It's A Stickup

Welcome to It's A Stick Up, providers of high-quality custom gifts and banners for all celebrations and purposes. http://www.itsastickup.co.uk/

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Creating Your Business Stand with Roller Banners

There’s nothing more awkward than going to a convention, careers fair or any other business showcasing event and seeing a stand devoid of any creativity, brand awareness or even effort. It happens more often than you might think, with red faced individuals stood with nothing more than a blank venue-provided board and a few free pens.

Establishing a professional company presence (even when it’s pop-up) can seem difficult for anyone without experience in visual marketing, but it really is as simple as opting for custom designed roller banners and choosing staff members who can smile, interact and positively showcase your business.

So arm yourself with your branded banners, bring along a tablecloth in the company colours and have plenty of forms, pens, brochures, business cards and a couple of tablets to take down any details. 

Uniform banners

The great thing about several uniform branded banners is that you can enjoy complete flexibility when setting up your stand. Cover any eye sores, create your own little semi-enclosed area and arrange your banners in any order with ease. Opt for brand colours, a strapline and brand logo and try to scope out your assigned stand before the big day, that way you can determine how many you’ll need to get maximum visual effect out of your stand.

Multiple Design Banners

If you want your display to say something about your brand, then a choice of banners containing your message, contact details and brand can allow you to create a varied display, just make sure they aren’t all reliant on one another if your stand area turns out to be smaller than expected. In the above example you can see that the brand has managed to create a really strong profile on a budget. Through simply using branded business banners, branded tablecloths and having staff dressed in the company colours with name tags, the business has come across as professional and approachable.

Pop-up banners

Pop-up banners are ideal for creating a robust profile when you have the luxury of space. Of Course you don’t have the same degree of flexibility as you would have with roller banners, but if your company is large enough to occupy the prime spaces, then this is a great way to create a professional looking stand quickly.

As you can see from the Evershed’s banner below, a pop-up banner allows you a little more creativity with your design, although it’s worth mentioning, a good design business banner company such as It’s a Stickup will be able to accommodate your design whatever the size and style of banner, so don’t feel restricted by a certain style.

We hope that’s given you a little inspiration for showcasing your brand professionally and on a budget. It’s a Stickup sell the full range of banners showcased in this post, so please get in touch if you have sizing or design queries.

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Start Preparing For Your Little One’s ‘Letter to Santa’

We know, we know, it’s still only October, but for mums on a budget the Christmas planning will probably have started sometime around September. For the really savvy amongst you then it may even have started in last January’s sales.

So in homage to you, the organised mum, we salute you for managing to keep treats hidden and Christmas costs organised. After all, it may be the most magical time of the year, but we don’t think it’s one worth bankrupting yourself for.

So, this year, before that Coca-Cola advert has even come on, we’re introducing you to the children’s gifts that’ll delight your little ones and go easy on your pocket.

Weally Good Wheely Bugs

http://www.itsastickup.co.uk/children/toys-games/wheelybugs.html

Ahem, couldn’t resist the obvious joke there...

But anyway, we just had to give a shout out to a Wheely Bug collection, we really have got quite a zoo going on down here at It’s a Stickup, so whatever animal they’re pining for, we’re sure we have a pet for you! Our Wheely Bugs are designed to be ridden, pushed and pulled for good boys and girls, so start dropping hints about their favourite critter, we’re personally loving the lion...

Personalised Height Chart

http://www.itsastickup.co.uk/children/personalised-for-children.html?p=1

Our personalised height charts are supposed to be a gift for them, but let’s be honest, they’re really a gift for you too! See them grow from little monsters to stroppy pre-teens in style with our perfect stocking filler charts. Choose from their favourite Disney characters or go for our popular ‘cartoon’ style.

The Ultimate Stocking Filler

http://www.itsastickup.co.uk/keep-calm-large-sweet-blue.html

On-trend and packed with goodies, our personalised ‘Keep Calm’ sweet jars are bound to be a hit this Christmas. Remember the classics and introduce your little ones to the sweets of your childhood. Parma Violet anyone?

Finally... One For You All

http://www.itsastickup.co.uk/cel0040.html

So the kids are taken care of, now it’s time to get your home in order with a personalised family banner. Our classic Christmas banner is comes in a range of sizes and is printed on tarpaulin, so if you’re partial to adorning the outside of your house with festive cheer, then you might just appreciate our XL size...!

