Promotion on a budget

The lifeblood of any business or organization is keeping current customers interested in your product or service while finding prospects to become new customers. This necessarily means that your business or organization must devote time and resources to promotion – using various methods to reach a target audience with a specific message.

Effective promotion is not limited to large businesses with substantial budgets. Smaller businesses and organizations can be successful by understanding how promotion works and adapting strategies and techniques to fit the available resources.

Promotion objectives

There are many possible objectives for a promotion strategy. Each is intended to produce a specific outcome and can be used singly or in combination. Here are the most common objectives:

• Build awareness. Although your current customers know you well, your prospects – the businesses or individuals you have identified that you want to have as customers – may not know you at all. Promotion helps introduce your business to your prospects, and is often the first step in gaining a new customer.
• Create interest and build trust. People buy things they need or have an interest in from those whom they trust. And long-term, loyal customers are the result of many positive interactions and transactions that become a trusting relationship. Promotion begins the process of building a relationship.

• Provide information. If you are launching a new product or service, whether to existing or new customers, the object of a promotion may be to explain it and its benefits. If your product is well established, an information-based promotion establishes you as an expert and creates interest among prospects who don’t yet know your company.

• Sell something. Some promotions are intended to drive demand and increase sales by getting customers and prospects to try the product. Free samples, free demonstrations and free trial periods are the type of promotions that stimulate demand.

• Establish loyalty. A repeat customer is one who has product or brand loyalty. Promotions based on establishing loyalty are useful after a customer has made one purchase, to start the process of building a strong relationship.

Target audience

Effective promotion begins with determining what audience you are trying to reach, since both the message and the promotional method may change depending on whether you are targeting current customers, past customers or prospects. Most small and medium-sized businesses are equipped and staffed to offer a specific and well defined complement of products or services. A successful promotion matches these products and services to the audience most likely to be interested in them.

Purchase motivators – the things that cause someone within the target audience to become a buyer – are different for individuals and businesses. In general, individuals purchase products or services to satisfy a basic need, to solve a problem or to feel good while businesses purchase to increase revenue, maintain the status quo or decrease expenses.

If your target market is individuals, learn to describe them with measurable characteristics such as age, gender, level of education, income, marital status, ethnicity, and family status. The corresponding characteristics for businesses are number of employees, annual sales volume, location and years in business.

Selecting the promotion method

For a promotion method to succeed, it must first reach the target audience. This sounds simplistic, but is often overlooked by businesses that haven’t adequately profiled the target audience. It is important to change your perspective from the business owner or sales manager to the target audience – simply put, to sit in their chair or walk in their shoes.

Begin by asking yourself how your target audience accesses information. Are your customers and prospects more likely to seek information using traditional media like reading newspapers and magazines, watching television, reading newsletters or responding to a direct mail campaign? Or do they seek information by reading e-mail, searching the Internet or reading blogs? You’ll need to set aside your personal biases – though you may be intrigued by social media such as Twitter and Facebook, if your target audience isn’t, then a promotion using these methods will not be effective.

Keep in mind that no single promotional method works all the time for every target audience, so rotate several methods and vary your approach. In addition, use promotions regularly. Over time, consistency and frequency will influence the buying decision more than the specific type of promotion.

Promoting on a budget

No matter the size of your business or organization, it needs to have a budget for promotions. Pick a time period – we recommend quarterly, semi-annually or yearly – and commit both a sum of money and some time for a designated person to manage the promotional effort. It takes both a budget and someone to manage the budget to ensure a successful promotion.

Promotions don’t have to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time. A simple way to start is by targeting your best customers and introducing them to products or services you offer that they may not be using. Here are seven ideas for promoting on a budget.

