Keeping a diary has many benefits. These include improving your mental health, as a result of giving you a place to vent your feelings, and an ability to process difficult experiences while stating a process of gathering ideas.

A diary is also a way to keep track of your feelings and views and how they have changed over time, which can be particularly helpful in personal development terms.

What is a Diary or Journal?

A diary, then, in its simplest form, is a record of each day. Keeping a diary is a matter of keeping a record of what happens in your life: the interesting and the mundane, and your thoughts and feelings about both.

Diaries can also be used for very specific purposes. For example, those who think that they may have a food allergy or intolerance may be encouraged to keep a food diary for a few weeks to record everything that they eat, and any incidence of discomfort to see if there is a pattern. Similarly, you may keep a diary to record your stress levels or episodes of depression. Here again, a diary is a record of each day, but for a particular reason.

The Benefits of Keeping a Diary

There are many benefits to keeping a diary. Probably the three main ones are:

• Keeping a diary has been shown to be good for your mental health

The reason is thought to be because it allows you to process your experiences safely, and review particular events in a less stressful way. Writing your personal story appears to play a part in this, and it seems to be important to focus on both thoughts and feelings, and not just feelings.

• Keeping a diary helps to improve your writing

The best way to get better at anything is to practice. Writing a diary allows you to focus on your writing without worrying about your audience or what anyone else will think. And doing it regularly helps to improve your thinking processes, and can even help you become more creative in how you think.

• Keeping a diary can help you to remember events and activities

This can be important for a number of reasons. For example, when you are applying for a job, you often have to describe times when you have demonstrated a skill, or done something particularly well. A diary or journal can be a good way to record your successes, and ensure that you have a ready source of examples for job applications. It can also be a way to reflect on your experiences, and learn for the future. Writing about positive events, and looking back on them, can also be a good way to boost your self-esteem.

You may also be interested in our pages on Reflective Practice and Personal Development.

Paper or Electronic?

Back in the 1980s, Adrian Mole did not have a computer or smartphone on which to blog. His (fictional) diary was paper-based for a reason: it had to be.

Nowadays, there is much more choice.

There is a huge range of electronic options as well as the traditional paper-based route. You could, for example, use a diary app such as Penzu, which claims to take security very seriously, try a note-taking app like Google Keep, or just record your thoughts in a Word document stored on your laptop or in the cloud. You could even go ‘open’ and keep a blog, sharing your thoughts with the world, and not just your diary.

All these options have merits. Diary apps are right there on your phone, and quick and easy to access. They are also private. Electronic back-ups in the cloud should mean that even losing your device does not mean that you have lost your diary.

Using word-processing software gives you the option to craft your thoughts more carefully, and to go back and change them later. This could be both an advantage and disadvantage: an advantage because you can refine your thinking, and a disadvantage, because it will not show you your raw thinking when you look back, and may encourage you to spend more time than you really need on your journal.

A paper-based diary may be old-fashioned, but it is also completely private. You can hide it away at home, and nobody need ever suspect that you write it. Writing things down long-hand can also be useful practice in ordering your thoughts in advance, which is good if you will ever have to sit written exams.

Tips for Keeping a Diary

Some people find it hard to get started on diary-writing, or difficult to keep going once started. These tips should help you to do both.

1. Don’t worry, just write

Your only audience is you, so it really does not matter if what you write does not seem very exciting or inspiring. Over time, you will find it becomes easier to write, so it is important to just put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and simply get started.

2. Try to write every day, but don’t panic if you miss a few days

It will be easiest to build a habit of writing if you do it often. You will also not need to write as much each time if you do it regularly. You may find it easier to develop a regular time slot: for example, just before you go to bed. This may make it easier both to find the time, and to develop the habit of writing.

That said, of course it does not matter if you miss a few days here and there, or even if you don’t fancy writing anything about what happened that day. Just try not to get too far out of the habit, and start again if you do stop for a while.

3. Write as if you were writing to a friend, or even your future self

This will encourage a more informal writing style, and also help you to share information about your feelings and deepest thoughts. This is important if you are to get the full benefits of journal-keeping. Some people even find that it is helpful to give their diary a name.

4. Your diary does not have to be just a written record

You can also draw or sketch, or stick in pictures from magazines or tickets from events and the like. Anything that takes your fancy, really. It is all about having a personal record, and that can be as personal as you like. Plenty of people prefer drawing to writing, and a sketchbook with or without added notes can also be a form of journal.

5. You can be negative, but remember to be positive too

A diary is a good place to vent about things that have upset or annoyed you, but it is also important to record the positives. When you look back, there is a reasonable chance that you will have forgotten quite a lot of it, and you don’t want reading your diary to be a completely negative experience, dragging you down. Instead, you want to be able to read it to feel good about the things that you have achieved.

A lasting benefit

While few among us will ever become the sort of person whose diaries are published and sold around the world, keeping a diary has benefits for anyone. It is well worth giving it a go for a few months to see if it is helpful for you.

Thanks to skillsyouneed  for the amazing piece

10 Reasons Why People Who Keep Diaries Are Successful

Diary entries are normally associated with the teenage years, scrawling down passages about you and your friends or your latest crush. However, diaries are not just for the besotted teenager – carry on reading if you’re interested in the traits of successful people who keep a regular diary.

1. They Practise Self-Discipline

Regular diary writing takes self-discipline and perseverance. There is no expectation for results, which some may find difficult as there isn’t any obvious success to show for their work. However, diaries can teach the art of discipline, writing regularly in order to look back on entries, rather than seeing results instantaneously.

2. They Use Diaries to Self-heal

There’s nothing more healing than spilling your feelings to a friend – however, sometimes we don’t want anyone else knowing our business, so what better way to self-heal than writing a diary. People who write regular diary entries become able to boost their own feelings, getting all their thoughts down onto a page in order to see perspective.

3. They are Confident

In being honest about how they’re feeling, people who write diaries are naturally very confident, particularly if they’re using an online diary for example. Even if no-one else is reading your diary, it is normal to feel a sense of determination, as having your feelings on a page can give you a sense of direction and courage in decision making.

4. They Have a Strong Focus on Ambition

People who write down their thoughts and feelings regularly tend to know where they’re going – perhaps they can see more clearly where they’ve gone wrong in life, and when they’ve been successful. Being able to look back on past thoughts and feelings can allow you direction and ambition in future ventures.

5. They are Motivated

Due to their confidence and ambition, people who keep diaries are usually motivated individuals who want to use their time wisely. Writing down your thoughts allows reflection, and can show how well you’re using your time, a great motivator for future aspirations.

6. They Always See Perspective

Keeping a diary certainly gives people perspective on life, as the ability to look back on your thoughts and experience gives you a refreshing outlook on life, in which you will never settle for anything.

7. They Can Link Their Past and Present (Woolf)

Being able to reflect on your past allows you to link it to your present. Famous for ‘stream of consciousness’ writing, Virginia Woolf has commented on her thoughts of a diary being a bridge between the future and the past.

8. They Keep Their Brains Uncluttered (Andre Gide)

Due to the chaotic nature of everyday life, some believe our brains can become cluttered, and an easy, acheivable way to ‘declutter’ your brain is to keep a diary. Writing down your thoughts can help to discover oneself and declutter the mind, as thought by the nobel laureate Andre Gide.

9. They Understand Their Own Emotions

Working through your feelings can very much help to understand them, seeing your emotions almost from an outside perspective. By taking a step back, your thoughts and feelings become more obvious, and it is easier to decipher the best way of dealing with them.

10. And Finally, They Have a Productive Way to End the Day

There’s nothing better than getting home from a long day and talking it through with someone – however, by keeping a diary you can manage your thoughts at any time, and can conclude your day by getting everything down on paper to clear your over-worked mind.

These traits are present in most people who keep diaries, and many of these may infact derive from keeping one. Give your mind some extra space by writing down your thoughts regularly – you may be pleasantly suprised at not only how much better your feel, but also how successful your other ventures are, just because you’ve given your mind a break.

Using a diary and notepad to access growth in any area of life is a welcomed one and the more you get that understanding the better you become in the business of thoughts and discipline.

Always get the  best cost of printing  for Printing branded diary  from us at XINI Prints in Lagos and across Nigeria.

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Thanks to our digital friends for their contributions towards this first series in the month of October.

Before we move on the teaching trail, are you interested in Printing? if yes, click the order image below to contact us now

TODAY, We will be moving across the prints industry and to also alert everyone who thinks that printing is fading that the print communication industry is here to stay. In the next 50 year, the printing industry will under go a lot of strategic invention but the focus prints either in sublimation, paper, large format, and so will still have its dominance in serving clients right.

