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Is that a lingering ghoul around the corner? No, it’s October 31st! Time to grab your witches’ broom, cut eye holes in bed sheets, and justifiably eat the family-sized bag of candies you put out for trick-or-treaters. 

While Halloween doesn’t always get the same attention as Thanksgiving and other holidays, it’s still an opportunity for businesses to celebrate alongside customers and seize the moment for some playful marketing. Below, the marketing monsters at Printing for Less explain why Halloween should be an important date in your business agenda, and how to tap into some scarily effective customer tactics.

Why You Should Be Using Halloween to Promote Business

Halloween is one of the biggest celebrations in the United States and is generally regarded as an occasion to get creative. With people and businesses hanging up decorations and putting out candy, it’s a prime time for businesses to take part in the fun and re-engage with customers. Think of Halloween (and other holidays) as like calling up an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while to let them know that you’re thinking of them.

Tyler Diebold, an Account Executive at Printing for Less, says that Halloween definitely has the potential to boost brands’ relationships with customers. Our Quad Lead, Brooke Seidel, adds that it’s important to kickstart your campaigns early because the closer you get to Halloween, the slower it’ll be to mail anything.

It’s worth noting too, that not all companies opt to run Halloween campaigns, so the ones that do can get a competitive advantage. Any time you remind a customer they’re on your mind – even if only to say “have a great Halloween,” you’re establishing a deeper connection with them. And of course, it’s a window to offer discounts and goodies, and increase your brand awareness. 

Ways to Market During Halloween

There’s no shortage of roads to go down when it comes to Halloween marketing. The versatility of the day means brands can choose to go for a creepy aesthetic, a cozy fall message, or opt for a retro vibe. In particular, print media is a cool canvas to carry all your Halloween ideas. These are a few of our favorite freaky options:

Printed Candy

A staggering 600 million pounds of candy are sold during Halloween each year, meaning there are plenty of snacks to stamp your message on. People don’t usually expect their candy to come with words, and doing so can be a unique way to ensure hungry customers remember your business.

You could go small and simply add your logo to individual pieces of candy, or you could write out a promo code that people have to scan to access exclusive Halloween deals. Alternatively, you could add a Halloween question to candy wrappers and ask customers to contact you with their answers and be entered into a competition. 

Stickers and Window Decals

Stickers are the classic car of marketing – they’re timeless, they look cool, and they always catch people’s eye. For Halloween, businesses could go the traditional route and add their contact details to a pumpkin, zombie, spider, or bat, or you could promote a Halloween-themed event or product that you’re having. Whatever you decide to do, try to stick to the basic orange, black, and purple colors that are typically associated with Halloween to really drive home the context of your marketing.

Another powerful technique is to get window decals printed. These transparent stickers can be sent to customers and proudly shown in their windows, and are temporary so they can easily be taken down once the Halloween festivities die down. Designs that we particularly like include the moon, the boogeyman, clowns, and creepy-looking castles.

Postcards and Holiday Cards

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel come Halloween. Postcards and holiday cards are a nice surprise for customers, especially if they can include them as part of their Halloween decorations. Stick to a scene from an eerie fairytale or a more cutesy image, or you can choose a card that changes the picture as you move it up and down. On the back of the card, include details about a new line of items, an event that you’re hosting, or simply share a mysterious message that customers have to go to your website to understand.

Halloween Campaigns We Love

If you’re in need of more haunted Halloween inspiration, take a peek at these campaigns.

Heinz’s Tomato Blood

The ketchup champions leaned into their staple red color one Halloween and rebranded as Heinz Tomato Blood. The campaign also included a social media competition where people were asked to send in photos of their “blood” stained clothes. An excuse to eat ketchup and have a food fight? Perfection.

Crest’s Candy-safe Toothpaste

As good as candy tastes, it often means a sharp increase in cavities during the next trip to the dentist. That’s why Crest took preventative action for Halloween and launched a line of toothpaste promoting good dental hygiene and extra protection against sugary foods on October 31st.

Skittles’ Zombie flavors

On Halloween 2019, Skittles released five new flavors, including mummified melon and boogeyman blackberry. However, one of the flavors was a “rotten” Zombie flavor, so hungry trick-or-treaters had to choose wisely before diving into their snacks.

M&M’s interactive ghost stories

You have to tell ghost stories on Halloween, it’s the rule. M&Ms got the goosebumps started with its social media campaign featuring a weekly installment of a ghost story. Each story had two possible endings, and the brand asked customers to vote for their favorite. The outcome? People were clicking their preferred narrative direction, then hiding behind their hands eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

Fanta’s scannable spooks

Fanta has chosen to repeat its successful Halloween campaign a few times, where customers scan the packaging and unlock Halloween filters on different social media platforms. By blending physical and digital elements, Fanta draws a strong association between its products and people’s online presence (not to mention, some paranormal activity…).