1. Send a monthly informational newsletter. That’s what we do! In fact, we send both a printed and digital version that gives us a chance to demonstrate our expertise, introduce you to new technologies like QR codes, and remind you of the full scope of services we offer.
2. Highlight the specific products and services that represent what you do best. Develop a series of post cards, flyers or mini-brochures that showcase the things that provide the majority of your sales. These are the things that, because of equipment or skills or experience, you can offer a true competitive advantage to buyers. The series can be distributed individually or as part of another communication.
3. Follow up a purchase with an additional offer. A customer who has just made a purchase is an excellent candidate to make another one right away. This is especially true if the customer receives an offer with additional value attached – a discount coupon or a buy one/get one promotion. To create urgency, include an expiration date for the offer.
4. Target past customers. Revive an old relationship by contacting past customers. There may be a negative reason (such as a bad customer service experience) that explains why a customer became inactive, but don’t worry about it. Something may have changed within the past customer’s company that again makes them a good candidate for your promotion.
5. Put a sticker with teaser copy on an outbound envelope. Teaser copy – a few words that creates interest – is often printed near the address on the outside of an envelope or a self-mailer. Teaser copy is just what its name implies: something that teases the reader to open an envelope or keep reading. If the teaser copy is printed on a sticker and affixed to the envelope, it becomes dimensional and attracts even more attention.
6. Offer a guarantee. Changing suppliers presents some prospects with a risk factor they may be reluctant to deal with. This is true even if the current supplier is not performing well. Alleviate the anxiety and eliminate the risk by offering a guarantee to your prospect.
7. Self-promote. Get the word out about your company’s accomplishments. When you win an award, land an important new customer, expand your capability or capacity by adding equipment or staff, let everyone know. People like to do business with successful people. Use a press release directed to the business editor of your local newspaper to announce something you are proud of. Add a line to your e-mail signature and announce your accomplishment on your web site.

Promotion builds business

Regardless of the size of your budget, it is important to continuously promote your business. At PaperGraphics we’ve been helping businesses, organizations and individuals with promotions to customers and prospects for 40 years. To brainstorm promotional ideas to help your business or to get started with your promotion, contact Dennis Smith at 254-773-7391 . We’re ready to help.

You Need a Mobile Website

Should you have a mobile web site in addition to a desktop site? Three reasons why you should:

1. A web site designed to display on a desktop computer monitor doesn't translate well to the very small screen of a smart phone.
2. Smart phone use different navigation tools (no mouse to click), making it harder to move around a desktop site using a mobile phone.
3. Smart phones use is growing. According to a 2011 report from market research company iSuppli, the number of smart phones shipped in 2009 was 16% of the total market; by 2011, the percentage rose to one-third of the total volume; and iSuppli predicts that by 2015, over half of all mobile phone shipments will be smart phones. Smart phones provide another way for business to communicate with their customers.

Currently there is a big push to have print and mobile work together. Printing a QR code on sales collateral, a newsletter or a direct mail piece opens up a new dimension of customer communication. When scanned by a smart phone, a QR code can lead anywhere-- to a web site or video, a map, additional information, a coupon or product review or many other places.If a business obtains the customer's permission (ie, opt-in), the business can send messages to the smart phone with special offers or contests, all designed to increase customer loyalty.

Let us help you implement your marketing strategy


For 40 years we have been helping our customers communicate with their customers to build sales. In the past we've done this exclusively with print. Now we are prepared to help you integrate print (which we still believe is the foundation of an effective effort) with new media--desktop and mobile web sites, QR codes and opt-in, web-based promotions.

For more information you can call us at 254-773-7391 in Temple or 254-526-4303 in Killeen; as always 24/7 at www.papergraphicsltd.com or just respond to this email. We may be using new methods to contact customers, but we haven't changed our focus and reliance on solid design and sales fundamentals.

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.

The Value of Print

Much is being made today of the decline of printing. Newspaper and magazine subscribers are dwindling; e-books are gaining popularity; online advertising is replacing print; and printed products are being assailed as environmentally unsound. So does printing have a future? Does it have a present?

We say unequivocally: Yes, but it will be different. Let me explain.....

Business and organizations know that printing is not about the ink on the paper; it is about the target audience's reaction to it. As author, journalist and marketing consultant, Cary Sherburne says, "it is not about print; it is about the most effective way to achieve the business objectives associated with any given customer communication or campaign."

Print is not dead or dying, though it is changing. In today's message we'll share with you why our outlook on print is so positive.

Affordable color

One beneficial change in printing is the new affordability of full color printing. Improvements in digital printing equipment have resulted in output that rivals offset printing for color fidelity, image resolution and the range of papers that can be used. Because digital printing requires almost no make ready, there are minimal fixed costs associated with each job. That means full color printing is now affordable in quantities as low as 100 prints, as well as in variable data printing applications such as versioning and one-to-one marketing.

Affordable color and the ready availability of stock photography means that small businesses and organizations can now realize the benefit of having corporate identity and marketing materials designed and printed in full color and illustrated with photographs. The effectiveness of informational material such as instruction sheets and training guides can be increased by incorporating color. Membership communications like newsletters and event invitations can be more visually appealing by printing in full color. Booklets and catalogs can now have full color covers (and maybe even full color interior pages). Depending on the design and the stock requirements, it may even be possible to print business cards digitally on demand, eliminating the need for imprinting on masters on shells.