Series Unveil from inkxe 

Talking about 10 Automatic Screen Printing Machine In The World

Screen printing can be a tedious task and requires a bit of manual effort. However, if you are a medium or large scale screen printer, you cannot afford to have a manual process under your roof.

More On Our Blog: https://xinicomms.com/flags-and-the-history-behind-it-so-far/

The post The Fastest High Resolution Screen Printing Machines For Mass Production appeared first on XINI : No (1) Corporate Branding Company | Prints | Web Design Company in Nigeria | Graphic Designers in Nigeria | Website Designers in Lagos | Logo Designers in Lagos | Branding Company in Lagos Nigeria | Advertising Agency in Lagos Nigeria | promotional gifts company in Nigeria | Printing Company in Lagos | website design agency in Nigeria | Internet Marketing Company | Digital Marketing Agency in Nigeria.

Calendar Printing, we measure time in increments: minutes, days, months, years. We measure our business and personal relationships by the gifts we give. A custom photo wall calendar is an expression of our appreciation of family, friends and associates. Use it as a marketing tool for your business or generate income for a club or league. Share special moments with close family.

OVERNIGHT PRINTS QUALITY

We print wall calendars on Premium 100# Gloss Book stock. Each month is printed in full color 8½” x 11″ format with metal spiral binding and FREE hole punching. Our delivers higher-quality results than traditional offset printing. That’s important when printing photo calendars because a lower dot gain provides better resolution.

YEAR-END RUSH

We know the story. With a turn of the page the New Year is upon us and where’s the new calendar? At Overnight Prints it’s easy to upload photos and customize date grids. With just a few clicks you’re done, and you can have your new wall calendars before the ball drops in Times Square.

ECO-FRIENDLY PRINTING

Our custom wall calendars are the greenest you’ll find anywhere. Our paper stock is from environmentally sustainable forests. And our waterless print process not only conserves trees, it reduces air pollution, saves water and decreases waste.

BUSINESS WALL CALENDARS

Start with one of our pre-designed date grids that make a perfect business calendar template. Then upload your logo, product images or other photos.

CALENDARS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Design your own calendars filled with memories for grandparents and extended family. Just upload your favorite pictures with our easy-to-use drag and drop tool and we do the rest! While you’re scrutinizing your photos consider choosing one for an 11″ x 17″ Poster.

At XINI Prints, an outstanding calendar printing company In Lagos Nigeria we ensure that your designs and concepts are well worked on and communicated

Read More:

Flags And The History Behind IT So Far

Printing Services: Branding Act In Prints Communication

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We hope that you enjoy this awesome flags post and please share it with your friends on social media.

Most Serene Republic of Venice (697-1797)

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Isle of Man (13th century-)

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The Kingdom of Ireland (1542-1800)

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Burma (1752-1885)

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State ensign of Siam (1817-1855)

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Kingdom of Hungary (1867-1918)

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Republic of Formosa or Republic of Taiwan (1895)

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Gozo, a small island in Malta (1964-)

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Papua New Guinea (1965-1970)

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The Mari El Republic, a federal subject of Russia (2011-)

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Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a province of central Ukraine

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The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1816–1861)

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Gran Colombia (1819-1820)

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Peru (1821-1822, created by José de San Martín)

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Seychelles (1996-)

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KNOW THE MEANING OF FLAG COLOURS AND SYMBOLS

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Cheers To Brumley for the inspiration to review this article with exceptional edits.

Outsourcing your print fulfillment needs to a reliable and trustworthy provider can save your business time, money and space. In this article, we will explain the different types of print fulfillment services, and how a print fulfillment provider like XINI Prints in Lagos Nigeria can offer value and peace of mind through our replicated production section in our parent company XINI Communications Limited.

Print fulfillment refers to a third party vendor printing services, storing, collating, assembling, packaging, and/or shipping printed and promotional products. The main advantage of outsourcing print fulfillment is increased efficiency. Print fulfillment services by the seasoned experts will benefit your company by:

• Saving your company time and money spent on personnel resources
• Conserve Space and money in that physical square footage is not required for storing materials
• Providing access to shipping costs discounts for print fulfillment vendors doing a high volume
• Giving you experience and resources streamline the process, so assembly and distribution can happen faster and with fewer errors
• Avoiding large equipment purchases, which means you can make smaller investments
• Offering customization for your company’s individual needs

Print Fulfillment Services Saves Your Company Time and Money

Types of Typical Print Fulfillment Services Include:

Pick and Pack: As the name implies, this service involves selecting ordered materials from their cartons and combining them with other requested materials from other cartons. The items are then prepared for shipment. This service is used when orders vary in content and are not prepackaged in standard quantities. For example, one order may include 20 folders, 10 brochures and 15 pens, while a different order asks for 15 folders, 20 inserts and 12 note pads.

Case Picking: Unopened, full cartons are pulled from the warehouse shelves and prepared for shipment. This service does not involve opening cartons and picking out materials and promotional items from the cartons.

Assembly: Printed materials are collated, combined, gathered, folded and organized into a unit. An example of assembly is placing a printed brochure, printed notepad, promotional pen and printed forms into a printed pocket folder.

Kitting: Kitting is similar to Pick in Pack, but instead of picking an individual order on demand, kits are assembled ahead of time with pre-chosen items and quantities. The kits are stored until needed for filling orders. All of the kits are identical.

Variable Data Printing: In this print fulfillment service, printed pieces are customized for each recipient. For example, a printed promotional postcard will have each individual name and address.

Print on Demand (POD): POD enables you to only print what you need for each order, without having to pre-purchase or store large quantities of printed and promotional materials. Printing on Demand also enables you to make changes as desired, without trying to figure out what to do with the backstock. With POD, you need to allow a little extra time for order fulfillment, and there is not already available stock on hand.

Warehousing and Fulfillment: If you have additional items to add to your outgoing orders that are not provided or produced by your print fulfillment company, they may still be able to store, fulfill and ship these products for an additional cost.

Drop Shipping: When a customer makes a purchase from you, the print fulfillment provider manages the entire delivery. They pick the item from their warehouse, pack it and ship it to the customer. Drop shipping can even be done blindly, meaning that the third party fulfillment company is never identified and the customer isn’t even aware that you did not have a hand in the shipment.

XINI Prints Can Provide All of Your Print Fulfillment Needs

Outsourcing print fulfillment services can not only save your company money, but also save you from the headaches of using complicated, expensive equipment and finding scarce storage space. No matter which services you need, a qualified print fulfillment provider can efficiently print, gather, organize and distribute your company’s printed products and promotional materials, leaving you and your employees more time to grow your business.

THAT’S WHY PRINT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN PRINTING: Exclusive Concepts At XINI Prints, Your modern clear digital printing company

Why Print is so much more than just printing
Innovations at XINI: UV-Offset printing and SPEC.

There’s printing, and then there’s Print – and there are so many good reasons why we rarely refer to ourselves as mere “printers” .We spoke with Robert Berlanda, Technical Manager Print & Service at LONGO, about the new terminology, changes in the printing sector and our new innovative UV Offset and SPECTRA 7 print technology.

These days we tend to use the English “Print” rather than the German equivalent, ”Druck.” Why is that?  

Well, it’s probably mainly due to internationalisation and modernisation. We work together with companies from all over the world and the entire printing process has now become digitalised, leading to a tendency to use English terminology. A further reason – at least in our case – is the spectrum of activities and skills the world of print comprises nowadays: while in the past, “Druck,” or “print,” referred only to the printing process itself, the word “print” today encompasses all the processes from start to finish, including pre and post-production.

Thanks to our significant investment in R&D, here at XINI we are extremely well-positioned in every sector of Print. We have become much faster and more flexible in terms of putting our clients’ requests into practice; consultation is more rapid, and production times are shorter. New technology also allows us to create complex products in fewer steps .

What is possible today that was unthinkable in the past?

Today you can order a product online and have the final result in two hours, a concept beyond all imagining five years ago. Together with high-performance software, e.g. the Marketing Toolbox, companies can now respond to requests in the shortest time possible, and bring the flexibility of online life into the real world. 

Furthermore, the time-consuming, tedious phases of prepress proofing and adjustment have been vastly simplified. Nowadays, an efficient prepress phase in the initial stages allows us to access and import data directly in the subsequent phases (plate production, printing).

Currently, we’re focussing first and foremost on improving the results. Techniques developed by LONGO, such as Spectra 7 and new technology, such as LE-UV printing (Low Energy) make it possible to create complex products in vastly reduced times and with fewer phases.

Check out a video from longo

What does LE-UV printing consist of?

