Keeping Print in the Mix

As more marketers and businesses turn to alternative media in lieu of print for their business communications needs, they often miss an opportunity to improve the customer experience when they leave print out of the mix.

Integrated marketing uses a number of touch points to get the marketer’s message across in the most effective manner, and print can be effectively used as one of those touch points.

Perhaps the campaign starts with an email that encourages interested recipients to visit a personalized URL. This can go to thousands, even millions, of recipients. When interested recipients visit their personalized URL, the marketer will use an attractive offer to get recipients to provide more information about them. This allows the marketer to update their databases with more information, and more finely tune their communications to specific individuals or groups.

To keep the dialog going, a high-quality versioned postcard can be mailed to these qualified segments with yet another offer or additional information that the recipient will find of value. This way, the business is using the less expensive email medium to narrow the field, and investing in high quality print for those who are likely to become sources of revenue.

Email---website offer to collect information---fine tune content---postcard offer to qualified buyers

Thomas Miner

President of Bartleby Press Austin, Texas

How to stay motivated

Every Tuesday morning I meet with a group of business people for breakfast. It is designed to be a networking group but unlike a lot of the networking groups this one is more than an obligatory referral service. It has become a mentoring session.

Most successful business owners that I have met have confidential mentoring. Usually this is a collection of friends or family that share their knowledgeable on subjects that matter. This morning I was once again reminded how valuable these intimate conversations are…they inspire.

Today one of our colleagues was interested in how we keep our battery charged. Staying motivated is essential to our success not only for us as individuals but also for our employees. The question revolved around the table each from their perspective adding to a list that one could ruminate and visit on a regular basis.

One such suggestion came from a franchise owner that relies on the marketing services to execute a plan that will generate new leads–qualified leads. Having marketing plan and sticking to it takes the work out of sales.  Investing in traditional, proven strategies like direct mail and combining them with social media and IT solutions are practicable in pursuit of new business. We now live in a real-time-need environment and can listen to conversations about your service and knowing when a person is ready to buy is paramount. Establishing metrics to measure growth and ROI go without saying.

And when those leads dry up going back to your loyal customers and visit with them about your service. You might find out how to improve your customer satisfaction and ask for a referral. Meeting with satisfied customers reminds you that you are doing a good job and that in itself can pick up spirits and drive you forward when the leads are slowing down. Fulfilling a customer need is what drives sales.

Another emphasized the need to stay connected to people with involvement with community service and social meetings where a new introduction could be a new customer.

One last and important focus was suggested to be holistic centered. Whatever your livelihood is your personal happiness and well-being is necessary. Having little distractions in our personal lives and removing the negatives inspires us. And everyone likes to do business with a positive, blissful person.

Thomas Miner is President of Bartleby Press

Print Services Drive Customers to your Website

The print industry has evolved over the years. Today it is a viable support mechanism that is used to drive customers to your web with relevant real time content. Many people have grasped the idea of using a website to market their company in much the same way as the yellow page book. Business’ struggle for page position and Search Engine Optimization when cost effective direct mail can drive customers to your website to review products and make purchases.

A Print Resource Makes Sense

There are simple reasons that print makes sense. Networking your business through business groups requires a business card; a physical presence that a potential customer takes away. It continues to send your message long after your meeting. The same is true for color brochures, posters or a product flyer. It is tangible evidence to take away and share with colleagues in the decision making process and a reminder to check the website. It is still true, a picture says a thousand words and so does color printed products.

Investing in a website, social media and IT marketing is an expensive investment of time and money. However, after you invest in developing your web presence Every Door Direct Mail makes sense. You can cultivate your local market by driving more potential clients to visit your business online or visit your physical address.

Begin by establishing a partnership with a printing service because they can be a valuable resource. You can benefit greatly in the competitive world by having a print resource team and take advantage of a direct mail printing service. Without print, your company may miss your full potential.

About the Author: Thomas Miner is the President of Bartleby Press, an Austin. TX printing service. Bartleby Press provides digital printing, offset printing, and more. 

Benefits of Branding Your Business

Your business needs a brand – something that makes the business unique and stand out from the competitors while simply showing what it is your business does. A failed brand can create loss of audience, a misunderstanding of the product or service you offer, and many other downfalls. The print industry provides your brand with relevant content that drives customers to the web.

                 

From using unique colors, distinctive behavior, and your own identifiers, you are able to give your company a brand that the public can remember you by. Being distinctive and unique will help the company stick out from competitors, think of brands such as FedEx with their orange and purple brand, compared to UPS’s brown brand.

The print industry has changed from what it used to be. Today it is a viable support mechanism that is used to drive customers to the web with relevant content. Many people have grasped the idea of using a website to market the company, but it’s just as important to have something on paper and in a person’s hand for more tangible evidence that the company exists.

                 

A brand gives the company more credibility. When people are looking to make a purchase, they want something they can trust and rely on. Once a customer has a positive experience, they’re more likely to continue using that same business and spreading the word to everyone they know about the experience they had with the business.  Being able to provide your customers with business cards, brochures, flyers and posters gives them more reliability.

                 

Putting money into creating a brand with digital printing can be expensive. However, after you invest in creating the brand, you can maintain it without having to tell the story about the brand every time you market it. Once your brand is recognizable, it will pay for itself.

                 

By making your company noticed with a brand that uses print to its advantage, you will benefit greatly in the competitive world. Without a brand, your company is not reaching an audience or maintaining any customers. Without a brand that is supported with print, the chance of reaching any sort of audience is very minimal.

About the Author:

Denver printing company, The Print Connection is pleased to bring you this article on the Benefits of Branding Your Business with Print in an IT World. The Print Connection specializes in Denver bookbinding, digital printing, offset printing, graphic design, and so much more.