Direct mail

As the amount of advertising on the Internet has grown, conventional wisdom has declared that direct mail marketing will disappear as a way of reaching customers and prospects. To us this sounds a lot like the now-debunked predictions about the paperless office. Every year since 1987, the United States Postal Service has conducted an annual study called The Household Diary Study. In 2008 the study included 5,312 households who completed a seven-day household diary of mail received and sent for all 52 months of the study year. Here are some of the study results:

• Advertising mail represented 63% of all mail received- an average of about 16 pieces a week.
• 79% of households said they either read or scanned the advertising mail they received.
• One in three households said they made one or more purchases as a result of receiving the advertising mail.

Contrary to the prevailing opinion that direct mail is "junk" mail that is immediately discarded by recipients, a majority of respondents in the 2008 Household Study reported paying attention to the advertising.

In another 2008 study, DMN New/Pitney Bowes survey, 1000 American consumers (split 50-50 between men and women) age 18 and up from ten major metropolitan areas (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, and Seattle) were surveyed regarding the direct mail marketing pieces they receive. The survey findings:

• Nearly 94% of consumers surveyed reported taking action on promotional offers and coupons received via direct mail.
• 20% of consumers reported that more that 10% of the offers or coupons they received by mail led to a purchase.
• Almost 40% of respondents said they tried a new business for the first time because of information received via direct mail.
• Nearly 70% of respondents said they renewed a relationship with a business because they received a direct mailing of promotional item.
• Respondents stated that information received via direct mail often led to contribution to a non-profit organization for the first time.

The surveyors concluded that "direct mail induces consumers to touch the offer- recipients of mail are receiving, sorting, reading and using direct mail to make purchasing decisions".

Combine direct mail with e-mail marketing

The best strategy for communicating with consumers and prospects is to use a combination of direct mail and e-mail marketing. According to an Ipsos survey conducted in 2007, 67% of respondents performed online searches for more information on a company, service or product after receiving an "offline" message.

Results from ExactTarget's 2008 Channel Preference Survey supports the strategy of combining direct mail with e-mail. Respondents in that survey gave direct mail a score of 3.9 (out of a possible 5) as an acceptable marketing method and e-mail a score of 3.7. Three- quarters of respondents (75%) said they made a purchase because of a marketing message received through direct mail, and 65% said they made a purchase because of an e-mail.

Print is here to stay

Despite the pace of change affecting printing, it remains a proven way to communicate with customers and prospects. Direct mail marketing, when combined with e-mail, is more effective than e-mail alone. And the affordability of full color means that direct mail pieces can be eye catching and appealing to the target audience.

At PaperGraphics we can teach you how to grow sales and 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, 254-526-4303 in Killeen or visit us 24/7 at www.papergraphicsltd.com to set up a no obligation consultation where we assess your current situation and offer a plan of attack that works for your budget.

PGP Tip: How to Choose a Printing Co. for Your Project

Once upon a time there were relatively few places that a business, organization or individual could go to buy printing. General commercial printers, as we were known back then, had large, noisy printing presses best suited to areas zoned for manufacturing and away from retail centers.

Technology changed that in the 1970's when small, clean presses and photo plate makers gave birth to the quick print segment of the printing industry. Quick printers could operate in a 2000 square foot retail storefront, readily visible from the street.

Another shift in technology added copiers, then digital output devices that eliminated the need for chemicals to process press plates and run the presses. Now printing could be done in an environment less like factory and more like an office.

Digital technology also enabled printers to expand their offerings beyond offset printing to include high speed digital printing (color and black and white), large format graphics, posters, banners, signs and even mailing services- a complete range of services needed by businesses and organizations to communicate, market and sell.

Competitors arise

As each technological change was adopted by the printing industry, it also gave rise to a new set of competitors. Quick printers challenged general commercial printers by being more visible and by offering faster turnaround, lower minimum quantities, and better pricing in low quantities.

Copier technology enabled fast and economical reproduction of multi-page originals in limited quantities. An early commercial application was academic course packs- a collection of reading materials for college classes consisting of excerpts from published books and other materials assigned by the professor, to be used by a small number of students enrolled in the class.

Through a process called supplier convergence, copier technology also gave rise to printing becoming available in highly-visible retail locations of large, nationwide chain stores. Mega office supply stores and retail shipping franchises are the best known examples.

Before the Internet made it so easy to find sellers of goods and services, customers purchased printing primarily from local vendors. Now the power of Internet search engines, coupled with new, digital-based productivity enhancements for preparing jobs for print, has given rise to online printing companies that specialize in a limited menu of printed products such as business cards, post cards, brochures and flyers.