The special feature of UV offset printing is that photoactive inks are used in the printing services phase which, the second they come into contact with paper, are immediately dried and fixed by ultraviolet light. This cuts out the drying process, making it possible to move on to the next phase immediately. Additionally, we no longer need to lacquer coat the surface, and can print even on highly-absorbent materials.

Thank you for the explanation! Robert Berlanda tells us more about changes in the printing industry in this blog post: What does a Technical Manager Print & Service at LONGO do?

So what is UV offset printing services, exactly? Let’s take a look:

Here’s how UV offset printing works:

Greater brilliancy and more intense colour vibrancy – that’s what we can achieve with UV-offset print. This print technique delivers pictures with enhanced three-dimensionality, vividness and motif depth. Our innovative inline method enables combinations of matt and glossy varnishes in UV-offset printing.

UV curing technology converts all the component parts of the paint or varnish into a strong polymer compound, which allows them to harden rapidly. Unlike conventional inks, the UV inks used in this process do not contain components that oxidize or evaporate, but rather contribute directly towards polymerization. The UV ink is, therefore, 100% embedded within the dry colour layer.

UV offset printing opens up entirely new opportunities for our customers: This technique allows us to print on an incredibly wide range of materials, such as thin films or adhesive sheets, which would otherwise be too sensitive to heat or prone to deformation,

In contrast to matte film lamination, inline UV coating enables even the smallest of print details to be highlighted. Exact-fit cut-outs and perforations can also be performed in one single phase, thanks to our state-of-the-art printing presses. UV LED lamps also contribute to speeding up our work processes, as there are no drying times between printing,  finishing and painting.

And we can protect the environment at the same time: Our UV LED lamps are streets ahead of normal lamps as they consume 60% less power, and contain neither mercury nor ozone.

XINI’s  UV offset printing services with technology brings ultra-high quality together with efficiency and environmental awareness. And last but not least, this technology offers superb value for money. Why not see for yourself!

NEW  CASE: APPLE PAPER – OUR EXPERIENCES AT PRINT & PACKAGING

Apple paper: How to make complex corporate values easily visible.

Corporate values such as environmental awareness, sustainability and proximity to nature are a special challenge for our customers in their brand communication. How can the choice of material for a print product clearly show that the company lives up to its values? Is there even an ecopaper that is suitable for highquality design and with which you can stand out clearly at the same time from the competition?

We use such a paper for environmentally conscious companies: Cartamela, apple paper from South Tyrol.

What is apple paper anyway?

Cartamela Apple Paper is a natural paper made from the press residues of apple juice production. Over 400,000 tonnes of fruit waste accumulate throughout the EU every year. Due to the risk of fungus, this pomace must not be used on fields or as animal feed, and is therefore currently disposed of.

In 2003 Albert Volcan, managing director of the biorecycling company “Eco apple” of Italy, developed a process that ensures an innovative and sustainable reuse of apple peel. The Cartamela apple paper comes from South Tyrol, an area that is famous for its apples. Every year, a great deal of apple pomace is produced, which is made into paper by Frumat, which currently holds the patent for Cartamela.

To produce the apple paper, the cellulosic apple remnants are dried and then further processed into organic paper. This paper is just as durable as conventional natural paper and can be printed and processed just as well.

One of the most common questions is whether apple paper smells or tastes like apples. No, it’s not like that! The color also corresponds to normal paper, but it has a very own, fine structure. If you have a product made of apple paper in your hand, you immediately realize that it is something special!

What exactly can you do with apple paper?

Our printers and packaging specialists have already gained a lot of experience with this special paper. Here are some examples of printed paper products printed by XINI:

For Herbaria, producer of organic gourmet spices, we have developed two packaging solutions. The high-quality packaging of the pepper sets, and the inner workings of the Herbaria lunch box, which contains three small spice mills, are made of apple paper and thus perfectly match the corporate values: Herbaria stands for organic quality and sustainability.

An international company  Papermoon, Thiele Publishing launched a papeterie brand in 2017, whose high-quality greeting cards are printed on paper in digital printing services  at XINI Augsburg.

With the cookbook “A modern Way to Eat” by Anna Jones, Mosaik (Random House) published the world’s first book printed on apple paper. Here, the content of vegan and modern recipes and the pressure on sustainable and regional natural paper fit together perfectly. In addition, Anna Jones second cookbook “A Modern Way to Cook” was printed on apple paper.

What is apple paper especially suitable for and what needs to be considered when printing?

These print products and packaging solutions show what apple paper is particularly suitable for:

• For companies that want to transport their values with the choice of material
• For an environmentally conscious target group that appreciates the special
• For people, to whom haptics and sensual experience mean a lot

Apple paper is an uncoated paper that requires special care when converting images. Our pre-press specialists have already gained a great deal of experience with this natural paper and know exactly what has to be observed during processing.

Our conclusion to the Cartamela apple paper

Cartamela apple paper is a natural paper with a special feel, which can be processed in the printing process just like other papers. This paper convinces you with its special value and its ecological awareness, sustainability and naturalness. Talk to us – we are happy to show you more examples!

WHAT DOES A TECHNICAL CREATIVE STRATEGIST IN PRINT & SERVICE DO AT XINI?

From a printing services shop to a full-service printing agency

Charles Ataghoma works as the Managing Director/Chief Creative Strategist at XINI with its subsidiary company XINI Prints as the “Creative Strategist for Print & Services.” We talked with him about why service is now so important in the printing sector and why XINI regards itself as a full ­service agency in the area of printing.

You are the “Creative Strategist  for Print & Services.” Just how important is the combination of print and services in the age of online printing services  shops?

For us, it is fundamental! After all, our clients and customers keeps up with the desire to get the most advanced printing resolution for their required engagement and seeing that we are keen to level up with all the services the company renders to clients and customers are usually unfamiliar with the machinery we use and the possibilities our technologies offer. We view ourselves as a full-service agency capable of providing our customers with consulting and support. Ideally, we offer 100% support from the initial conceptual phase all the way down to the finished product. This allows us to make sure that everything is optimally matched, and guarantees perfect results for the customer. Even after production, we are there for him and can assist in marketing and distribution.

The worldwide trend is towards specialization. Is that true for the printing sector, too?

Yes. Here, too, it is important that one find one’s niche. That is because it is an extremely competitive market, with many competitors defining themselves exclusively on the basis of volume and price. We here at XINI have taken a completely different approach. We have specialized in the production of high-quality printed products for which we employ a number of special techniques – which we have, in part, developed in-house. We are heavily invested in the area of UV printing, and our SPEC+ technology allows us to produce extremely vivid colors. We achieve stunning results by means of the extraordinarily good integration of marketing, sales, prepressing, color management, and printing services.

Since we are a full-service agency, our customers have to deal with only a single contact-person for all of their questions and concerns. That saves time and money. But it also means that none of us here at XINI can view himself as only a specialist for his own narrow field, since we would then be unable to fulfill our role as consultants. Rather, in the framework of the XINI Academy of Prints, we ensure that all of our employees familiarize themselves with adjacent fields. They understand what their colleagues are doing. In this way, we get multi-specialists who are aware of what is happening in previous and subsequent work steps. This has proven to be a great help to us in planning projects in an optimal fashion.

You mentioned UV printing services. Can you explain that to us?

The unique thing about this is the use of photoactive inks in the printing services  process which, after coming into contact with the paper, are immediately (within a fraction of a second) dried using ultraviolet light. A separate drying process can thus be dispensed with, and the product can be immediately subjected to further processing. Additionally, surface sealing agents or varnishes can be dispensed with, and even very absorbent materials can be printed on.

The drawback – if you will – is the high demands it makes of prepressing and color management, who have to precisely know what inks are to be used and how. Only then can perfect end results be achieved.

What can we expect in the future?

It is quite clear that the trend is towards individualization. Especially print products, merged with technology, in small jobs. And of course: It will become increasingly necessary to produce extremely quickly, on demand. Nevertheless, the requirement for high quality will not diminish.

XINI is perfectly poised to fulfill all of these demands in these areas. Furthermore, the Marketing Toolbox offers our customers the opportunity to obtain standard printed products in extremely short times.

For us, therefore, the future clearly means: 360° print!

Check Out Our Recent Post(s)

Commercial Printing Specifications You Should Have At Your Finger Tips

From Our Subsidiary:

office-painting-branding

notepad-jotter-printing

public-relations-2

receipt-invoice-printing

social-media-management-2

web-and-mobile-application-development

brochure-printing

single-sided-business-card-printing

business-card-printing

calendar-printing

envelope-printing

paper-career-bags-printing

poster-flyers

printing-biro-pen

book-publishing

letterhead-printing

experiential-marketing

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Commercial printers refer to those characteristics as specifications or “specs.” They use the specs to accurately quote and print your projects. For this reason, you need to relate the correct printing specifications for your project to the printer. Otherwise, they might not be able to deliver what you were expecting.

