Client Spotlight #1

We wanted to take some time to highlight the work some of our customers are doing in the community. So let’s introduce our first AMAZING partner...

Benjie Kaplan, the Executive Director of Minnesota Hillel, chatted with us about his team’s experience with COVID-19, working remotely, and plans for students as they return to campus this fall. 

Q: What is Minnesota Hillel? 

Benjie: Minnesota Hillel is the only nonprofit, Jewish center serving college students at the University of Minnesota. We started serving students in 1940 with a direct focus on social programming, social action, social justice, celebrating Israel and Israeli education and holidays, learning, and leadership. Currently, we have 5 staff members that work together to serve over 700 students on campus. 

Q: What did the initial transition to COVID-19 look like? 

Benjie: Students were away on spring break when they found out that the campus would be closing due to COVID-19. We knew everything had to go virtual in order to continue serving students for the final 10 weeks of the semester. Fortunately, we are in the process of building a new center for students, so it was a good time for students who were involved with Minnesota Hillel to not be on campus. 

Q: How has Minnesota Hillel adjusted to working remotely? 

Benjie: We began working from home and realized it does have some barriers and is difficult to not have the opportunity to engage personally with students. Keeping the team mentality and motivation up is also a new challenge we face. Most students did not expect much help from Hillel over the summer which did help relieve some pressure. 

Q: What changes on campus should students expect this fall? 

Benjie: Students will be returning to campus and we plan to follow the university’s guidelines for social distancing. The new building will open in September and we are excited for students to be able to safely utilize it! All of the bathrooms in the new building are hands-free (toilets, sinks, hand dryers, etc.) The new building also has study rooms and classrooms that are available for students to utilize. We have established a room booking system that can track when the rooms are being used, who is using them, and when they need to be cleaned. 

We are also organizing a Welcome Back Barbecue event. An anticipated 200-300 people will attend. It gives students the opportunity to stop by, say hi, and take a tour of the new building. 

Q: Has Minnesota Hillel hosted any virtual events? 

Benjie: Minnesota Hillel hosted the Maroon and Gold Shabbat as a virtual event. 1000 people were able to attend the event because it was online, and it was able to reach a much broader audience. The event was free for students and if parents or alumni wanted to participate, they could receive a sponsorship to do so. All participants received a t-shirt. In previous years, there had been 80th-year t-shirts, reusable double-walled glasses, and even custom maroon, gold, and white M&M’s with the Minnesota Hillel logo!

Q: What do successful promotions look like for Minnesota Hillel? 

Benjie: Minnesota Hillel has a reputation for having really nice swag. I have a background in marketing and public relations and recognize that giving away chapsticks isn’t going to be beneficial to us. We always make an effort to ask our students what they want for swag to ensure that the products will be used, rather than sit on a desk or in a closet for months on end. 

Minnesota Hillel hosts a leadership trip to Israel for a small group of students. All of the students received a Hydro Flask and were very excited about it. This expedition also allows for the students to meet the donors who sponsored the trip as well as receive a gift from them. When other students on campus saw the Hydro Flasks, they wanted to know how they could get one!

Minnesota Hillel is present on both Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about Minnesota Hillel, you can visit their website at https://www.mnhillel.org/. 

------------------------------------------

Lexie Warren is a Social Media Intern at Liquid Screen Design a Branding and Swagging company.  Helping nonprofits and businesses with their physical marketing needs and strategies.

In or Out of the Office, You are Still a Part of The Team!

In the midst of COVID-19, thousands of workers were forced into a completely new, foreign work culture. This transition was very abrupt and we understand that working remotely isn’t for everyone. That being said, understanding empathy can help you continue your adjustment into working remotely, ensuring that your employees and coworkers are heard and taken care of! 

We talked in a previous blog about some of the different reasons people may have stress towards the return to work. However, those who returned to work, but not in the office, may face very different struggles. 

Ultimately, our coworkers become our friends and while we are working remotely, we miss out on conversations over coffee, lunches, meetings, and even just a friendly smile on the way to the bathroom! Those interactions are helpful in making employees feel like they belong. So how do you make your employees feel like they are a part of the team when the team is only connected through digital waves on the internet? 

Being able to empathize with your employees, understanding that this “new normal” is not normal at all.  There will be challenges as employees make this new working environment work.  Now is the time to focus on building that remote team in a thoughtful way that connects them and builds stronger relationships and raises morale.  

Here are some ways to do that:

• Have all communications available to your employees.  For our team, we use and recommend Slack as a way to share work progress and also replicate some of the “water-cooler” chat that is now missing.   