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How Successful Brands do Pop-Up

As purveyors of business banners and pop-up displays, we’d like to think we know a thing or two about setting up a great pop-up event without depleting all of your funds and time. Because while we understand the costs of establishing any business - whether that’s fitting out large premises or signing up for a street stall - are far from meagre, intelligent marketing can be completed on a shoestring budget with just a little creativity and some tips and tricks of the trade. In this post we outline the simple and cheap ways you can showcase your brand and carve yourself an authoritative position in your industry. Of course, if you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll try our up-most to answer your marketing related queries.

Digital Marketing

So how can you get your brand out there without paying costly agency or social media freelancing fees? Social media takes time and dedication, but with a few key tools and techniques you can successfully attract your audience, interact with them at key times and offer the kind of incentives which will sustainably grow your following.

Build Your Following

With Twitter, G+ and Pinterest, the only way to build your following is with a little time and effort, it is vitally important to get the types of followers who will benefit your brand and display a genuine interest in your industry. Begin by following influential blogs, sites and industry professionals i.e. chefs and restaurants if your business is fusion street food, and retweet, share and discuss wherever possible. Over time, interest in your brand will grow as your name becomes visible and your following will naturally snowball.

It is also worth establishing a blog (if your website doesn’t have functionality then opt for a Tumblr blog) in order to promote content, news and expert opinion. After all you are an expert! Over time this can allow you to build authority in your field and gain a substantial monthly readership.

With Facebook, you can help things along with paid advertising however, and for a reasonable $20 per day spend (£12.45) you can significantly increase your likes and target your ideal audience.

To establish a paid ad simply follow the process:

Settings > Create Ad > Get More Page Likes

Once at this stage you can then pen a headline and byline and upload a tab photo. Use the word count wisely to get your message across, you want to see optimum return (i.e. likes and interaction) on your investment.

You can then specify who you would like to target with your ad based on gender, age location and interests. For example if you will be holding a pop-up event in Birmingham then target users within 50 miles of the city, or target women aged 18-30 with an interest in fashion if you have a young fashion boutique.

You can then specify your spend. While a certain spend can’t guarantee the amount of likes you’ll achieve, we usually find a week long spend of $20 per day significantly increases likes and interaction. You can set a continuous campaign (which you can pause at any time) or choose a start and end date for your campaign.

Target Your Audience

Once likes, follows and interactions are beginning to happen, you can then establish when your followers are mostly likely to be receptive by using a number of free insights tools. For Facebook, Facebook Insights are impressively detailed and will allow you to see which posts are the most popular (i.e. images, links etc.) as well as the time in which your audience is most likely to engage with you. For Twitter, Followerwonk and Bitly are great tools for finding out how your posts are performing and when your followers are most likely to interact and retweet. Once you have gleaned this data from Facebook and Twitter you can use this to schedule your posts (use Tweetdeck for scheduling) at the times when your audience are most receptive.

Standing Out From the Noise

Print marketing is fast becoming seriously outdated. It’s annoying, detrimental to the environment and doesn’t visually enhance your brand. A much more effective way to promote your brand and establish a tone of voice is to utilise pop-up banners emblazoned with your brand name, logo, colour scheme, contact details and strap line. It’s cost effective and durable as it can be transported from place to place and allows you to create a professional display in seconds. There are also companies out there (such as It’s a Stickup!) who can help you with your design and branding when supplying your pop-up and business banners, making for an even more cost-effective solution.

Some of the best pop-up stands we’ve seen have a ‘theme’ in order to effectively practice what they preach as a creative business – put simply, innovative ideas matter. One event we saw (a digital agency) had a ‘baking’ theme using puns like ‘knead a job’, bespoke business cards tailored for the event and of course their signature colours. They also donned their staff in a chef’s hat and offered fairy cakes to passing visitors! It was simple, but it allowed them to stand out from the crowd using minimal creative time.

We hope that has given you a helpful introduction, as mentioned, for any business banner queries or marketing advice please don’t hesitate to get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.

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We’re Appreciating the Bard in Anticipation of Shakespeare Week

If you have any sort of interest or involvement in the dramatic arts then you’ll probably have heard of the impending ‘Bard’ week coming up early next year (17th-23rd March 2014).