As a starting point, the following five specifications should be prioritized.

Print Quantity

Quantity refers to the number of pieces you need. For instance, if you’re printing books, how many of the books do you need? 200? 500? The most important thing to remember here is the price per printed piece tends to go down as quantity goes up because setting up the printing job typically accounts for a significant part of the total price. So, unless you know you need a specific number of printed pieces, it’s a good idea to ask for a quote for a smaller and larger quantity and weigh the difference.

Size Specifications

You must give your printer the required dimensions so they can deliver the size you’re looking for. To avoid confusion, print dimensions begin with the width followed by the height. For instance, an 8.5” x 11” inch book will be 8.5 inches wide and 11 inches tall.

Page count

You must also tell your printer how many pages make your piece. For instance, a non-bound brochure consists of four pages i.e. the front cover, the inside front cover, the back cover and the inside back cover. For books, however, the cover is not counted. Instead, it is provided as a separate spec unless it’s a self-cover book.

Printing Paper Specifications

Thin paper is generally cheaper and may be a good option if you’re looking to save money. But when going for quality, thicker paper is recommended. Thicker paper prevents content showing through on the other side of the page. It is also more durable. Regarding type, smooth white paper stock is the default. Let your printer know if you’d like to use a different type of paper.  And, of course, there are other types of printing material that might be appropriate for your project.  This recent article discusses printing on plastic, and the different type of plastics commonly used by commercial printers.

Printing Ink Specs

Lastly, don’t forget to tell your printer the type of ink to be used for the job. Is the work to be produced using only black ink, the full 4-color process, one or two spot ink colors, or a combination? What of the cover? And, do you need Bleeds? All this information needs to reach the printer.

Of course, there’s a lot more to setting up a commercial printing job, and your printer will have other questions as you place your print order.  But we hope this article provides you with some of the basic information you’ll need to know to start the process.  Any reputable commercial printer will be happy to offer advice on these and other specs to ensure you’re happy with the finished product, but having a basic understanding going into it can make the process easier.

–Giving your brand a professional voice                        Read More                                                   Brand Activations –

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Congratulations to the XINI team with a spotlighting credit across the world, We are more than delighted for your winning category by the creative team led by the Founder/Managing Director  Charles Ataghoma of XINI Communications Limited as they include an exceptionally fit achievement to their portfolio as the Best Branding And Digital Marketing Agency In Nigeria for the year 2019.

United Kingdom, 2019– MEA Markets magazine announces the winners of the 2019 African Excellence Business Awards.

Although the economy is fluctuating we believe in Og Mandino’s words: ‘always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity’. Showcasing the most outstanding businesses from across, but not limited to industries such as, energy, agriculture, mining and tourism to the uncovering the innovators in disciplines like banking, technology and real estate development, we have provided an overview of the best of the best from across the region.

Commenting on the success of these deserving winners, Edward Faulkner, Awards Coordinator said: “Congratulations to all of my winners, you are truly the best that the African corporate market has to offer. I am very proud of all of you and I wish you the very best of luck for the future.”

To find out more about these prestigious awards, and the dedicated professionals selected for them, please visit https://www.mea-markets.com/ where you can view our winners supplement and full winners list.

ENDS

Notes to editors.

About MEA Markets

Published quarterly, MEA Markets endeavours to provide readers with the latest business and investment news across the Middle East and Africa regions.

Keeping pace with a vast array of ever-changing sectors thanks to regular contributions from some of the region’s top corporate professionals across a variety of industries, MEA Markets is home to the very best news, features and comment from the people and institutions in the know.

It is our wish that they keep up the more success in the coming years as it includes the global stage. We must say that Nigeria is proud to have you in Africa as a creative communications company.

Congratulations Once More!

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We checked out how professional  business owners think in care for their customers, allow business owners to personally thank their customers for purchasing products or services. By doing this, customers feel a greater sense of appreciation, thus enhancing their brand loyalty. What’s more, delighted customers may tell their peers about such amazing customer service, promoting word-of-mouth advertising.

Business starter kits at Xini

At Xini, we understand the struggles of those unsure about where to start in regard to business stationery. Therefore, we have created a convenient business starter kit to help get you off the ground.

In our professional business starter kit, you get equal quantities of:

• A4 Letterhead – 210mm x 297mm
• Compliment slip – 210mm x 99mm
• Business cards – 85mm x 55mm

To order, supply your own artwork as a PDF file and set it up with crop marks and a bleed of 3mm on solid colours and images.

With the rise of digital advertising, leaflets seem to have disappeared into the aether. And at xini, we think that’s a real shame. Why? Because they’re one of the most potent marketing methods there is. But don’t worry. In this post, we’re going to highlight the benefits of marketing leaflets and explain why you should order leaflets online to set your business up for success.What is a leaflet?

To begin with, let us provide an explanation of marketing leaflets. In basic terms, they are used to provide the reader with a brief overview of a business and the products and services that it provides. But that’s not all, leaflets are great for highlighting any special offers that are currently available to customers, or detailing any upcoming events. Although most professional businesses now focus their efforts on digital channels, marketing leaflets offer distinct advantages — some of which are detailed in the following sections.

Why are leaflets good for advertising?

Leaflets are tangible

It goes without saying that people engage with physical items a lot more than taking a first-glance look at information on a screen. Businesses owners can leverage this fact by providing their audience with brand-centric leaflets that effectively convey their key messaging.

Leaflets are targeted

Once a target market is defined, leaflets can be strategically crafted in such a way that aligns with their preferences and delivered straight to their front door. By doing so, the recipients will be much more likely to inquire about the products or services offered. Furthermore, this method is a cost-effective alternative to mass direct mail campaigns that typically result in minimal consumer interest.

Leaflets are aesthetic

To spark interest in your brand, your marketing material needs to stand out. At professional  printing office  we offer leaflet printing with a variety of customization options. For instance, you can choose from a variety of folds, including half fold, roll fold, Z fold and gatefold. In terms of paper choices, we are relatively unmatched — we even have a range of luxury papers that elevate brand reputations to a new level. Moreover, to add a sense of professionalism, you can add matt or gloss lamination and upload original branded artwork.

Order leaflets online at XINI

To order leaflets online, visit www.Xinicomms.com today. We use only top of the range HP Indigo Digital Presses for leaflet printing, meaning that bold colours, clear text and sharp imagery are assured. Our best selling folded leaflet is a flat size A4, roll folded to 1/3 A4 finished size, printed on 130gsm silk or gloss paper. But at www.Xinicomms.com, you can customize to your heart’s content.

Types of report binding

Have you been lumbered with the responsibility of sorting out your company’s annual reports? Tough break. But it’s not all bad: at XINI, you can get high-quality reports printed and delivered fast to any NIGERIA location. But what report binding method will you choose? In this post, XINI discusses the three most common types of report binding, highlighting their relative advantages and weaknesses and helping you make the right choice.What is perfect binding?

If you’re looking for reports with a sense of sophistication and professionalism, consider perfect binding. This binding method is used for reports, magazines, paperback books and so much more. Pages are folded into sections and glued to an exterior cover along the spine using a strong adhesive, such as PUR glue. Although perfect bound reports cannot open flat, they’re super easy to stack and look amazingly professional.

What is saddle stitch binding?

Professional  Saddle stitching is a cost-effective alternative to perfect binding. In terms of complexity, it’s probably the most simple report binding method, too. Pages are folded and creased down the centre line to be subsequently stapled together. Although an effective report binding method, saddle stitched documents are limited to 48 printed pages which may be an issue depending on whether it is for an annual report or not. For more sizeable reports, spiral binding may be a more suitable alternative.

What is spiral binding?

Spiral binding, also known as wire binding and coil binding, utilizes a durable metal coil to bind pages together along the spine edge of a book. The main advantage of spiral binding is that it enables pages to open freely and does not require the user to hold them in place. This could be beneficial in terms of an end-of-year presentation, as attendees can reference report material with ease. Moreover, the fact that spiral bound documents are available at anywhere between 4 and 180 leaves — or 360 printed sides — renders this a versatile binding method with a multitude of possible applications.

Report binding at XINI

At XINI, we offer multiple types of report binding, including saddle stitching, perfect binding and spiral binding. For report printing, we use only state of the art HP Indigo Digital Presses; famed for their rich colours, high-resolution imagery and clear, easy-to-read text.

Create memorable celebration cards

Celebration cards are a one-way ticket to the hearts of your friends and family. There’s no better feeling than watching faces erupt with joy after having been handed a personalized card that celebrates their special occasion. But to achieve this sort of reaction, you need a specialized design guideline. In this post, XINI shows you how to create memorable celebration cards for those that are closest to you.What are celebration cards?

