PGP Tip: Promotional Tips & Tricks

Today I am going to share with you a few quick tips and tricks about promoting your business and increasing sales. This is a message you will want to archive and pull out when it's time to plan your next project.

A recent survey of small businesses owners conducted by the Hewlett-Packard Company revealed that very few felt confident about their marketing efforts. Almost half (46%) claimed not to have any general marketing expertise, 60% said they could be doing a better job as marketers, and only 18% felt confident about creating their own marketing material.

If this describes you, then take note: we can help. Many of our business customers routinely turn to us for help with developing a promotional campaign, creating a logo and graphic identity, and writing sales related copy. Because we have worked with so many companies over the years, we have developed sensitivity for what works. Using a series of probing questions, we'll guide you through the process of determining who your target audience is and how to reach them. For more information or to make an initial appointment for a consultation, contact Dennis Smith at 254-773-7391.

Promotional Tips & Tricks

If you are in business, you have developed areas of expertise that other people are interested in. For example, you know how to differentiate your product or service from your competitors-- why what you are offering is superior and worthy of consideration. That becomes the basis for a checklist of what should be considered before making a purchase. And that type of  information is valuable to others.

If you have been in business for a while, you may have several areas of expertise that you can share and many options for getting the word out. An informational brochure and a periodic newsletter are two commonly-used and relatively inexpensive methods. Others are writing a column for a local newspaper or sending a post card as part of a direct mail marketing campaign. A more ambitious method is to hold a seminar or demonstration on an informational topic or offer a presentation as a public speaker for community groups. Writing a blog is a new but increasingly popular method.

For subject matter, use topics that help your target audience with their problems.

Q & A

Q. What is a multi-channel promotion?

A. Multi-channel refers to using more than one promotion method simultaneously for a message on a single topic. Multi-channel can be very effective, especially when the messages in one channel are referenced in the other and are integrated. Use one constant and simple theme that offers a variety of response options.

Here are some examples of multi-channel marketing:

• Sending an e-mail timed to arrive at the same time as a mailed catalog.
• Inviting customers and prospects to visit a web site to print a coupon to use in a retail store.
• Adding a URL or QR code to sales collateral with an invitation to visit the web site, register, and receive something in exchange.
• Using an ad specialties product as a giveaway for registering online with your company. Advertising this giveaway with a post card uses a third medium.

At PaperGraphics we can teach you how to make more money through our Managed Marketing program where we can handle all of your printing needs but also teach your staff how to prepare, invite and close the sale with your prospects. In fact, we are the only printer in this market that is certified to do so.

If your organization or business needs to increase sales we can help. Call us at 254-773-7391 to set up a no obligation consultation where we asses your current situation and offer a plan of attack that works for your budget.

PGP Tip: Increasing Sales With Direct Mail

Today I am going to share with you a few quick tips and tricks for getting your direct mail message read and increasing the overall effectiveness of your campaign. This is a message you will want to archive and pull out when it's time to plan your next project.

Direct Mail Tips & Tricks

In direct mail marketing, the response rate is the percentage of recipients who respond to the mailing. Response rates can vary widely by industry, though the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in a study of 1,122 industry-specific campaigns determined that the average response rate for direct mail is 2.61%. The response rate is often used as a measure of the success of a direct mail marketing campaign.

Before beginning any direct mail marketing campaign, it is a good practice to determine the break even response rate--the number of respondents to the campaign that must buy to yield enough profit to cover the cost of the direct mail campaign. If the break even response rate is very high, then the campaign can be restructured to lower the cost and therefore lower the break even response rate to a more achievable level.

In general, the overall response rate is higher when a smaller target audience is contacted multiple times versus a larger target audience contacted once.

Communicating with your customers

If your organization is a nonprofit that needs to communicate with alumni, members or donors, you'll be interested in the results of a survey commissioned by Pintney Bowes in 2009. Conducted by International Communications Research, the survey included approximately 1100 U.S. college graduates who were asked about their preferences for receiving information from the school they attended.

The survey found that 54% of respondents have a strong preferences for direct mail. Less than half that number- only 23%- chose an e-mail as their preferred method of communication. Respondents also indicated that they are less likely to discard or ignore direct mail that includes messages about fundraising and donations for their college or university. The alumni also prefer print mail for correspondence and news from their alma mater- 57% indicated a preference for mail versus 31% for email.

Q & A

Q. Is direct mail bad for the environment?

A. Contrary to what you may have heard from proponents of various "Do No Mail" coalitions, direct mail is an environmentally responsible way to advertise. Yes, trees are harvested to create the pulp from which paper is made. But the harvested trees are grown specifically for that purpose on tree farms known as managed timberlands. The trees are an agricultural crop, like vegetables on a farm; the trees are not cut down from neighborhood parks or wilderness areas. America's forestry and paper industries plant  more that 4 million new trees each day (or 1.4 billion per year)--that's three new trees for every one harvested.

Recycling is another reason not to fear direct mail. Paper is one consumer product that is fairly easy and inexpensive to recycle. After first use, paper products can be made into corrugated boxes, packaging, newsprint, tissue and event writing paper. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, annual recycling rates for advertising mail have increased seven-fold since 1990. In 2008, 57.4% of all the paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling. This is the equivalent of nearly 340 pounds of paper for each man, woman and child in America. The paper industry has set a goal of 60% recovery by 2012.

At PaperGraphics we can teach you how to make more money through our ManagedMarketing program where we can handle all of your printing needs but also teach your staff how to prepare, invite and close the sale with your prospects. In fact, we are the only printer in this market that is certified to do so.

If your organization or business needs to increase sales we can help. Call us at 254-773-7391 in Temple or 254-526-4303 in Killeen to set up a no obligation consultation where we asses your current situation and offer a plan of attack that works for your budget.