Yes organisation has already begun for Shakespeare week with schools up and down the country making a little room in their curriculum and Am Dram groups bringing out their very finest portrayals of Macbeth!

Shakespeare week is primarily aimed at primary school children, but of course in order to bring (the sometimes complicated) plays to life, a whole host of libraries, theatres and museums will be getting involved too.

The national event will be a first and already a staggering 1,000 primary schools have signed up! For the majority of us who were first exposed to Shakespeare halfway through secondary school, it’s rather nice to think that a whole generation will grow up with an early appreciation of the classic plays.

The campaign has been organised by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the aim is to get 3 million children and their families involved by 2018. The trust plans to get teachers across the country fully involved by offering a wealth of free downloadable teaching resources and there’s literally something for all skills, abilities and subjects!

From Tudor recipes to maths and technology, it’s truly fascinating for primary school pupils and adults – take a look, it’s a great way to get teachers, children and parents enjoying traditional subjects together.

Primary school children will even receive ‘passports’ which will encourage an on-going interest in Shakespeare. I’m sure all of us born pre-1995 will probably agree – this would have been pretty handy for keeping interest alive after scrupulously studying Hamlet for GCSEs!

So in appreciation of all things Shakespeare we’re interested to know: What’s your favourite Shakespeare play?

Do you prefer the tragic tales of love and death or are the comedies more your cup of tea? We’ve long been fans of the mystery and intrigue of Shakespeare, so adding a personalised tale of Romeo and Juliet to our collection was an obvious choice. That’s not to say it’s our strict favourite though, after all, everyone loves a comedy. Or a ghost story for that matter...

To talk Shakespeare, gifts or anything It's a Stickup related, please get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.

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Spotted: The Personalised Products We Love

If it’s got your name on it, quite frankly we can't get enough of it! Right now there's so many personalised mainstream products circulating that we thought it was high time we penned a little appreciation blog.

Enjoy!

Wear it on Your Sleeve with Personalised Cuff-links

Subtle but heartfelt, we couldn’t fail to include our very own It’s a Stickup cuff-links! We love these ‘new born’ cuff-links as a present for dad, granddad or any other adoring male or female in the family (don’t forget women can cuff-link up their shirts too!).

Title Your Tipple

Last but certainly not least in the personalised products stake, nothing says ‘Let’s Party’ like your very own personalised Vodka bottle. Technically it promotes responsible drinking too, because if you think about it, no one wants to guzzle a beautiful bottle too quickly. That’s our story anyway.

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A Pop-Up Display For a Pop-Up Boutique

Whether food or fashion is your calling, the phenomenon of pop-up has likely tempted you into its bosom of mystery in recent months – it’s quite simply become the trendy way to dine and shop away from all those same-old corporate chains.

Whether it’s an empty warehouse that’s been transformed into a modern boutique metropolis, or a couple of impromptu shopping centre stalls, pop-up retail establishments offer all of the freedom of low overheads whilst still getting your brand and produce out there.

Of course when money is less of an object, exposure is still key, and aside from niche labels and up and coming talents, pop-up has been well utilised by big players looking to hone in on the trend. Let’s be honest there’s no shortage of Michelin stars in the pop-up restaurant scene.

But of course if you’re hoping to host your own pop-up creation, then you’ll probably be looking for a high impact branding and finish that delivers on style and quality without the huge costs. A pop-up display is probably the most effective way to distinguish yourself and still let your store do the talking.

Inspired? At It's a Stickup we offer pop up displays in a choice of sizes and we can provide your artwork. Please get in touch with our friendly team if you'd like any pointers on creating your own pop up display.

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Forget the age old headache excuse with our cheeky yes/no pillows!

We honestly don’t think we’ve ever seen such a problem-solving pillow. Forget neck support, forget anti-allergy, these things are so blunt, they’re genius.

No longer do you have to bitterly disappoint your partner because you had a 5am start, forgot to wax your legs, or just really want to get in your Winnie the Pooh PJs – just take it to the pillow. No explanations, no excuses, no rebuked advances. Everyone’s a winner. Well technically only one of you is a winner, but there’s always tomorrow...