As the name implies, celebration cards are used to celebrate a host of special occasions. At XINI, for example, we offer birthday cards, thank-you cards, Christmas cards, happy mother’s day cards and more. But because of their ubiquity, many celebration cards nowadays fail to strike an emotional response from their recipients. To create celebration cards that leave a lasting impression, follow the simple guidelines below.

Use colour to your advantage

Think of the best celebration card you have ever received; we bet that it wasn’t pale, dull and boring. Why? Because the use of professional  bold colour palettes is the first step to leaving a lasting impression. On your celebration cards, you should choose a colour palette that is in keeping with the personality and interests of your recipient. But remember: less is more. Coughing up a rainbow of colours will look amateur, confused, and detract from the overall appeal.

Include copy that resonates

You know your recipient better than anyone. You know what they like; what they don’t like; and how they communicate with others. With this mind, what use would it be to write in such a way that is completely foreign to the relationship that you share with them? Celebration card copy is your chance to add a personal touch. Add details about that time that only the two of you remember; include that running joke that only you two understand — but please, don’t just say ‘Happy birthday’.

Don’t skimp out on quality

What is celebratory about a flimsy, shabby and poorly designed celebration card? The answer: nothing! When creating a celebration card for a loved one, it’s imperative that you keep quality in mind. And at XINI, we let you do just that. Choose from our range of luxury papers and lamination options to elevate your celebration cards to a new level. If that doesn’t say ‘I love you’, we don’t know what will!

Celebration cards at XINI Prints

To print celebration cards, we utilize our professional  industry-leading HP Indigo Digital Presses. They’re famed for their bold colours, high-resolution imagery and crystal clear text. When you buy online today at XINI.

Are personalized folders worth it?

Effective marketing is all about the little touches. From business cards to flyers, each piece of marketing material that comes into contact with your customers and clients is a reflection of your business and should therefore be taken seriously. In this post, XINI highlights the key benefits of high-quality, personalized folders, detailing the impact that they could have on your business success.What is a personalized folder?

In essence, professional personalized business folders are used to house loose documents together for organisation and protection purposes. These documents can take on a vast array of guises, including meeting notes, printed powerpoint slides, company reports and more. What’s more, personalized folders can be fitted with pockets for housing smaller promotional material, such as business cards or leaflets.

What are the benefits of personalized folders?

Listed below are the key benefits of using personalized business folders.

Branding

Printed folders are the ultimate brand awareness tool. By strategically designing branded folders in a way that effectively communicates your key messaging in line with other stationery, they will not only add to your business reputation, but they will also achieve a consistent brand experience that makes potential customers feel at ease with starting a relationship with you.

Lead generation

The beauty of personalized folders is that they can be laden with your key business information. For example, you could add a concise ‘About Us’ section at the back of the personalized presentation folder giving potential customers the chance to learn more about the background of your company. If impressed, the potential customer will likely turn to the key contact information on the folder and inquire about the products or services that you offer.

Enhanced presentations

As the name suggests, personalized presentation folders are best suited to housing documents related to a specific business presentation — both internal and external. They let you take your audience on a journey from start to finish; flicking through documents as they appear on the projector screen. This level of organisation will help you convey exactly what you want to get across in the meeting whilst ensuring that your audience remains engaged throughout. To top it off, through specially-made compartments, you can gift promotional material, such as business cards, flyers and so on, to members of your audience in order to further your professional  brand awareness.

Personalized folder printing at XINI

When you visit www.xinicomms.com, you can get custom personalized folders in a wide range of paper styles and stocks. We use state of the art HP Indigo Digital Presses or our high resolution Xerox print machine, so you know that quality is assured.

Personalized Packaging Strategy For The Digital World

As businesses grow and expand (regionally, internationally or even globally), they become more reliant on effectively organized supply chains which includes sophisticated logistics.Let’s think about military for a moment.
When the military has a breakdown of logistics, it can be a matter of life and death. For manufacturers, of course the results may not be as stark, yet the consequences are likely to be felt down the road.

That’s why we work with highly professional and reliable logistics companies, many businesses have improved their efficiency by providing faster delivery of their products. This leads to an improved customer experience and higher working efficiency in general.

The logistics which is defined as “the delivery of the right product in the right place and time with an acceptable cost to customers”. When we say logistics, one should not think of only delivery and storage. For sustainable supply chain, a good logistic strategy should be devised. The supply chain management includes all processes such as purchasing, resource use, production planning, and flow management, marketing, after sales support, service and logistics among others.

Without logistics, it is impossible to be successful in marketing,  professional production, and international trade.

We take the transport of your freight very seriously and will make every effort to ensure your products arrive as soon as possible and without any damage.

Check out our recent article on:

Brand Activation – Experiential Marketing Notes

PRINTING IN LAGOS: The Best Branding Prices Across Nigeria

Experiential Marketing Across The World From Lagos Nigeria

And More for our prints price list check out   

 

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Key Information You Need To Know On Experiential Marketing?

Experiential marketing is a growing trend which involves marketing a product or a service through experiences that engage the customers and create emotional attachment to the product/service. Experiential marketing veers off course from traditional strategies that broadcast brand and product benefits to a wide audience. Also referred to as engagement marketing experiential marketing may be comprised of a variety of marketing strategies geared toward immersing customers within the product by engaging them in as many ways as possible. Ultimately, companies utilizing this strategy want to help customers form memorable, emotional connections with a brand to foster customer loyalty and improve customer lifetime value (CLV). Experiential marketing has its practices.

Experiential Marketing Best Practices

Companies that succeed with this strategy go beyond giving consumers attractive offers and samples. True magic happens when brands put individual customers or groups of consumers in an immersive branded experience. Thus, brands must go beyond PR stunts, display ads, and promoted social media ads to stir positive emotions in people and foster brand loyalty. Successful campaigns encourage customers to repeatedly come back in order to influence their customer lifetime value. As with any other type of marketing strategy, companies should make use of best practices. One of the most important aspects of this immersive marketing approach is putting the consumer first (aka being customer centric).This means you must put yourself in the mind of the consumer at all times to successfully engage your audience; doing so will foster brand ambassadors – brand warriors who promote your brand just as well as (sometimes even better than) your top salespeople. The easiest way to increase brand loyalty among your customers is to put yourself in their shoes.

Marketers also understand the power of storytelling, and experiential marketing lends itself to storytelling extremely well. Consumers who identify with a story make stronger connections to brands and have the emotional responses marketers strive to create. We experience well-told stories rather than simply listening to them, and we are more apt to repeat a brand’s story when we identify strongly with it, particularly on a deep emotional level. The best stories are truthful, are infused with personalities, involve characters the audience feels compelled to root for, and include a beginning, middle, and end. Something to remember.

Additional best practices include:

• Set clear goals and outcomes
• Determine ways to measure those goals and outcomes
• Identify and exhaustively research your target market
• Remember why experiential marketing works
• Devise a creative, exciting, and impactful activation
• Find ways to maximize online engagement through social media and other channels
• Give people something of value

BENEFITS OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

1. Experiential marketing integrates with content marketing, social media and PR.

A research discovered that 98% of consumers create digital or social content at events and experiences, and 100% of those attendees share the content. When you consider the nature of creating experiences, you can see how media attention can be earned. Experiences can also be leveraged for content marketing, everything from social media posts to filming your next TV commercial on-spot. Experiential really does feed your brand’s content factory.

2. Experiential marketing is effective and measurable.

According to research, 80% of experiential marketers saw a return on investment of 3:1 or more, and 16% realized an ROI of 20:1 or more. Whether you are looking to entice immediate sales, increase your awareness, improve customer favorability or perception, rank higher on satisfaction scores or generate new leads, experiential marketing can address a specific challenge or drive overall marketing goals. We will identify the KPIs on campaign, and ensure that the campaign delivers on measurable metrics. Using just this one channel, a brand has the power to generate awareness, engage, inform, create interest, encourage trial, promote consideration and prompt purchase, moving a consumer the entire way through the sales funnel. That’s why 31% of marketers believe that event marketing is the single-most effective channel, above content, email, social media and traditional.

3. Experiential marketing builds reputation and credibility, and it can change perception.

When your prospects and customers trust you, they are more likely to buy from you. When you have their trust, you can also command a higher price and boost the lifetime value of each customer.