• Schedules regular check-ins with other employees.  This does not always have to be about just business or “running the numbers”.  Have a real check-in with no stated goals.   

• Celebrates small wins, both personal and company-wide.  This can be shared via email, video chats, Slack, or any other communication.

• If you haven’t in the past, encourage all your employees to be decision-makers or idea-makers. Need evidence of this being a great business decision?  Look no further than the janitor who came up with Flaming Hot Cheetos and became an executive at PepsiCo.  

•  There is a reason professional sports teams (and their fans) all wear the same uniform...they are a TEAM!  Swag out your employees with apparel and other fun items.  People love getting gifts and if it is the right item it will get used and shared with others, showing what a great company yours is to work for.  It is a perfect way to send a physical reminder that you are thinking of them while they are remote, and who doesn’t love getting mail!?!

Now you may be saying, “Hold up!  I have to do those things all of the time to take care of my employees? That’s too much!” To build a remote team that works well and feels like a cohesive unit while keeping morale high is not easy.  In fact, it takes time, hard work, and some trial and error to build the right remote team.  Now is the opportunity for your business or organization to embrace these changes that will make your business stronger in the years to come!

-------------------------------------

Lexie Warren is a Social Media Intern at Liquid Screen Design a Branding and Swagging company.  Helping nonprofits and businesses with their physical marketing needs and strategies.

How to Capture the Same Buzz with a Virtual Event

The planning is over, the participants start to arrive, a buzz of excitement is in the air, your amazing in-person event is going to be something people talk about until your next one.  You know how to plan a great event, but now your event is going to be virtual.  What do you need to do to create that same buzz and leave your participants wowed in this new space?   

Have no fear, that’s why we are here! We will lay out a foundation for you so that planning your virtual event can blow your participants’ expectations away! 

The Basics With A Twist: Let People Know It’s Happening! 

Being virtual means being able to reach people who never could have come in person.  Create a Facebook or Eventbrite event to gauge how many people will be in attendance.  You need to be prepared on how to pivot in case your online event has WAY more people than your traditional in-person event.  Make sure to promote online across various social media platforms.  This is an opportunity to try different messaging, see which resonates the most and gets the most sign-ups.  TRACK THIS!  Pay attention to what message works best!

What Is This Going to Cost?

The best thing about a virtual event is that it costs significantly less than an in-person event!  There is no travel, venue rental, catering, etc.  Just because your event is going virtual does not make it free.  Use some of your unused, in-person budget on high impact items (like tech, guest speakers, and swag).  You will still save money but will shock people with what you can make happen.   

Virtual Event Means Virtual Scheduling 

When planning your event, you should keep in mind that although many people are working from home, not everyone is on the same schedule.  This can be a challenge, but you can change that challenge into a huge opportunity.  Think about mixing live programming at different times, some pre-recorded sessions that people can do on their own, small breakouts, and some recommended sessions with surprise live guests.  Experts in the field, CEO’s, and celebrities are more available for virtual events and can bring in a huge wow factor! 

Practice Makes Perfect 

How many times have you attended an event where you felt there was room for smoother execution?  This is amplified on a virtual event.  Practice, practice, practice.  Run tests with your coworkers and when that goes smoothly, run it again.  Even consider hiring an IT professional to help facilitate during your event in case there are any issues that pop up.  If the event doesn’t go smoothly because of IT issues your event will be a bust no matter what great programming you have.  

Swag Out Your Attendees 

When you go to a live event you get swag.  The same should be said for a virtual event.  Providing an incentive gives your attendees something to be excited about through the entire event! A customized swag box is a perfect way to both put in some fun surprises and program supplies while promoting your organization and encouraging attendees to be engaged in the content you are sharing. 

Keeping Them Engaged

Attendees can take polls or quizzes, raise their hands to answer questions, participate in live tweeting, or use the chat tool to show engagement! They will be more excited to engage with content if YOU are excited about the content you are sharing! It may not seem like that big a deal, but looking into the camera can imitate actual eye contact and attendees will feel more comfortable keeping them more engaged! 

Follow Up For Feedback

Once you have completed your event, take some time to reach out to attendees, and thank them for joining you! This is also a great time to ask for feedback about the event and what they would like to see more of. 

To talk through how to make your virtual event something that stands out from the crowd,  contact event specialist and Liquid Screen Design co-owner Bryan Goltzman at bryan@liquidscreendesign.com or 612-234-7230.  