Halloween is coming. A door creeks, the wind howls, and a shadow darts across the room in the corner of your eye. It’s time for your Halloween marketing plans to materialize. Get started before it’s too late – take a look at our printing phenomenons.

There really is no place like home, and for Printing for Less, that’s Livingston, Montana. Located in the southwest region of the state, right on the Yellowstone River, our outdoorsy backdrop serves as inspiration for our team and our business. We believe that great things come in small (paper) packages, and that’s why we prioritize carrying our small city vibes into how we work—from ensuring employees have a healthy work-life balance, to taking the time to stop and chat with customers like we would neighbors at a store.

We’re proud of our little slice of paradise and how it influences our daily activities. Here’s why Printing for Less loves Livingston, Montana, as told by our team.

What We Love About Living in Montana 

Livingston is one of those special places that seems to have it all—rich history, vibrant culture, picturesque natural environs, and a friendly community. The quality of life here is unrivaled, and whether you’re looking for a new adventure every weekend or a wholesome spot to share with your family, Livingston can provide it.

Our Director of Ecommerce, Katie Younge, says that she loves the culture of Livingston, which combines an Old West ambiance with a host of modern galleries and boutiques. 

Visitors and locals alike here can get lost in the selection of quaint bookstores and antique stores, as well as stopping to refuel in the city’s—perhaps surprisingly—highly-rated eateries, ranging from hearty breakfast spots to high-end, seasonal restaurants.

And of course, Livingston is famous for its natural landscapes. Printing for Less’ Director of Customer Success, Wes Deen, says he loves the ability to share the outdoors with his family. “Livingston is a wonderful place to raise a family! We go camping, cross country skiing, hiking, and float on the Yellowstone River.” 

James Casey, our Customer Advocate, worked in Yellowstone National Park for years and believes the nation’s first national park is an important part of Livingston’s charm. “Backcountry hikes and fishing trips [in Yellowstone] provide memories for a lifetime.” Other Printing for Less team members agree, all mentioning the breathtaking beauty, scope, and uniqueness of Yellowstone. They stress that visitors should remember to be bear aware, carry plenty of water, and take a map—especially since they’re free. Oh! And don’t take selfies with the buffaloes please—known affectionately as fluffy cows.

Beyond cool things to do and the awesome ambiance, Livingston has a history of being a community for artists, painters, and writers. People like Jim Harrison, Russell Chatham, and Thomas McGuane have all spent time in and were influenced by Livingston. Not only can you browse their works at many different points in Livingston, but you can also experience the strong community presence they helped create in the city today—so visitors should expect a warm welcome and the occasional stranger to strike up a conversation.

Local Favorites

There are plenty of resources to learn about the offerings available in Livingston, but rather than repeat the better-known hotspots, the Printing for Less team tells us their favorite pastimes in the city.

James says that summer is the best time to visit and take advantage of the Yellowstone River and national forests, “You don’t have to spend much money either,” he notes. Simply pack a bathing suit, a picnic, protection from the sun, and you’ll be ready to soak up all that the stunning landscapes have to offer.

For Wes, Paradise Valley is a must. “There is public land just by Mallards Rest fishing access where you can camp next to the river. From there, you can drive out to Pine Creek Lodge and catch some live music, as well as get up and dance while the sun goes down!”

People in search of an alternative outdoor escape can make their way to Natural Bridge Falls near McLeod, Pine Creek Lake, and Glacier National Park—all fun treks that reward visitors with some of nature’s most stunning gems. For something a little less intense, Fairy Lake has a cute campground and short hiking trail that leads to a lake to cool off in.

National Account Executive, Nathan Gardner, recommends even more outdoor fun in Chico hot springs. The hotel and resort are open year-round, and have gorgeous views of pine tree-lined mountains, set against the steamy blue waters of the regenerative outdoor pools.

Katie additionally suggests checking out the farmer’s market that takes place along the river banks every Wednesday in the summer. Here, visitors can browse offerings from local vendors who travel from surrounding towns with affordable, high-quality produce and crafts. Driving the Beartooth Highway and venturing through downtown Livingston and Bozeman are other favorites for Katie. 

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, Customer Advocate, Spencer Puckett, says Campione is the answer. The local restaurant has the feel of an authentic Roman kitchen, complete with a rustic interior, ideal for chatting with friends, enjoying a glass of wine, and people-watching the Livingston locals. 