4. Experiential marketing offers consumers interactive, engaging experiences.

In today’s increasingly digital world, 95% of marketers agree that live events provide a valuable way to form in-person connections. Experiences, especially those on the exclusivity side, are added value to your audiences and allow consumers to connect with a brand in new ways, using all five physical senses. Experiences can also provide a value-exchange for generating new leads:

• Event registrations to attend on-site experiences
• Exclusive opportunities in exchange for personal data
• Photos at events, sent directly to the participant providing a name and email, with social media sharing capabilities
• Opportunities to win instant prizes by registering with RFID

Following the experience, use the data you collected to responsibly remarket to participants. Chances are, they’ll be looking for experiences in every piece of communication you deliver.

5. Experiential marketing grabs attention in a memorable way.

We live with information overload every day; there is so much noise and channel proliferation in the advertising space. Experiences are a way to breakthrough that clutter and really stand out. When done right, experiential creates a lasting memory – not just an impression – that will be recalled, and more importantly felt, for years whenever a participant sees your brand name.

Brand Activation

What is Brand Activation?

Brand Activation is an art of bringing the brand to life by designing various innovative experiences that drive consumer action. It is one of the best processes to make the brand known to the market and the target audience resulting in an increase in awareness and customer engagement.

Examples and Types of Brand Activation

Type of Brand activation 1 – Product Sampling Campaign

In this method, brands reach out directly to the target audience at the desired locations and distribute free samples of the product that is yet to be launched or has been newly launched in the market. It is one of the best ways to promote the product and gather the firsthand feedback from the consumers.

Red Bull that is one of the renowned non-alcoholic beverage had undertaken the product sampling campaign at various corporate offices especially call centers and KPO’s by distributing free cans of the drink to the employees as the drink is known for boosting the energy levels that is the specific requirement of the call center employees working long hours and night shifts.

Going further, the beverage giant also sponsors various sports events in and around the world targeting sportsmen who are in a constant requirement for energy booster non-alcoholic beverages.

Type of Brand activation 2 – Experiential Marketing

With the latest and modern technological advancements, the technique of experiential marketing and branding has come into the picture and has worked wonders for the brands to showcase their products and services through virtual and augmented reality.

Many of the real estate developers showcase their project along with amenities, facilities, and other features by displaying 3D walkthroughs, virtual videos that takes the viewers on the interesting journey of the show and sample apartment, and setting up innovative stalls and kiosks at various trade shows and exhibitions on the national and international level, making the experience quite a memorable one for the consumers that results in sales growth and overall brand awareness.

Type of Brand activation 3 – In-Store or Mall Brand Activation

This marketing measure is followed by luxury car giants by hiring an open space at a famous mall and displays the newly launched actual car to the consumers. This activity is undertaken over the weekends or during the sale period at the mall as it results in major footfall. The consumers can actually experience all the features of the car, run a test drive, and gather all the information on the product to necessitate their purchase decision.

Features of Brand Activation

• The main objective of Brand Activation is not to provide impetus to the sales growth but is to create brand awareness and customer engagement that arises the brand consciousness in the minds of the customers resulting in the loyalty.
• It is not a one man’s job but teamwork; hence, it is also important for the brand to hire a great agency onboard that specializes in the Brand Activation ways and techniques taking due care every minute intricacy driving the success of the campaign.
• It is a vital part of the marketing mixthat comprises of product, price, promotion, and place; hence, it is essential to plan and strategize the Brand Activation campaign by working out the available resources and budgets in hand for the optimum returns on the investment.
• It is always viable to test the campaign before the final roll-out as its core fundamental is working in the live environment with the live audience. It is prudent for the campaign to be cohesive with the changing dynamics of the market and the taste of the consumers.
• Importance of Brand Activation

Brand activation that fosters engagement helps in:

• Boosting brand loyalty
• Fulfilling buyer needs
• Appealing to senses
• Satisfying market needs and demands
• Enhances sales
• However, the goal of brand activation shouldn’t necessarily be focused on the buying process like most authorities and academics would tell you. Instead, it should focus on fostering engagement. In this article, we would be taking a very practical look at how we can activate a brand to foster engagement.
• What a good brand activation routine looks like
• A good brand activation program follows a multi-channel approach. You will need to combine social, digital and real life engagement in order to activate emotions and behaviors that are desired. In other words, brand activation ensures that certain behaviors and emotions are activated each time a prospect encounters your brand.

Brand activation comes in many forms and is delivered through multiple channels. Brand activation that resonates with customers and achieves results calls for strategic planning that starts with “why.” Why will your target audiences care? Why would they engage? Then focus on the “how.”

• Whether the objective is to move products off the shelf, sign up new customers, increase subscriptions to an email newsletter or raise support for a cause through donations or fundraising, brand activation is not just about gaining affinity — it’s about inspiring consumers to act.
• By starting with “why” and developing an activation model through a multichannel approach — think social, experiential, digital — you can foster engagement and emotion that creates face-to face engagement with your audience and sells products. Personalizing and layering the experience will get you further than a strict awareness campaign implemented in a silo. Here are five steps for creating brand activation programs that inspire consumers to act:

1. Decide what action you want your consumers to take. Start by articulating your goals. They must be quantifiable. The costs of your approach will most likely dictate that you accomplish more than raising awareness.
2. Determine how you will know your audiences actually care. Don’t just plan to show off. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, people don’t care how much you know ’til they know how much you care”.
3. When you’ve determined your objectives, formulate your idea for activation. Consider how it will embody your brand attributes. If you are leveraging an event in your activation strategy, think beyond the photo booth and customized tchotchkes to visualize what would create a lasting impression and influence consumers to take the next steps — to transition them from acquaintances of your brand to advocates for it. This requires thinking outside the silo to leverage cross-channel tactics.

             Branding Essence

What is Brand Essence ?

Brand Essence is the heart soul and major characteristic of a brand. It is also referred to as the brand mantra. It defines a brand. It is emotional and based on feelings. It is an intangible attribute that separates your brand from your competition’s brand by your audience

A brand essence is intangible for your audience, unique to your brand and, most importantly, reliable.

It is not a commodity, nor is it product related. It is the essential feeling evoked in your audience when they hear your brand name. It combines the attributes and benefits of your brand succinctly. Therefore, your brand essence should be boiled down to one or maybe two words.

Lets look at some well known brand examples

• Visa = Everywhere
• FedEx = Safe
• Disney = Magical
• REI = Adventurous
• XINI = Your Walking Imagination

A brand essence is meant to be authentic. Likewise, it must be scalable to your overall brand’s growth.

For example, a brand may want to choose the word “personal” because your customer service is direct and individualized. However, examine the essence in relationship to the growth of your brand.

• Will you be able to keep that feeling consistent if you were to increase your client load tenfold?
• Do you want your audience to feel like they are dealing with someone on personal level for all their needs indefinitely?
• Does “personal” relate to your products, both current and future?
• Is this a reliable and sustainable claim?
• Will your brand personality match “personal” as your brand essence?

Make sure your brand management team helps you pick an essence that doesn’t just feel right in the moment but also asks long-term strategic questions to help you define your brand essence for the goals of your company, small business, or nonprofit.

Brands have a natural lifecycle moving around this matrix. When new brands are launched, they have low awareness and sales. You need to find other leading indicators to judge their success. The degree of differentiation, as perceived by customers, is a great leading indicator. Brands with high differentiation but low awareness are your emerging stars – they may have low sales now, but as awareness and sales distribution increase, they will become your power brands. If customers do not perceive a new product as differentiated, cut it – there is no point fighting an uphill battle to build awareness and distribution without a product edge.

All Thanks to Strategictool for the piece.

http://strategictoolkits.com/strategic-concepts/brand-awareness-differentiation-framework/

Power brands are your current performers – fully mature, they are both differentiated and with high awareness. Marketers invest to keep their brands in this position. Maintaining Differentiation is a continuous competitive battle however, and brands sometimes lose their edge.

t takes longer for them to lose their awareness, so the brands that lose differentiation slip to become “has-been”. Their sales are high, but they are driven by high awareness and high weighted distribution. These brands are living on borrowed time however, they are living off their historical equity. If they cannot innovate to recover differentiation, they will slide slowly down to irrelevance, losing awareness and distribution since they no longer recruit new customer champions to end their lives as weak brands.

When is it useful?

This portfolio framework is useful when analysing a brand portfolio. It immediately shows the health of the portfolio, looking beyond short term sales numbers to highlight the expected future. For brands, it works better than the BCG Matrix in resource allocation decisions, giving top-down guidance on what to focus on in the brand plan.

The emphasis for Emerging Stars should be investment to boost awareness and distribution, expanding channels and customer reach. For has-been brands, it should be on innovation to restore differentiation. Weak brands have not earned investment.

How do you do the analysis?