-------------------------------------

Lexie Warren is a Social Media Intern at Liquid Screen Design a Branding and Swagging company.  Helping nonprofits and businesses with their physical marketing needs and strategies.  

You’ve Got Mail!

A Guide to Regaining Workplace Momentum and Morale

You’ve Got Mail…A Completely Custom Swag Box

You may think people are excited to get out of their homes and back to work, but there are so many reasons why people are stressed out and worried about the return to normalcy. Perhaps they got sick or knew people who were sick. Maybe they had to take a leave of absence or were laid off. Some businesses may have experienced a serious lack of revenue or had to change direction altogether. Ultimately, people are still trying to be cognizant of social distancing and it can be stressful to get back to work.

So how are businesses supposed to stay relevant and important to a customer base when the world has taken such a long break from reality, you ask? With a custom swag box of course! A custom swag box is a great way for your business to send out a physical reminder of who you are along with swag that the recipient will be excited to use! This blog post will guide you through the process of creating a box for your business.

The very first step to create your own custom swag box is to consider your purpose. Let’s go back to grade school and remind ourselves of the 5 W’s: who, what, where, when, and why. Who will be receiving the box? What messages do you want to communicate with your audience? Why are you sending out the swag box anyway? Answering all of these questions will help you build a well rounded, established purpose. It is essential that we start here to ensure that the goals for sending the box are met!

It is important to pick swag that will help continue to support your purpose for the box. Remember that these boxes are not a “one size fits all” operation which gives you the opportunity to customize it to fit your vision! It can be intimidating trying to figure out which products you would like to brand, however we have found that successful boxes have one to two “wow factor” items. So after considering your purpose, you can select some items that will really drive it home!

It may also be valuable to consider including an information sheet or postcard that can help explain the concept of your box. It will also be valuable to tell a story and share your message. The story that you share will be remembered by the recipients long after the box has been opened. Consider adding a flyer, postcard or booklet. You can even add a personal note, which will make a big impression on the recipient.

Now we can take the time to consider how to enhance the unboxing experience! This could be done in a number of ways. For example, perhaps you create a social media experience. Recipients of the box can post about what they have received with hashtags that leave a digital connection to your business. We can imagine it now: photos of individuals using and wearing branded items with YOUR business on it that are shared with their entire network of friends and family, the perfect way to continue marketing!

A custom swag box provides the opportunity to create a lasting impression on customers and leaves them thinking about your business long after the box has been opened! The box can develop productive reviews, social interactions and returning customers who will be talking about your business whilst things are getting back to normal. Before you know it, things will feel ordinary again and your business will be anything but!

You’ve developed a purpose, picked your customizable items, and have decided how you want to tell your story, so what’s next? Contact Benji Bearman by email benji@liquidscreendesign.com or call 612- 234-7230 for more information and start creating your box today!

-------------------------------------

Lexie Warren is a Social Media Intern at Liquid Screen Design a Branding and Swagging company. Helping non-profits and business with their physical marketing needs and strategies.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes…Some Wear T-SHIRTS!

Six weeks ago our world started to shift into a new economic landscape.  Today, we can hardly believe how much has changed.  We went from a robust economy to one where one in six people are unemployed.   Small businesses are shuttered and many are barely staying afloat with skeleton crews and cutting expenses.  Restaurants and bars are working feverishly to provide take out for customers, but sadly many will not make it. 

At Liquid Screen Design, many of our customers are small businesses and non-profits.  As we look around at this new reality, we can see our friends worrying about their futures.  In our staff meeting last week we were all asking…

“How can we help build community for our customers who are much more like friends?  What can we do to help in this time of extreme need?” 

Two years ago, on a whim, one of our school customers asked us if we could provide a solution to the school’s spiritwear issues.  We dove in and developed a platform for an easy online solution for schools, summer camps, businesses and non-profits.  It is easy to offer spiritwear at no cost to the organization. Plus, we take care of the packing and shipping of everything!  That first store has turned into several hundred online stores we offered in 2019.  Because of this, when the question came up of what could we do to help our friends, the answer became quickly apparent.  Offer a “Save Small Business with Swag” store and raise money by selling shirts, with the proceeds going directly to help small businesses. 

As of this post, there is no quick fix for this virus or the economy.  No magic pill to save us all and go back to normal.  What we need now is community standing together to support our local places we love and miss!    Be a small business hero, head to http://www.liquidscreendesign.com/save-small-business-store-page, buy a t-shirt (or two), wear it proudly, and help save local small businesses!

