make their decision and make their life easier! This will not only increase your sales, but build a relationship with the customers and enforce your value proposition. I will follow up this blog with examples from IKEA and real life marketing stunts.

Business Card Photo Contest Winners

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:23:45 +0000

Congratulations to the business card photo contest winners!

The 2010 business cards photo contest has come to an end. We’d like to thank all of our contestants for participating and sending in so many lovely photos!

The winners are…

Grand Prize goes to Chris Azzopardi from Malta!

Congratulations Chris on winning £1000 and 500 free business cards!

Second Place goes to Neil Hart from England

Congratulations Neil on winning £100 and 250 free business cards.

UK Feature: Essex County UK

Congratulations to all the contestants from Essex. Your combined efforts lead us to showcase the entire county as opposed to a single town. We put together a page featuring information about Essex including: local attractions, facts, history and photos. Read the Essex County Feature.

Thank you again to all the contestants for sending so many beautiful photos.

Create business cards with your photo.

We Want to Help Haiti

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:56:22 +0000

Optimalprint is Donating 1 Euro per order to UNICEF

In support of UNICEF’s work in Haiti, Optimalprint is donating donate 1 Euro per order made via our website this week.

UNICEF is now deploying clean water and sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter to Jacmel and Port-au-Prince.

UNICEF is also offering support to children who have been separated from their families after the tragic earthquake.

Learn more about UNICEF’s work at http://www.unicef.org/index.php

Other ways to help Haiti http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/#help

Win Up to 1000 GBP in Cash or Prizes for Sending a Business Card Photo

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:46:43 +0000

Send in a photo suitable for a business card and you could win up to £1000 in prizes!

We have another contest!
The challenge here is to send in a photo suitable for a business card. There are no restrictions on the genre, so get creative!

Prizes

First Place wins £1000 or a Canon EOS digital SLR camera and 500 free business cards

Second Place winner wins £100 and 200 free business cards

The first 15 eligible contestants to enter will get 200 free business cards

For our UK contestants, there is an additional prize. The UK city/town with the most submissions will be featured on Optimalprint’s website. The feature will include facts and attractions about the winning city/town. Photographs sent in by city/town members will be showcased on the site as well.

To participate in the Business Card Photo Contest:

Attach your photo to an e-mail
Include the following information:

Your name
Country
City/Town (important for UK entrants)
Description of your photo

Send it to contest@optimalprint.com

The contest begins on Monday, January 18, 2010 and ends on Thursday, March 18, 2010.
More details about the Business Card Photo Contest are available on the site.

Creative Wedding Ceremonies

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:28:40 +0000

Once your wedding invitations have been sent, and you continue to plan your wedding day. You may be thinking about ways to personalise the day. Since it is your day after all, don’t be afraid to get creative and add something special for you and your partner.

Here are some creative examples of having fun on your special day!

Some of you may have already seen this video, but it is so great that I had to post it. This wedding party really brought fun to the traditionally formal day. The entire wedding party dances down the aisle. You can see that they are having a great time, while putting on quite a production for the rest of the guests.

This is another wedding party that really had fun with their wedding entrance. Each member of the party has a unique entrance to their own song, and the ceremony becomes a musical.

The rock and roll wedding entrance on this clip is really great!

Creative Wedding Ceremonies

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:28:40 +0000

Personalised Photo Calendars for the New Year

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:27:35 +0000

Create a personalised wall calendar for the New Year. Customise each month with pictures of your family, friends, coworkers, or employees.

This photo calendar also makes for a nice branding tool.
Companies can assign relevant product images to each month and give the calendar to customers and clients.

Why print your customisable photo calendar at Optimalprint?
We offer you:

Free photo uploads
Free calendar design templates
Free photo editing
170 gsm half matte paper
Free online storage so you can easily:

share your calendar design before you print
reprint your calendar hassle free

Browse through the free wall calendar designs.

Happy Holidays !

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:21:57 +0000

Christmas Games Online

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:13:11 +0000

Free Printable Christmas Games!

This Christmas, print and play Christmas games for free! All you have to do is click on the link below to get the game or activity in PDF format. Read the instructions, cut out the pieces, and play!

Christmas Memory Game

Christmas Bingo

Candy Canes & Christmas Trees (Shoots & Ladders)

Christmas Word Search

Christmas Crossword

Frosty the Snowman Song Jumble

Christmas Happy Families (Card game like go fish)

Christmas Word Scramble

Christmas Trivia Board Game

Print & Colour Christmas Ornaments

Christmas TABOO

Christmas Puzzle

Find the Difference Between the Pictures

Christmas Word Search (2)

Christmas Word Scramble (2)

Christmas Pictionary

Jingle Bells Song Jumble

Christmas Maze

While the kids are at home keep them busy with these fun Christmas activities!

Browse through our Christmas card designs.

My Favorite Christmas Video Clips on YouTube

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:04:14 +0000

Take a break from the stress of Christmas cards and shopping with these Christmas video clips. Check out my 6 favourite Christmas clips available on YouTube.

This is by far the funniest news story I have ever seen. And it is my number 1 Christmas clip.

This is a really funny version of 12 Days of Christmas performed by an animated pop star named Boymongoose. This is a very funny clip!

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. For those of you who don’t know the cast of Blackadder includes: Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) and Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) when they were very young. The entire Christmas special is available on YouTube in 5 parts:

From the animated movie The Snowman this clip of “Walking in the Air” offers a magical animation with dramatic music.

On the retro side of things, this is a funny Christmas clip from the The Dick Van Dyke Show with Mary Tyler Moore.

This clip is from The Muppet Christmas Carol the song is called: “Marley and Marley”. I always enjoy this spooky and entertaining song.

These are just a few of the fun Christmas clips available Online!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Design Competition Winners!

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:55:40 +0000

The 2009 print design competition has come to an end. The contest was for business cards, wedding invitations, party invitations, and Christmas cards. We’d like to thank all of our contestants for participating and sending in their terrific designs! Look forward to seeing you next year for the 2010 design contest.

And here are this year’s winners… Drum roll please…

Professional Graphic Designer

Grand Prize goes to Erica Wong

Congratulations on winning 1000 GBP worth of print materials & an iPod touch.

Amateur/Student Graphic Designer

Grand Prize goes to Dejan Brajovic

Congratulations on winning 500 GBP worth of print materials & an iPod touch.

Tips for Sending Photo Christmas Cards

nospam@example.com (Henrik) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:34:59 +0000

Everyone knows that sending out photo Christmas cards is a great way to add that personal touch to your season’s greetings. Photo Christmas cards also help you to keep your family abroad updated with your family’s growths and changes.

Here are some tips for sending out photo Christmas cards:

Play with different angles and lighting

Be original, don’t retake the same photo every year, mix it up

Try to get shots of the kids when they aren’t posing. These more candid photos will have a more natural feel

You don’t have to wait for Christmas time to take the photo. You can take a picture from your last family vacation or event

For best results use a digital photo and not a scanned photo

Get artistic and play with your photo

Above all, have fun!