Printing for Less & Livingston

It’s not a coincidence that Printing for Less has set up shop in Livingston. We know that where we work, impacts how we work, and we want to ensure that both factors align with our teams’ well-being and the high-quality services we strive to offer our customers.

As James says, “when people are enriched by the environment they live in, they extend that into the workplace and make more memorable experiences for customers.” He continues, highlighting how the nature, culture, and community of Livingston enable the Printing for Less team to live in a way that lets them embody and drive the company’s purpose statement:

To change lives for the better by connecting people to people through authentic moments.

Not to mention, Printing for Less contributes to employment in many households across the city, and takes pride in supporting the community that it’s a part of. We provide affordable and convenient childcare for employees, donate to on-the-ground organizations, and provide print credits to local businesses. 

Our team members and the business as a whole appreciate the value that we get from Livingston, and we strive to consciously invest back into Livingston, Montana so that locals and visitors alike can continue to enjoy it as it is now.

With so many incredible offerings, it’s no surprise that Livingston attracts wonderful, diverse people. At Printing for Less, Spencer sums things up nicely, “I have never met a friendlier group of people to work with. The capacity they all have for one another is the closest to a work-family I have ever felt.”

Are you ready for a visit to Livingston yet? The door’s open, come on in.     

Building, sharing, and participating in culture isn’t always straightforward. It’s a process that requires nurturing and actively encouraging people to join in and celebrate. Whether you’re hoping to develop a culture around your business, your latest artistic project, or a specific movement, a crucial part of culture building comes from the materials you use to express it.

Something as simple as handing out stickers that have your logo or slogan on it is a powerful way to open the doors to your culture. It’s essentially like giving people a badge to wear – they feel like they belong to a group or that they represent part of a bigger trend.

At our core, we as humans are drawn to culture. It can bring us important social benefits and even contribute to our well-being. With that in mind, here’s how printed media can fuel your culture building efforts.

What is Culture Building?

Culture building is an ongoing practice to help people feel like they have a space in a shared setting (physical or otherwise). In business, culture building typically takes place through activities like games and events, where organizations can demonstrate what their values are and use them to bond people together.

However, culture building also happens on a daily basis through tokens. These tokens can include branded items and gifts that represent a business’s culture. People find these tokens useful or meaningful and so incorporate and display in their life, all the while showcasing their inclusion in the wider culture of the business.

Companies shouldn’t underestimate the impact of culture building among teams either. More than 90% of entrepreneurs and more than 80% of job seekers believe that a healthy work culture is key to success.

So, now that we know why culture building matters, how can you make it a reality?

How does Printing for Less Promote Culture Building?

Here at Printing for Less, we take care to practice what we preach, meaning we use the printed media tools in front of us to promote positive culture. Zach Rienhard, our Account Executive, says that the journey starts as soon as people join, when we give newbies a Printing for Less engraved mug, alongside socks and a postcard.

Fellow Account Executive, Kristi Eby, adds that she received a branded notebook on her first day, while Director of Sales, Katie Young, remembers that a class for training new hires included branded Yeti cups with personalized names for everyone.

These moments demonstrate to newcomers (who can easily feel like outsiders) that they are immediately welcome and seen. 

Culture Building Through Printed Media

Culture building is delicate – it should be done in a genuine way to be a real reflection of the culture people are being encouraged to participate in. When it comes to printed media then, be cautious to produce goods that people actually want and will use.

Katie says that the Yeti cups were so successful because they made sense with people’s busy morning routines. Meanwhile, Account Executive Nathan Gardner, recalls a time when he had a customer who did an internal team building webinar and sent a branded kit to all the attendees beforehand. “The kit had different items that people held up in front of the screen at certain times, so people directly engaged with the printed media and team culture.”

The beauty of printed media and culture is that it creates a comradery among the people working at (or in contact with) your organization. “I’ve had a number of customers use printed media in onboarding campaigns, and others who’ve used it for holidays or ‘thank you’ gifts for employees,” says Nathan. Other clients have taken an alternative route, according to Zack, who notes that one campaign had printed foil scratch tickets. Each ticket had the potential to win a prize, and was one of the coolest and best received projects Printing for Less has been involved in.

The Benefits of Printed Culture Building & Branding

The list of advantages for investing in culture building is extensive. Research shows that culture building can boost retention, ensure a better fit with new employees, heighten teams’ satisfaction, and improve companies’ reputation as a whole.

Culture branding efforts through printed media can specifically engage remote employees more strongly because it gets them excited about a virtual event or reminds them that they are acknowledged and appreciated. All in all, printed media can be a bridge for remote workers who are at risk of feeling isolated from the organization’s culture.