Canceled Events, Programs, and Camps Does Not Have to Mean Cancelled Connections

On March 6th, it seemed like an overreaction when South by Southwest canceled its 2020 event.  At that time, we did not fully understand the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak.  We were not all sheltering in place, teaching our kids and still trying to “work” remotely.

Now, one month later, we know that was the right call to cancel and others followed soon after (NCAA Tournament, NBA Season, movie theaters, etc.).  As government officials limited gatherings to smaller sizes or issued stay-at-home orders, attending trade shows, festivals, or events with thousands and thousands of other people became unthinkable.   Just about all of those events ended up canceled and we are just weeks away from summer camps, festivals and programs needing to make the same decisions. 

This has forced organizations, companies, and events to be innovative, adaptive and nimble in ways they haven’t ever had to before.  For those who could work remotely, or postpone rather than cancel, they are considered lucky.  For those that rely on their events or programs for revenue or fundraising, it is not so easy.  But it also has not been impossible.  Restaurants have started to rely heavily on things like branded swag to create cash flow while their doors are shuttered. 

For events like the University of Minnesota Hillel’s Maroon and Gold Shabbat or the Minneapolis Loppet City Trails event, it meant recognizing that things are not happening as planned.  The focus has shifted to what can be done by creating virtual events and creating a shared experience.  Minnesota Hillel took their largest fundraising and end of the year event, and turned it into a branded box for their Home Edition (to be sent out to all of its donors and students).  This has become an opportunity to bring Hillel into homes to celebrate.  The Minneapolis Loppet Foundation also wanted to create a great shared experience, pivoting their City Trails race and rebranding it as the City “Trials” virtual race with participants able to order their gear from a pop-up store and share their progress on social media.   

With technology being what it is, a lot of events have been moved online.  The best events are still engaging on an impactful level, with the participants making them feel like they were still part of a shared group experience.  The creative use of swag is an additional way to connect and create a physical marketing presence with customers and clients.  Many organizations and companies are taking a day-by-day approach waiting to see what happens, but they are missing out on uniquely engaging their participants and people are tuning out.  How many frontal videos have you watched on quarantine (and would you watch another)?    When things return to something like normalcy those businesses and organizations will need to think of brand new ways to coax their former participants back, while the forward-thinking ones will have kept theirs.  Now is the time to be creative and give your participants something even when they cannot be there in person. 

What Do I Do Now?

Our event is canceled (or soon will be).  Our school has been shut down indefinitely.  Our restaurant is closed, except for takeout orders.   We are determining if camp will be open or closed this summer.  “What do I do now?”    It’s the question we keep hearing ever since COVID-19 upended everything.

In uncertain or difficult economic times, it's natural to hunker down and cut costs, which includes your branding and swagging budget. Coronavirus has closed our schools, restaurants, and many businesses.  All conferences, trade shows, conventions, and other special events also have been canceled or postponed.   It’s what we need to do to flatten the curve and keep people safe and healthy.   As a business owner you have two choices: create an attack plan and go on offense, or pull the covers over your head and play defense.  

Option #1:           Offense

Attack! New ideas! Rally the team! Focus!  Look for new angles and create new revenue streams that will remain even after this pandemic is over.  ATTACK!!!

Option #2:           Defense

Curl up. Layoff. Cut marketing budgets. Cancel events and programs.  Be scared. Close your eyes and hope for the best.

Which one do you choose?  One of these puts you in control and allows you to be creative and save your business or organization.  The other forces you to be an observer and whatever happens will happen (which probably means ending your business/organization and canceling your programs). 

We choose OFFENSE!  We choose to pivot.  We choose to not roll over and die.  We choose to double down on the next 10 weeks.  We WILL make it while creating new ideas and positioning ourselves to be even stronger.  How?

As business owners or nonprofit executives, time is our most valuable resource.  If you find yourself with an abundance of it during this crisis, it's important to maximize it.   Use this unexpected pause in operations to focus on your organization’s future.  If you zero in on getting your branding and swagging strategy in order now, you'll be in an advantageous position.

Forward-gazing organizations understand that the moment the threat of this pandemic is over, programs will start again, events will be back on, and restaurants and businesses will reopen.  Conferences, trade shows, conventions and special events will resume as quickly as they were canceled.  And it may happen in record time--because participants, venues, and vendors will all be excited to move forward and ready to go.

When that moment arrives, a lot of organizations will find themselves surprised because there won't be enough time to get custom-printed swag and promotional products made.  Printers will be inundated with orders, rush orders will not be available and even standard turnaround times may be extended.