Is Your Advertising Hit or Miss?

Most business’ are small and don’t have a strong national brand to rely on scores of marketing teams to provide you with content and promotions. But every business needs to have its own personality and investment within its community to succeed. If your business is going to grow it has to adjust to its target customer base and there is no one that knows your business better than you. There are simple ways to reach out to your local audience through a combination of an online presence, small-targeted direct mail campaigns, and ads in local specialty publications.

You may hear a lot about localization. Localization is content matched to local media and searches. If you feel like the return on your local promotional initiatives is hit or miss, you may be neglecting some basics that can bolster your business and reputation.

Here is a look at three common mistakes businesses make when it comes to reaching local customers as Posted on February 28, 2013 by Megan Totka. Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com, one of the largest business directories on the web.

No Web Presence. Even owners of longtime mom and pop establishments can benefit from a simple website or inclusion in an online directory. It is not often that a local business owner says he or she has “too many” customers. In addition to regulars, a web presence brings in new clientele that happen upon sites when looking for a product or service. Many websites cost very little to create and maintain, and results-driven online directories are affordable too. If you are truly at a loss on where to begin in building an online following, hire someone to help you. The money you invest will pay off over time and many companies offer a flat fee to maintain the site for you.

Remember that it is not enough to rely on word-of-mouth or traditional marketing techniques to bring in new local customers. Hanging your digital shingle in cyberspace is also vital and easier than ever to accomplish. Give potential customers the answers to their questions in an immediate way in order to win their business and not lose them to more visible competitors.

Difficulty to Find. This point is similar to having a lack of web presence but applies beyond the digital realm. If people do not know where you are located, they cannot give you their business. This means promoting your web location in addition to your physical address. Unfortunately, people are so programmed to find the answers to all questions immediately that they will not take the time to track you down if a competitor offers ease of information. Do whatever it takes to let people know where you exist, from web presence optimization to the signage outside your location to inclusion in web listings for your industry.

There is really no financial advantage to being an industry “best kept secret.” Ask customers how they found you and how you can improve your physical visibility. Those that are most loyal to your business will want to help and will be honest with you. Do not lose customers to frustration or impatience at having to track you down, instead make it easy to find you and even easier to buy your products or enlist your services.

Lack of Community Outreach. There is a reason that people say “the more you give, the more you get.” Find simple ways to give back to the community of your loyal clients and build your reputation for future local clients. Simple ways to get involved include sponsoring a local event, donating a product or service to a fundraising auction or volunteering at a local non-profit organization. Align your name with a cause that you believe benefits your client base and one that represents your business ideals.

Not only does outreach earn you the respect of the community, but it also creates a culture of social consciousness in your business, encouraging employees to reach out when they are off the clock too. You can feel satisfied knowing that you went beyond the call of duty to help the community and build a strong image of beneficence in the process.

Focus on local marketing does not have to be overwhelming or exclusive to the Internet. There are simple ways to reach out to your local audience through a combination of an online presence, small targeted direct mail campaigns, and ads in local, specialty publications that have a qualified demographic. 

Thomas Miner is president of Bartleby Press

Websites by Bartleby Press

I know I have been delinquent in posting a blog for the last few weeks(a marketing no, no) but we have been busy developing a new addition to our communication services. I thought about this for a long time over the frustration I had with so called web designers, web masters, or web information specialists. They have been at least unreliable, inconsistent and at times, incompetent with my business development strategy. This is a common frustration among business owners. Competency is the highest compliment that I give to an employee or vendor. To be competent means that I can ask you to get it done and not think about it again because I know it will get done right the first time. But I stray…announcing Websites by Bartleby.

Websites by Bartleby is developed around the benefit that we see in clean, concise, informative and affordable websites.

When your community is on the go, your connection to their lives should be too! With the use of Wordpress, an easy to use website developer program, all the benefits of having a source for your online community is there without all the frustration and disappointments. We still maintain our position statement—High Tech Solutions…Old Fashioned Service!

Websites by Bartleby works to create for you a 20 plus page website that is tailored to your business and online community needs. After development the site administration can be handed over to your staff. It is that simple—EASY to update, and enhances your personal intention online. 

Should you need our continued assistance we also offer website limited maintenance and full management services as an aid to your website’s growth and development.

How to choose a Print Service.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

If you are a print broker, designer, procurer or any part of the publishing industry you should already have a working knowledge of the "Print Process." Far too often I am asked to quote a job and there is little or not enough information to forward a quality estimate. This will offer me the opportunity to speak with a person and establish a working relationship.

KNOW YOUR TRADE

Most print firms have an online presence that should guide you through the process; Quantity, finish size, process or spot color, bleeds, pages- one side or two side, bleeds, folds, bindery, did I mention bleeds. I don't think that is taught in school or they cut the class that day. Know what is required of your artwork before you ask for a quote as it will make a difference in the quote.

TALK TO YOUR PRINTER

Before visiting a simple phone call can save time and money. Going over your specs asking press size and requirements is essential to the decision making process. It will also let you know if the print firm has a working knowledgeable or a sales person is working on commission. If they can answer your questions and are helpful then and only then it might be worth your time to visit the plant.

VISITING THE PLANT

Clean press rooms are sign of conscientious workers. However, talking to line pressmen about a job on the press is generally a no,no. That is why print firms have heavy charges for press checks. It is distracting them from the job and asking questions about color or what could be different when the job is on the press is too late. Those are the questions you should ask the pre-production staff. Keep in mind any quality print firm should check your work and assist you before the plates are burned.