Print media can also help praise people who have achieved certain targets. For example, if someone hits their sales record, you could send them an engraved trophy or glass to cheers with. Remember, culture building doesn’t stop once people seem comfortable in their environment, it has to be maintained and respond appropriately to the various milestones people encounter as part of your culture.

Ready to lay the foundations for your culture? Or add some exciting print elements to an already sturdy culture environment? Take a look at our vast selection of printed products and feel inspired. 

You know the feeling. Your stomach is grumbling, you’re on the cusp of hangry, and you sit down at a restaurant looking around for a menu. The server tells you that you need to scan the QR code, but you either don’t have your phone, the page is taking too long to load, or the sheer size of the menu just isn’t digestible (pun intended) on your tiny phone screen.

While digital menus made sense at the height of the pandemic to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, they’re not a sustainable, long term alternative for customers. Some phones don’t have the functionality to read QR codes, and digital menus aren’t always accessible for people with visual impairments. In fact, a Time Out poll found that nearly 70% of respondents want paper menus to return.

Whichever side of the menu debate you sit on, it’s undeniable that physical menus add a certain something to the dining experience and enable establishments to brand themselves in a more unique way. Here’s why we think it’s time to bring back printed menus, and how to do so in style.

Printed Menus vs QR Code Menus

The Printing for Less team all agree that printed menus offer a little “je ne sais pas” to eating and drinking out. According to Account Executive, Kristi Eby, “even though I’m perfectly capable of looking on my phone, I prefer a printed menu. There’s just something about it.”

Fellow Account Executive, Zach Rinehart agrees, “I don’t like QR codes, and a lot of the older population doesn’t like them either,” he says. “A physical menu is a tactical experience – whereas when you scan a QR code, it doesn’t always load right away which can be frustrating. With a printed menu, it’s immediate, and it’s rooted in the restaurant environment.”

There’s also the matter of politeness. Amy Auble, X our eCommerce Marketer, points out that when you sit down at a restaurant and have to use a QR code, you’re spending time in front of your phone, not talking to the people you’re with. Digital menus can therefore feel like they force people to be rude and disengage from the conversations in front of them. With a printed menu, however, you don’t get that same feeling because it’s less intrusive than staring at a screen.

A Shift Back to Physical Menus

Beyond being more user friendly, print menus are also an opportunity for brands to showcase their personality. Brooke Seidel, our Quad Lead, suggests that companies can add information about the business, their story, and fun facts. Often, digital menus don’t have the same space for these extras, and are made from design templates, so don’t carry the same level of customization.

In particular, physical menus that have a distinct touch resonate in smaller locations. For example, Zach believes that paper menus will make a comeback in Montana. Kristi adds that only a few places in Bozeman still use QR codes, compared to around 80% of places that have gone back to printed menus.

At Printing for Less, we’ve already seen a noticeable uptick in the number of businesses requesting printed menus again – and we celebrate it!

Designing the Perfect Printed Menu

With printed menus back on the rise, companies should seize the moment to refresh their menu’s aesthetic. Zach recommends incorporating features like soft touch, coil binding, spot UV, and other effects to enhance photos and the paper durability. UV coating tends to be more standard than a gloss finish because it better protects the pages from any spills or wear and tear.

Brooke notes that some menus use offset folding too, where there’s one main fold but then a smaller flap within the menu to highlight drinks, appetizers, and extras. “A menu is one of the first things you see when you walk into a restaurant,” Brooke explains. “You sit down, you’re greeted by the server, and handed the menu. What you hold in your hand needs to embody the rest of the restaurant and brand.”

Nathan goes further, noting that “aside from a customer’s meal, the menu is the most tactical element of dining out. The menu should therefore be an extension of the business. If you have a cheap looking menu, customers will have lower expectations about your food. Just think about what you’d expect from a takeout menu versus a restaurant menu. They’re different for a reason.”

Still, businesses that opt to print their menus in bulk need to be aware of quantity, Zach adds. “The biggest issue we run into with menus is the order volume. Typically, businesses order 50 menus, but if you want a menu with special features like smart flex, or extra large in size, you’ll have to meet minimum quantity orders. At Printing for Less, that’s 250, as we can’t print in small quantities unless it’s a coil bound menu.”

In summary: long live the printed menu. We’re envisioning a world where we go out for food, taste-buds ready, and get to feel our way through the menu. If, like us, you’re hungry for 100% in-person dining again, check out our menu printing features. 

