There are some amazing companies that have won Bennys at the Premier Print Awards! This post is part of a blog series profiling 2014 Premier Print Award Benny winners from small print shops to large corporations as well as universities. Check out how a company in your demographic used their 2014 Benny win to leverage more business. Something catches your eye. The striking color, beauty, and elegance—images flawlessly flowing together throughout each calendar, poster, book, and other printed pieces. The work produced by the illustrious Australian company Body of Work is a culmination of sharp talent in print, design, and photography. But the the team at Body of Work has gained exciting market success thanks to Bob Armstrong. No stranger to awards, Armstrong ascended the stage at the 2014 Premier Print Awards Gala last September to accept 17 total Bennys as well as the Best of Show first-place title on behalf of his comapny. Though they do their own promotions, Armstrong also credits their success to the unparalleled endorsement of their peers through the Premier Print Awards. Here he explains how they get some valuable exposure for their Body of Work and how you can “work it” for your brand as well. Q: First can you share what these awards mean to your company? A: Ours is a bespoke product to a small elite group. The success of all bespoke products, from Rolls Royce down, is totally reliant on brand reputation pedigree and above all brand endorsement. There is no [greater] credibility than endorsement from your peers, and in our industry there is no higher international endorsement than the Premier Print Awards Our focus is totally craft driven, and our driving ambition is to be the best in the world at what we do. To achieve this, everything we do is without compromise. [This means that our company] bans the word “cost” because that is the first step of compromise. If we create the perfect product, the financial rewards will follow—and they have thanks to the committed team of craftsmen that make up Body of Work. Q: How have you been able to leverage your Premier Print Award wins to further build your brand? A: We have been extremely successful in leveraging these awards because, in addition to being a designer and photographer, I am an advertising man of long standing. We totally understand who we are trying to impress, what reaction we are seeking, and how to get it. If it becomes an exercise in self-glorification to your peers, it may satisfy your ego but won’t work commercially, and we are too pragmatic to go down that path. We are skilled in creation of all media and use...

There are some amazing companies that have won Bennys at the Premier Print Awards! This post is part of a blog series profiling 2014 Premier Print Award Benny winners from small print shops to large corporations as well as universities. Check out how a company in your demographic used their 2014 Benny win to leverage more business. Something catches your eye. The striking color, beauty, and elegance—images flawlessly flowing together throughout each calendar, poster, book, and other printed pieces. The work produced by the illustrious Australian company Body of Work is a culmination of sharp talent in print, design, and photography. But the the team at Body of Work has gained exciting market success thanks to Bob Armstrong. No stranger to awards, Armstrong ascended the stage at the 2014 Premier Print Awards Gala last September to accept 17 total Bennys as well as the Best of Show first-place title on behalf of his comapny. Though they do their own promotions, Armstrong also credits their success to the unparalleled endorsement of their peers through the Premier Print Awards. Here he explains how they get some valuable exposure for their Body of Work and how you can “work it” for your brand as well. Q: First can you share what these awards mean to your company? A: Ours is a bespoke product to a small elite group. The success of all bespoke products, from Rolls Royce down, is totally reliant on brand reputation pedigree and above all brand endorsement. There is no [greater] credibility than endorsement from your peers, and in our industry there is no higher international endorsement than the Premier Print Awards Our focus is totally craft driven, and our driving ambition is to be the best in the world at what we do. To achieve this, everything we do is without compromise. [This means that our company] bans the word “cost” because that is the first step of compromise. If we create the perfect product, the financial rewards will follow—and they have thanks to the committed team of craftsmen that make up Body of Work. Q: How have you been able to leverage your Premier Print Award wins to further build your brand? A: We have been extremely successful in leveraging these awards because, in addition to being a designer and photographer, I am an advertising man of long standing. We totally understand who we are trying to impress, what reaction we are seeking, and how to get it. If it becomes an exercise in self-glorification to your peers, it may satisfy your ego but won’t work commercially, and we are too pragmatic to go down that path. We are skilled in creation of all media and use...

You know who you are. You live for clean lines, square corners, exactness, and all the finer details of postpress work. Some people may call you a perfectionist. But why do you settle for only the highest quality product? Because you know that’s what sets you apart from competitors. Distinguishing your company can be difficult in our industry because, well, face it: marketing isn’t cheap! That’s why for years postpress companies have entered the BIA Product of Excellence Awards for their chance to be recognized as the “best of the best” in graphic finishing and loose-leaf products. Award winners illustrate that postpress work can be a true art form, displaying flawless craftsmanship, and catching the attention of the award judges—as well as the industry. Over the years Product of Excellence Award winners have displayed more high-impact pieces mixing new and traditional techniques giving products their own modern twist. (Check out the creative pieces of past winners.) For the 2015 competition, the stakes are even higher. So to any postpress professional looking to promote your company, why should you enter the 2015 Product of Excellence Awards? Earn Recognition for Your Work If there is one event that spotlights the best in the industry, it’s the Premier Print Awards Gala Featuring the InterTech™ Technology Awards. Beginning this year, Product of Excellence Award recipients are invited to attend the Gala, September 13, 2015, in conjunction with GRAPH EXPO 15. This is print’s star-studded evening, and now you can accept your award before an audience full of your peers and potential clients. Take Advantage of Free Publicity Award winners are included in national publications seen by the media and thousands of industry members. First, your company will be recognized in press releases announcing all winners to the media. Then the 14,000 readers of Post-Press Magazine will read about your company as well as top national printing executives in Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Additionally your company’s name and link are posted on www.printing.org/poeawards. Expand Your Customer Base With widespread recognition for creating outstanding postpress work, customers are going to take notice! Customers recognize the Product of Excellence Award as a seal of approval that says, “You can rely on this company to deliver excellent work!” Companies that have earned this award can also proudly display their plaque so customers can see they are the Best of the Best. Think your company has what it takes to win a BIA Product of Excellence Award? Learn how to enter at...