You need to apply it intelligently. For example, your target market might change from brand-to-brand – there is no point measuring awareness and perceived differentiation in young men of a product aimed at older women.

Once you have identified the right target customers to measure, awareness (either aided or unaided) and differentiation metrics come directly from your brand tracking market research.

Plotting movement over a number of years on this map can give a dynamic picture of the portfolio health.

For global brands, the position on this matrix represents a weighted average across all their markets. If you are analysing a global brand, plotting the position of every country on this matrix will help your resource allocation

How can you adapt this concept?

Another way to look at the brand health is to analyze the demographics of loyal customers. Vibrant brands will have strong equity in young people – you need to be differentiated in order to recruit. Dying brand sales and equity will be concentrated in older consumers – these customers will continue to buy the brand if it is still in distribution purely on loyalty and habit, even if there are better products available.

The Main Consideration in Brand Essence

And this brings us to the second step to ensure that your product is preferred over its competitors.

All the experiences of your target market that can influence their perception of your product are communications.

A communication is any experience we develop for another or others, which experience results in a specific perception in their mind/s. Which perception would not have occurred without that experience.

So in order to ensure that your products are preferred over those of your competitors, you must regard all the experiences that your target market will have. Those that they might attribute to your product, as communications. As communications that will contribute toward the development or consolidation of the right perception in their minds.

All Brand Essence is Communications

As these experiences are really communications, they must be designed and managed specifically. Managed to generate the perceptual residues that will form or affirm the right perception for your product.

To put it more obviously, you must regard every kind of experience that your target market might have. Everything which can contribute to their perception of your product. As a different communications medium. And that you must manage and design for maximum impact toward the delivery and formation of the right product perception.

Beside the Obvious, Think about your Brand Essence

Aside from the communications media that you already think of as such, like advertising, promotions, merchandising and packaging. You must now focus on those target market experiences. Experiences that you have so far not thought of as communications media. But, which have already been influencing your target market’s perception of your product.

The actual performance of your product. And, the behavior of the people or methods for product support. These are probably the most important communications media toward generating the right perception for your product.

Brand Essence is a type of media

And these communications media involve not just the performance of your product in use.

It also includes how easy it is to access. How convenient it is to use. How effortlessly it prevents waste. And how it looks in their home, the demeanor of your support people. Their actual behavior, their effectiveness at solving actual customer problems. And, the consistency between the things they say and what actually happens for customers.

Some of these hitherto unknown communications media are therefore your product design. Your product research, your product manufacturing, your product components and your product reliability. It also includes your sales people, processes and methods, your billing people, processes and methods, your collections people and methods. And your customer service people, processes and methods.

Bottom line, it’s high time you think of your business as a communications company as well.

It’s high time you think of all of the experiences that your target market might have that might influence their perception. The perception of your product as communications media.

And it’s high time that you design and manage all these experiences. Just as you already design and manage your more ‘obvious’ communications media. Remember, to NOT  think of and treat all the kinds of experiences your target market will have of your product as communications. Will inevitably result in unintended perceptual residues. Feelings in the minds of your target market that might dilute, diffuse or even prevent the formation of the right product perception. And thus reduce your product’s preference among your target markets. Thus reducing your revenues as well.

Your business is already also a communications company, whether you know it or not.

Every brand needs a Pyramid

What is a Brand Pyramid?

A brand pyramid is a tool that answers the fundamental questions outlined above in a pyramid like diagram that can be easily shared and communicated across your company. The only thing it doesn’t tackle directly are questions related to the company’s mission and vision (although the brand essence is a direct result of what the company wants to be when it grows up or its vision).

Why it matters?

Developing a brand pyramid might seem like a trivial exercise but it’s important because it does 4 essential things for your business:

1. Forces consensus among senior management on what the company wants to be, who it serves, why, how it should make customers feel and what the company’s core values are.
2. Clarifies some of the brands fundamentals — such as what is the essence of the brand.
3. Sets the strategic foundation of the brand.
4. Provides all this information in an easy-to-use diagram that can be quickly shared with other founders and employees in a way that’s easy to share and understand.

What it’s made up of?

The brand pyramid is made up of 5 components going from bottom to top:

​Product features and attributes: This section explains what the different features of the products are (for example — a messaging app might also have emoji, video chat and group chat functionality).

Functional benefits: This section helps provide clarity around “what problem are we solving? Why would a customer use our product and what is the expectation once they’ve used it?” (in our above example, the messaging app helps you communicate with others via text, voice and video in a way that’s free).

Emotional benefits: Beyond just solving the customer’s need this component helps answer “How does the customer feel after using our product?” If you recall one of my previous posts on why startups should focus on “slaying dragons not in talking tech”, customers aren’t just interested in your product features, they want you to tell them a story. They want to be able to look at themselves in the mirror and feel just a little bit better that morning simply because they are using your product. That’s where the emotional benefits comes in. (in our messaging app example, maybe the app helps users feel “close”, “secure”, “needed”. These are the emotional needs the app can provide.) Why do emotions matter? Because consumers who feel a certain emotional to a product are less likely to churn than those who don’t! — that reduces your marketing costs and keeps your keeps consumers coming, using and, hopefully, paying.

Brand Persona and/or Core Values: If your brand were a person, how would you describe him or her? What are the values that are important to this person and to your company? How does everything you do from product development to marketing to customer service reinforce these core values? Think of Geico’s Gecko for example. The Gecko is friendly, approachable and curious. These are attributes which users can relate to and it makes them feel closer to Geico as an insurance product.

Brand Essence / Idea: The brand essence is the underlying idea and answers the “why” customers should care about your brand. For example, Apple’s brand essence is “empowering people through technology”. Brand essence is essentially your brand’s DNA. What you stand for and what differentiates you from your competition. It’s the core about makes you “you”.

Practical implications and what it means for your business

The ultimate goal of your company and especially your marketing team, is to get customers to understand, believe and evangelize your product or service to others. The more closely a consumer actually really gets your brand’s essence and is willing and eager to share this with others, the more loyal they are, the stronger the relationship, and the less likely that customer is to switch to a competitor’s product. They are also more likely through word of mouth (WOM) to recommend your product to a friend. Establishing a brand’s essence in the mind of a customer is the “holy grail” of marketing and a goal rarely achieved by most brands. I discussed the benefits of a strong brand in another post so let’s talk about “how” you actually build your brand pyramid.

Developing your brand pyramid

The first step is really understanding whether you need to develop a brand pyramid or how solid your current one really is. That’s where a brand “review” comes into play. The simplest way to do this is to interview all the key people in your company and ask them the list of questions I mentioned at the beginning of this post. If the answers are very consistent and aligned then you’re doing a good job. If not, you’ve got some work to do. You might also want to interview a few of your customers and/or potential customers to see what they think. The answers may surprise you.

For an early stage or mid sized company (10–200 or so) I would suggest the following:

1. Create a list of questions like the ones I mentioned at the top of the article. Expand on those if you need to.
2. Interview your key employees / founders and some customers. It’s preferable to actually interview each one of them 1–1 for at least 45–60 minutes and to send them a list of key questions and themes so they come well prepared to the meeting.
3. Gather all the feedback and input it into a “current state” document that you can present to relevant stakeholders.
4. Set up an initial meeting where you highlight:

• What a brand pyramid is and why it matters
• A snapshot of your audit and what it reveals
• A calendar and overview of what’s needed to develop your brand pyramid

5. Conduct a brainstorm meeting with the same key stakeholders. The aim is really to get them all aligned in terms of what each core component of the brand pyramid is.
6. Develop your first draft based on the brainstorm and present this to the same group of stakeholders.
7. Get input and adjust the brand pyramid as needed.
8. Once you’ve gotten key people to sign off you should present the brand pyramid to the wider company (sales, engineers, customer support, HR etc.). Depending on the size of your business you’ll want to either do this at an all hands and possibly have members of the marketing team present this to all relevant customer facing teams and team leads.
9. With the brand pyramid finished and presented you should add it to your Brand Bible(if you already have one), upload it to the marketing page of your intranet and ensure everyone knows where it is.

How to keep the Brand Pyramid Alive

Congratulations! You’ve developed your brand pyramid. But to keep it going and make it a reality as opposed to just a pretty diagram and management exercise, founders and/or senior management should continuously reinforce your brand essence and core values publicly whenever they have the opportunity.

One way to do that would be to start off each all hands with a 2 minute recap of your brand essence and values. Another way I’ve seen this successfully implemented is to institute quarterly rewards for employees who exemplify your brand values and brand essence through actions and initiatives of their own. At Course Hero, the company where I used to work, they took this a step farther and actually developed Slack emoticons that people would use in conversations whenever someone did something that furthered the company’s core values. Pretty cool if you ask me!