Ever since the rise of digital media, people have wondered whether the end of print is near. As a company that has successfully been working in the print industry for more than two decades, we’re here to tell you that this is not the case—print is still going strong. Print media and marketing tools, such as business cards, posters, flyers, brochures, and merchandise, are not only still popular, but they are also still highly effective for targeted advertising and customer outreach. What has changed in recent years is that businesses must find clever, new ways to integrate print and digital into a cohesive marketing campaign. 

Print is Not Dead

First thing’s first, let’s, once and for all, clear up the misconception that print is dead . While it is undeniable that email marketing and online adverts have increased exponentially, there is evidence that print can be far more engaging and effective than its digital counterpart. For instance, print has a higher brand recall rate than digital media (we’re talking 77% compared to just 46%). And printed mailers generate a significantly higher response rate—as much as 30 times greater—than email.

But why is this? 

The continued relevance of print can be explained by a few things. For one, people are becoming overwhelmed by the inundation of digital ads and online marketing content they encounter every day. Whether it’s the dozens of promotional emails in your inbox or a webpage with multiple advertisers vying for your attention, the digital space is saturated. With print, however, it is easier to stand out and grab someone’s attention. 

“Print is more disruptive,” explains Tyler Diebold, National Account Executive at Printing for Less. “We’re so used to seeing digital ads that we just tune them out. When you actually receive something in the mail, you stop and read it for a second.” On top of that, print has the benefit of being tactile. When a person is holding a newsletter or brochure, they have already made a connection with it and it engages more senses than digital. This makes it easier to focus on the content at hand and encourages the recipient to read about your product or services.

And let’s not forget that not everyone is online. Certain demographics are not as connected to the digital world as others. Integrating print marketing into a broader strategy ensures these people are not left behind. National Account Executive Nathan Gardner elaborates on this: “You can miss a large demographic with online marketing. For example, older generations don’t spend as much time online, and print works well to target them.”

Integrating Print & Digital

That’s not to say that print is the only avenue for marketing. Print and digital media should be used in combination, with each supporting and even enhancing the other. Ultimately, integrating print and digital marketing campaigns strategically will ensure that all your bases are covered and that a wider, more diverse audience is being reached. 

Using print and digital marketing seamlessly means understanding what each medium’s strengths are. While both have the same goal of promoting your business, each requires a slightly different approach. For example, digital marketing is a great and cost-effective way to reach a broad audience. It is also highly adaptable, enabling you to test out and evaluate different marketing styles or tactics.

Print marketing, for its part, has the potential to be more memorable than digital because the consumer interacts with it physically. You can also target audiences with greater precision using print. For example, you can place printed adverts where they will be most relevant, such as a product info card strategically placed in retail locations, or an attraction brochure placed in a local tourist office. In short, you meet the customer where they would be most interested in your offering.

Print, particularly direct mail, is also unique in its ability to build strong relationships with high-quality leads or existing customers. Customized mailers or merchandise can show prospects your commitment to them in a real, tangible way. “Marketers are quickly narrowing down who gets which type of mail,” adds Printing for Less’s Wes Kirk. “Focusing on smaller sets of higher quality prospects and on better engagement with existing customers.”

The Key to Remaining Relevant

Today, print marketing remains relevant by embracing digital media. That means not only should both factor into your marketing decisions but they should also be unified. Fortunately, there are several ways to do this.

“QR codes are one of the best ways to drive traffic from print to online marketing,” Gardner says. QR codes printed on posters, brochures, postcards, and more provide a direct link to your business’s digital resources. From the client’s perspective, this means easy access to a wealth of relevant information about your product or service. QR codes are also trackable, giving your marketing and sales teams vital insights about potential prospects and allowing them to gauge a campaign’s success.

Another innovative way to bridge the divide between print and digital is discount codes. By including a discount code on a printed ad that can be exclusively redeemed online, you can drive potential clients from the printed page to your website and increase the potential for new sales. Moreover, people are more likely to spend time reading a printed ad if a discount or deal is involved. It’s a win-win.

The link can be made in the other direction too, with digital engagement leading to custom mailers. For example, a digital campaign and landing page can invite the user to submit their information and address to receive a free gift. The data shared not only shows the prospect is interested in your business but also enables you to vet them as a lead. From there, you can send printed merch or kits that increase in value the higher the lead quality. You can learn more about the value of printed merchandise here.

A Cohesive Campaign is a Hybrid One

In the end, digital hasn’t killed print: they are both stronger when they co-exist. Printing for Less’s Tyler Diebold sums up the importance of integrating print and digital perfectly: “A cohesive campaign is really important. Your print and digital strategies really need to speak to one another, because the best results happen when digital and print are working together.” 

Are you looking to merge high-quality printed products with your digital marketing campaigns? We can help!