Creating a Russian roulette style sex life? Maybe. But trust us when we say, there’s enough ladies and gents out there who trust the effectiveness of the pillow. There’s no need to put your partner off for life with details of your menstrual cycle, explain your suffering from a little ‘golf ball’ after a sport related groin injury or mention anything else that your partner would rather not hear.

The truth may set you free but when it comes to sex, your more gruesome bodily functions don’t need to be shared. Ever. And yes we can imagine that some of you have probably blurted out that you ‘have a dodgy tummy’ in order to avoid the deed before. For those amongst you, we give you the gift of the yes/no angel/devil pillow.

But of course when you are the in mood (which may be more often than not- go you!), forget the tussle of the will she/he, won’t she/he and let them know in the most blatant way possible. You + naked + the devil pillow strategically placed.

Cue Barry White.

    Behold the personalised Yes/No Angel/Devil Pillows.

Our only advice? If you’re both always on opposing sides (i.e. Monday-Thursday she says no, Friday-Sunday he says no) then get rid of the pillows immediately and revert to classic ways of wooing your partner into bed. The genius of the pillow is lost on some.

Any questions, queries, sex-life advice? Just get in touch with our friendly It's a Stickup team.

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Gifts for Couples Without the Hassle

As the ‘wedding season’ comes to an end we’re curious as to how many weddings you’ve attended this summer.

For some of us it seems like every other weekend has been a gift-wielding, black tie donning celebration of the newly-weds. While summer may be coming to a close (apparently the most popular time of the year to embark on holy matrimony), there’s still plenty of weddings dotting country houses all over the UK this autumn.

But, hey, it may be costing you a small fortune, but everyone loves a wedding. Plus if you’re spending the day quaffing champagne and nibbling canapés it’s only right that you come bearing gifts. We just say that gift doesn’t have to be a bone china gravy boat from Harvey Nichols.

So with a beautiful personalised gift range that doesn’t cost the earth, we’re bringing you a little inspiration. Whether it’s a wedding, anniversary or Christmas present, these gift ideas are perfect for that inseparable couple. (Or to be ironic if they’re a real life Basil and Sybil Fawlty).

Of course, our customisable range can be completely tailored for you, so whether you’re a Mr and Mr, Mrs and Mrs, Mr and Mrs or just good friends, take the stress out of buying for couples with our beautiful range of personalised home wear.

 Customised Salt & Pepper Mills

What better way to reflect a perfectly complementing pair than these customised salt and pepper mills? A beautiful gift for the table or a way to remind a kitchen-phobic other half that they should contribute to the cooking!

Personalised Home Sweet Home Wooden Sign

A gift for the couple and the postman, need we say more?

Personalised Heart Motif Slate Coasters

Stylish and subtle, perfect for the couple who don't do teddy bears holding hearts.

We hope that's given you a little inspiration for the couple who have everything! To view our whole range of personalised gifts take a look at the It's a Stickup website or get in touch with our friendly team. 

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Mark Those Exam Results With A Personalised Gift

If you’re the parent of a recent school leaver then we can imagine these last few weeks have been pretty fraught! Whether your brood are planning for university after A level results, or you’re still waiting for a perfect 10 on those GCSE results, August means only one thing for the parents of a final-year teenager; worry. Lots and lots of worry.

But whether those results are better than you could ever have hoped for or a little disappointing, chances are whatever their destination, it’ll be a time for celebration. From going straight into work, embarking on an apprenticeship, going on to further study or even travelling the world, it’s an exciting time that few of us will forget (even if it was a few years decades ago!).

Marking the occasion with a gift is a great way to truly say it all when your not-so-little ones are flying the nest and entering the hard-knock real world. From a token to take to university, a congratulations gift or just something to say how proud you are, give them something to remember without breaking the bank this summer.

If you’re lucky enough(!) to be helping your little darlings with university costs then we understand that a suitably beautiful personalised gift shouldn’t have to cost the earth, so we’ve highlighted some of our favourite stylish (and reasonably priced) gifts from our range!

Personalised Vodka Bottle £24.99

We know you probably don’t want to think of your teen partying the night away a good 4 nights a week whilst at university, but in those first precious few months, it’s bound to happen. So we say embrace it, teach them safe drinking practices and give them their very own personalised vodka bottle! Pre-drinking is a student’s prerogative and with this baby, they'll be loathe to forget home while they’re sipping premium vodka with 19p lemonade!