You know who you are. You live for clean lines, square corners, exactness, and all the finer details of postpress work. Some people may call you a perfectionist. But why do you settle for only the highest quality product? Because you know that’s what sets you apart from competitors. Distinguishing your company can be difficult in our industry because, well, face it: marketing isn’t cheap! That’s why for years postpress companies have entered the BIA Product of Excellence Awards for their chance to be recognized as the “best of the best” in graphic finishing and loose-leaf products. Award winners illustrate that postpress work can be a true art form, displaying flawless craftsmanship, and catching the attention of the award judges—as well as the industry. Over the years Product of Excellence Award winners have displayed more high-impact pieces mixing new and traditional techniques giving products their own modern twist. (Check out the creative pieces of past winners.) For the 2015 competition, the stakes are even higher. So to any postpress professional looking to promote your company, why should you enter the 2015 Product of Excellence Awards? Earn Recognition for Your Work If there is one event that spotlights the best in the industry, it’s the Premier Print Awards Gala Featuring the InterTech™ Technology Awards. Beginning this year, Product of Excellence Award recipients are invited to attend the Gala, September 13, 2015, in conjunction with GRAPH EXPO 15. This is print’s star-studded evening, and now you can accept your award before an audience full of your peers and potential clients. Take Advantage of Free Publicity Award winners are included in national publications seen by the media and thousands of industry members. First, your company will be recognized in press releases announcing all winners to the media. Then the 14,000 readers of Post-Press Magazine will read about your company as well as top national printing executives in Printing Industries of America: The Magazine. Additionally your company’s name and link are posted on www.printing.org/poeawards. Expand Your Customer Base With widespread recognition for creating outstanding postpress work, customers are going to take notice! Customers recognize the Product of Excellence Award as a seal of approval that says, “You can rely on this company to deliver excellent work!” Companies that have earned this award can also proudly display their plaque so customers can see they are the Best of the Best. Think your company has what it takes to win a BIA Product of Excellence Award? Learn how to enter at...

The following blog post was contributed by Kristina Iorio, Copywriting Manager, Printing Industries of America. This is the first in an upcoming series of posts focused on small business marketing tips.  You have heard “Content is King,” but what does that really mean? With an endless amount of information available online, your customers are more informed than ever. According to the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” It’s delivering valuable content to your customers, including white papers, blogs, video, podcasts, digital publishing, etc. But for small businesses however, providing a steady stream of quality content is time consuming, and your company may lack sufficient resources or personnel to dedicate to such a project. Here are five tips your small business can use to develop meaningful, effective content to promote your business and engage customers—all in the midst of day-to-day operations.   Create a Strategy Strategy is essential to effective content marketing. What are your goals? What content does your company already have? Who is your main audience? How can you fill their needs for information? Your content strategy will help you plan how you’re going to attract more business. A great source for creating a content strategy, I found, is this article from Content Marketing Institute. Developing Valuable Content Once you have a strategy in place and you’ve taken inventory of the content you already have, it’s time to create and collect new content. The easiest, most efficient way to do this is to repurpose information. Do you receive customer inquiries? Create a blog or video where you answer some of the most popular questions. If you’ve written a white paper, send it to your top clients as a free resource along with information on your products and services. Be resourceful and keep an eye open for content that will benefit your customers. Blogging A blog is a low-cost way to engage customers and establish your expertise. You can find free templates online from WordPress.com and other sites. Your blog can allow you to reach a wider audience, boost brand awareness, sell something, or connect you to your customers and community. Your blog content should be appealing to your audience and include keywords and information (see SEO below).Try to blog on a regular basis, whether that’s every week, bi-weekly, or every month, to keep your audience coming back for fresh content. This can take a big investment of your time, so have your content strategy in place before you tackle blogging. Get Social With limited resources you want to reach as...

The following blog post was contributed by Kristina Iorio, Copywriting Manager, Printing Industries of America. This is the first in an upcoming series of posts focused on small business marketing tips.  You have heard “Content is King,” but what does that really mean? With an endless amount of information available online, your customers are more informed than ever. According to the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” It’s delivering valuable content to your customers, including white papers, blogs, video, podcasts, digital publishing, etc. But for small businesses however, providing a steady stream of quality content is time consuming, and your company may lack sufficient resources or personnel to dedicate to such a project. Here are five tips your small business can use to develop meaningful, effective content to promote your business and engage customers—all in the midst of day-to-day operations.   Create a Strategy Strategy is essential to effective content marketing. What are your goals? What content does your company already have? Who is your main audience? How can you fill their needs for information? Your content strategy will help you plan how you’re going to attract more business. A great source for creating a content strategy, I found, is this article from Content Marketing Institute. Developing Valuable Content Once you have a strategy in place and you’ve taken inventory of the content you already have, it’s time to create and collect new content. The easiest, most efficient way to do this is to repurpose information. Do you receive customer inquiries? Create a blog or video where you answer some of the most popular questions. If you’ve written a white paper, send it to your top clients as a free resource along with information on your products and services. Be resourceful and keep an eye open for content that will benefit your customers. Blogging A blog is a low-cost way to engage customers and establish your expertise. You can find free templates online from WordPress.com and other sites. Your blog can allow you to reach a wider audience, boost brand awareness, sell something, or connect you to your customers and community. Your blog content should be appealing to your audience and include keywords and information (see SEO below).Try to blog on a regular basis, whether that’s every week, bi-weekly, or every month, to keep your audience coming back for fresh content. This can take a big investment of your time, so have your content strategy in place before you tackle blogging. Get Social With limited resources you want to reach as...