Everyone will be in the same boat--which is why now is the best time to consider revisiting your branding and marketing strategies.

Now is the time to take a look at your branding along with all of your collateral.  What does your swag game and logo say about your business?  Is it telling the story you want told?  Does it generate sales/registration/brand awareness?  Have you ever tracked its return (besides anecdotally)? 

If you do this now, when the threat of this virus is gone, and the business world reawakens, you'll be prepared for the return of your events, programs, and businesses, with new prospects and a supply of new t-shirts, Yeti-style water bottles, wireless earphones, bags, and other physical marketing items featuring your updated branding and marketing strategy.

The crisis that businesses and non-profits are all facing right now is real.  This is an unprecedented time that no one saw coming.  But no matter how it has already impacted your organization, you still have the choice to go on the offense and adapt and grow.  The COVID-19 crisis is a hardship that is full of opportunities for every business.  Go on the offense and find yours!

Bryan Goltzman is co-owner of Liquid Screen Design, a Branding and Swagging company that helps non-profits and business with their physical marketing needs and strategies. 

Five ways to increase your summer camp enrollment with early registration swag.

We all know that campers are the lifeblood of camp; we need them to enroll early to jump start our recruitment.  Campers who register early help create a buzz and spread the word about summer camp, not to mention provide much needed registration deposits.  As a summer camp professional for 13+ years, serving as COO at overnight and day camps, I understand the challenges and opportunities of a successful early registration process.  From the field, here are five ways to use swag to increase your early registration:

No. 1

Get your limited edition hockey jersey now!

Create buzz by giving away limited-availability swag for registering early. Choose something that is unique and that you can’t find at your camp’s canteen/trading post. When the swag you choose is not the typical giveaway, it incentivizes campers (and their parents) to take action and register for the summer.

Idea: Give away a limited edition Summer 2019 jersey, only available during early registration, with tackle-twill (sewn-on) lettering and numbers, which is something that you don’t typically offer.

No. 2

“I want a golden goose, and I want it now!”

-Veruca Salt (from Willy Wonka).

Choose swag that motivates campers to tell their parents that they need to finalize their registration.  Campers should see the early registration swag and ask how they can get some.  Since the only way to get this swag is to register during the early enrollment period, they will have to ask their parents to register them ASAP.  Campers put pressure on their parents to take action.

Idea: Yeti-style stainless steel double-wall insulated tumblers.  If campers see their friends carrying these around, they’ll want their own!

No. 3

Never Stop Exploring: The North Face

Consider brand name swag.  We know that preteens and high school teenagers are more likely to be loyal to brand names.  For certain markets, a brand name product creates a certain cache and desirability.

Idea: How about a laser engraved Hydro Flask water bottle?  These are the hottest bottles on the market now and are a status symbol amongst teens.

No. 4

What’s better than a t-shirt as a giveaway?

Offer something substantial.  We know that campers usually receive free swag from camp – maybe it’s a t-shirt and/or a water bottle.  The early registration swag should be more substantial. We are asking parents to make a significant commitment – to send their child to camp next summer.  If the gift being given away is what someone thinks they will receive during the summer, it is not a motivator for them. Thus, the gift should be seen as something better than the standard giveaway.

Idea: Knit stocking hat/beanie with your camp name.  Everyone loves wearing these- don’t forget the pom-pom on top!

No. 5

Here’s a riddle for you:

If you’re looking to break into early registration with teens, should you give them bottle opener keychains? No, of course not!  Pick products that campers will actually use. Try to dig deeper and get specific with your target market to ensure they’ll actually use your product.  

Idea: Beats-style wireless headphones are a great giveaway that will be used everyday, and will showcase your camp’s name to your desired market.

Remember, your campers are your brand ambassadors.  “I can’t wait to share this brochure with my friends,” said no one ever.  People who have registered for camp are more likely to recruit their friends to join them during the summer, especially if there’s cool and unique swag associated with registration.  Campers and parents who represent and talk about your camp in a positive way to their friends and family can create countless positive impressions, which hopefully leads to registrations.

We know summer camps, and we know that we can help you achieve success.  As a branding and swagging company that works with camps across North America, we can help share best practices to ensure that your summer is successful.  From early enrollment gifts to staff t-shirts to reusable tumblers and everything in between, let us help you promote your brand throughout the summer and the entire year.  

Let’s be in touch and work together!

Benji Bearman

Owner, Liquid Screen Design