Hope this helps. Building a great brand pyramid is essential in getting your senior management on the same page. The brand pyramid is a great tool to set the foundation for your company’s brand strategy and can become vital, when used properly, for consistently living up to your brand’s promise. But remember, it’s just a tool and building a great brand is all about consistency, focus and patience.

XINI as a brand management agency in Lagos Nigeria, We ensure that our clients stay peak through all the needed brand experience that converts to them daily. Think XINI think Brand think Value.

Have Your  Read About Printing In Lagos Nigeria?

What of Digital PageScore?

Lastly to keep you updated have you read on The Future Of Printing

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LAGOS Printing Company

A LAGOS Printing Company Or Printing In Nigeria Generally Costs You Less!

“Through A Lagos printing company, especially in Nigeria, production costs on printing can be significantly lower than printing your products locally.”

A Lagos printing company or Lagos state printing can save you up to 25% on medium to high run print jobs for all types of printing projects including soft or hardcover books, cookbooks, notepads, training manuals, journals, etc

International Printers Work 24/7

If local or regional printers have been your only source for printing quotes, don’t overlook offshore printing companies in Lagos, Nigeria or Generally west Africa where printing plants often work 24/7 providing fast, high quality print production and extremely reliable service but for a lot less than you can ever expect.

“Get a Lagos printing company Quote now”

Lead free, and environmentally sound, Soy based
Inks are used for all of our printing.

Commercial printers overseas can print projects as diverse as:

• Annual reports
• Hard and soft cover books
• Brochures
• Calendars
• Catalogs
• Flyers Printing
• Inserts
• Labels
• Packaging
• Four Color Printing
• Postcards & Warranty Cards
• Plus many other types of print products

Complete Printing Services

If you’re in a rush for your printing or need a partial shipment, our international print brokers can arrange to have your printing shipped from Lagos, Nigeria by air to any part of the world. You will receive your printing order in two or three business days.

If your schedule permits, shipping your Lagos  printing company order by sea offers the best savings. Average shipping time to U.S. west coast ports is only 27 days. From there we ship the printing by truck or rail to all U.S. destinations.

“Get a China Printing Quote”

XINI Prints can deliver your printing direct from printers in Lagos and diaspora to your door, almost anywhere in the world. Shipping time to Europe is about four weeks. Normal print production time in Lagos is less than a week for printing press proofs and one to two weeks for post-press, depending on the quantity and complexity of the job.

You can even get “bound book samples” and actual “press proofs” for all color work (which are very rare in your local market) letting you see your end product at the proof stage.

For more information on the benefits of a Lagos printing company or printers in Nigeria  or for information on how offshore printers can save you money, email XINI at info@xinicomms.com.

Printing in Lagos allows you to produce high quality printing for less!

Get a Lagos Printing Quote from XINI for the production of your next book, calendar or catalog printing project. For more information on how to get tremendous savings by using our Lagos or other international printing companies contact us by e-mail at info@xinicomms.com

XINI Print Communications provides quality printing for books, catalog, brochure, calendar, four color printing, etc. in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and across all the states in Nigeria for your professional printing service.

 

Ext Book Printing Lagos

Text Book Printing Lagos Specialists…

International Textbook Printers

High Quality Text Book Printing At Wholesale Prices

 

Only Lead Free, Environmentally Sound, Soy Based Inks Are Used For All book Printing and general publications 

As your International Print Broker, we can help you find overseas textbook printers who can offer full-service textbook printing for much less and in most cases, much sooner than even local book printers.

XINI can help you source overseas textbook printers in Lagos, and across all the states in Nigeria,  with full-color textbook printing services that include binding, lithography, digital pre-press and print capabilities. We carefully select only textbook printing material by using high quality paper stock and a complete palette of ink colors plus have the capabilities for four-color printing.

Our  Book Printing Cost. We do not represent overseas textbook printers; however we have developed excellent relationships with a number of carefully chosen international textbook printers. This allows us to obtain the most competitive textbook printing quotes possible for our clients.

Book Products

• 

  Book Printing China – Save 30%!

  Hard and Soft Bound Books

• Children books
• Board Books
• Cookbooks
• Bible products
  
• Coffee table book
• Comic Books
• Art and photo books
• Self publisher book
• Journals
• Diaries
• Bibles and Leather Bound Books

Calendar Printing Services

Overseas Journal & Calendar Printing Services Lagos, Nigeria Printers

 

XINI Prints has developed strong relationships with excellent calendar printers and high quality printers in Nigeria by producing the best set of calendar templates across Nigeria plus other international markets like Ghana, Togo, South Africa, Etc.

“Get a Quote from Calendar Printing Services Lagos”

Only Lead Free, Environmentally Sound, Soy Based Inks Are Used For All Of Our Calendar Printing

Let us help you improve your bottom line and save up to 30% on medium to high run calendar printing projects using calendar printers overseas. NOTE: Smaller volume print jobs may be more cost effective if printed locally.

Fast, Reliable Calendar Printers

Our international standard calendar printers are fast, and generally work rotating shifts 24/7 to complete calendar printing projects on time and on budget, without sacrificing quality

XINI Printing carefully matches each calendar printing project with the best calendar printers for job. Our international calendar printers use only high quality paper stock and have the capabilities for four color process with a complete palette of ink colors at your disposal.

For decades major Western publishers have used international offset printers in Lagos Nigeria and other overseas markets for creating superior quality print products including calendar printing and journal printing.

Full Color Calendar Printing Services

Overseas calendar printers can provide complete printing services for your next full-color calendar printing or journal printing. Get the same high quality standard you are used to including:

• High resolution scanning
• Capabilities for processing e-files and files from disk
• Full color separations
• Perforating, drilling and die cutting as required
• Folding, scoring, foil stamping
• Plus much, much more!

Catalog Printing Lagos

High Quality Magazine Printing, Brochure Printing & Catalog Printing In Lagos & Africa

Talk to us first if you need a low cost catalog printing Lagos Nigeria quote, or if you are looking for a full color magazine printing company or need wholesale brochure printing services

Over the past few years print brokers XINI has developed excellent working relationships with  printers clients to the top of all brands in Lagos and other international printing markets like:

West Africa
Lagos	Accra
Lome	Abuja
South Africa

These overseas Offset Printers are carefully chosen because they can offer the same high quality, full color brochure printing, magazine printing and catalog printing services that you can get in your local market, except they are able to offer exceptional savings on medium to high run quantities; up to 30% less

Low Cost Catalog Printing Services

Ask our professional printing brokers at Artful Dragon Press for the most competitive:

• Low Cost Catalog Printing Quote
• Full Color Brochure Printing Quote
• Color Magazine Printing Quote

Magazine and catalog printers in Lagos and other overseas markets can deliver the same high quality printing standards you are used to, but for a lot less.

If you are looking for wholesale Four Color Brochure or Catalog Printing we can help with that also.

“Get Quotes from Overseas Full Color Catalog Printers “

High Quality Full Color Printing In Lagos & Nigeria

We want to be your International Catalog Printing China Broker for magazine, brochure and catalog printing in Lagos, Nigeria. We will make sure that your next catalog or full color brochure printing receives the highest-level of print production but at better than competitive pricing

Your selected full color brochure printer or catalog printer will only use state-of-the-art printing equipment and use the latest color printing techniques. All magazine, brochure and catalog printing is done only on high quality paper stock with a complete palette of ink colors at your disposal.

Our Full Color Catalog Printers Use Only
Lead Free, Environmentally Sound Soy Based Inks

As a Nigerian based, commercial print company  XINI does not represent any particular full color brochure printer or overseas catalog printer in Lagos. Instead we work for you directly.

We can help you source out international full color brochure printing templates inclusive of organic concepts beyond imaginations and catalog printers who can give you custom print orders and high-end medium to large run print jobs.

Catalog Printing Services at all stages including:

Pre-press (including actual press proofs for all color work)

• Catalog Printing
• Binding
• Delivery

Your catalog printing or brochure printing project can have a normal print production time of:

• One week for press proofs
• One to two weeks for printing and post-press

Visit us or request your printing needs and types of printing projects that we can from full color flyers and brochures, to book printing, calendar printing, magazine printing and catalog printing.

For more information on finding professional brochure printers, magazine printers or catalog printers in Lagos kindly feel free to reach us daily as our team are ever ready to ensure that you get the best from our strategic management staff.

“Get Quotes from Overseas Full Color Catalog Printers “

As a Lagos based printing company  quality printing for books, catalog, brochure, calendar, four color printing, etc. in Lagos and across African countries.

Feel free to read about:

Experiential Marketing Across The World From Lagos Nigeria

The Future Of Printing In The World

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