Oh and while we're on the boozing...

Personalised large 2.5 Litre Lager Glass £19.99

Personalised 'Keep Calm' Large Sweet Jar £14.99

You’re never too old for sweets and what better way to say congratulations than with one of the tastiest and most pocket friendly gifts in our range? The personalised sweet jar is so unfailing popular, this is a gift everyone will appreciate!

Stirling Silver Personalised Locket £49.99

An elegant locket is a gift she’ll treasure for years and this beautiful sterling silver locket can be personalised with any message of your choosing.

All that's left to say is a huge congratulations to you and your son/daughter for such a momentous achievement!

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Help a Human Sign-Post Today

You’ve probably seen those poor sign board people stuck in the middle of the high street with goose-pimply flesh and a big wooden sign pointing to ‘Barry’s Butties’ if you’ve been out and about of late. If you haven’t then you need to get out more; they’re everywhere.

Whereas once the poor human sign-board was restricted to independent cafes off the beaten track, the big brands have jumped on the bandwagon and got themselves their very own little army of human sign-holders - which is just unnecessary. Everyone knows where McDonald's is and if they don’t then they’re likely to come across it on their travels at some point.

If an alley’s afoot then apparently a human-sign post is needed, it’s all very circa 1890’s.

But we say it doesn’t have to be this way. There are thousands of sign-holders needing your help today. Save them the indignity, save them from a life on the streets.

All it takes is one pavement sign strategically placed outside your business to spare a human-signboard. Opt for an A-frame sign, opt for a swing sign, just spare a thought for the human sign board today.

They’re cheaper, they’re weather-proof and you can proudly say that you helped the cause. You made that difference. It was you who said enough is enough and spared the human sign-board.

Go on, give yourself a pat on the back.

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Wheelie Bin Theft: The Daylight Robbery Going On in Your Neighbourhood

Once it happens you’ll never quite feel the same about your neighbours again.

Because while someone breaking in and running off with your TV is most definitely theft, the dreaded wheelie bin heist is a bit of a grey area. Like feeding someone else’s cat. You know it’s not yours but since it wanders outside your house so freely you’re bound to think you naturally have some sort of claim over it.

Then there’s the issue of suspecting the culprit. You’re sure your wheelie bin had a characteristic scratch and now it has gone walk-about and them from 3 doors down suddenly have an uncanny look-alike. The worst is when you’ve even gone to the effort of marking your house number on the bin in question and it still manages to appear outside the Jones’.

The cheek!

Believe it or not, the great wheelie bin crime ring has even been given national news coverage in recent years as councils tighten their belts, extend the times between collection periods and basically fuel the thriving criminal underworld of lifted wheelie bins (or so the Daily Mail would have us believe anyway)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218494/Fortnightly-rubbish-collections-fuel-black-market-stolen-wheelie-bin.html

We’re not quite willing to accept that it’s a full-blown criminal ring just yet, but we do know it’s annoying and endlessly embarrassing when we go on the rampage to retrieve the bin from the next street. We also know the council are charging the princely sum of £50 for a new one, so the bin-theft investigation is a necessary one for staying in pocket.

But we think we’ve found the answer at long last. You could paint your wheelie bin with a rather fetching ‘toxic waste’ warning or maybe leave a falsely soiled nappy hanging over the side (trust us no one will touch it) but you do run the risk of looking like a bit of a village-idiot.

So instead of doing a ‘Blue Peter’ job on your bin, we suggest a bright and personalised wheelie bin sticker to stake your claim over your property and send the shysters elsewhere. Hey, it’s only a wheelie bin, but we’ll be damned if we spend one more night lurking around trying to determine who’s made off with it.

We’ve gone for the completely customisable effect so you can mark your bin with your address, pet or basically whatever image you choose. You can even add your own photo too.

So you can stick your face on it as a reminder that it’s your bin and, yes, you are a bit of a beef-cake so thieves would be wise to leave well alone.

  Or our personal recommendation...

(image credit: www.absolutetoys.com.au)

Everyone knows your side of the street is the classiest anyway...

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Hello from It's A Stickup!

Hello and welcome to our brand new It's a Stickup Tumblr blog! 

We're just putting some finishing touches to our product range at the moment, but please check back as we'll be bringing you the best customised gifts and banners around!