Today's choices for buying printing

When your business or organization needs printing today, you have a wide range of choices. You can buy from a locally owned and operated business like PaperGraphics or a "big box" mega store, or an online printer. Which should you choose?

The answer depends in part on what you need and how soon you need it. Both mega stores and online printers are organized around a standard menu of items as well as the specifications for those items. If you want business cards printed on something other than white paper or a brochure in a non-standard size, this might not be available at a mega store or online printer.

Getting the printing from the online printer's production facility to you requires time and costs for shipping as well as a small element of risk that the job will be lost or damaged in transit.

Self-serve vs. customer service

One of the primary differences between us and a mega store or online printer is our Customer Service.
We consider this position to be central to the successful completion of any printing project. The customer service representatives at PaperGraphics will listen closely, write up the job accurately, and offer alternatives and options as appropriate. This requires excellent communication skills and a natural tendency to be detail-oriented.

Because these qualities are so important, we use pre-employment tests to determine how closely a candidate's skills and natural way of doing things fits with the CSR job requirements. We have a written job description that clearly explains the duties and responsibilities of the position. We conduct an annual performance review that includes eight areas of evaluation. We provide tools and continuous training for technical skills.

But the most important thing about our CSRs is their personal accountability and their access to their supervisor. Their personal accountability means they have the ability and have been given the authority to take action, if needed. They may offer suggestions or alternatives that you may not be aware of. They will speak up if what you have asked for will increase costs or production time. They will resolve problems on the spot. If the need arises, they have immediate access to their supervisor who offers another level of knowledge and authority.

The importance of relationship

One of the reasons we invest so much in our Customer Service Representatives is that  we believe in relationships as a fundamental business value. We've worked hard to develop our professionalism and technical expertise and nothing pleases us more that to share both with our customers.

Here's the promise we make: when you do business with PaperGraphics you will benefit from the expertise we've acquired from helping organizations like yours for 40 Years! You get an assigned Customer Service Rrepresentative who becomes part of your team; the added convenience of 24/7 online ordering at www.papergraphicsltd.com; and the benefit of having an organized, well-run vendor/partner who thinks about your company from the perspective of a stakeholder in your company.

So who are you gonna call?

We recognize that you may occasionally use a mega store or an online printer. We may be closed when your need arises, or you may think that the job is too small to "bother" us with. What we hope is that despite those times, you think of us as your primary printer, and call us first.

We are staffed and equipped to provide a wide range of printing and printing-related services; some of which you may not be aware of because you've never needed them. That's one of the reasons we ask you to call us first-because we may be the best choice, you don't know about.

At PaperGraphics Printing 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 to set up a no obligation, consultation where we assess your current situation and offer a plan of attack that works for your budget.

History of PGP....Speedy Print the Early Days

Speedy Print....The Early Years

by Elwood Smith, Founder

During the early 1970's, before Xerox had even been invented yet; there were very few fax machines; no personal computers; no laptops; and no cell phones; I traveled across the state of Texas, making speeches. From time to time, I found it necessary to have handouts available that could be passed out to the audience. On one such occasion when I needed 200 copies available to pass out,  I headed over to a local printer in that area to have the copies made; only to be informed that their minimum order was 2000; and it would take two weeks to get it. Since I was traveling about 1000 miles per week, within a two week time period, I would've covered a lot of territory and would no longer be in that area nor would I still need those particular handouts.  Early in 1972 I happened to be in San Antonio for a meeting and came across a new business called "QUICK PRINTING". I went inside and asked for 200 copies and inquired as to how long it would take to fill my order. To my amazement, they said I could wait for it! Not only that, I was privileged to watch them do it and viola, in about 5 minutes it was printed, wrapped and I could pay a very competitive price for it. As I walked out the door, I remember thinking THIS IS THE FUTURE!

In March of 1972, my local church was needing a small, offset press. At that time, most church bulletins and printing were being done on an A.B. Dick Mimeograph Machine (very messy and time consuming). Since I traveled a great deal all over the state, my church asked if I could help them find a used, A.B. Dick Table-Top Offset Press. So the next time I was in Austin, I went by a used equipment store and found a used, table-top, offset press for the church. In addition, over in a corner of this store, there was a used, off-brand tabletop press and an electrostatic plate maker. I had never seen one before, but it looked fascinating, and it was cheap, so I bought the whole thing. I think the price was under $250.00!

I brought all my "finds" back home,delivered the offset press to the church and then rented a small room (approximately 12' x 12' at the old S.P.J.S.T. building); which became the first Speedy Print. I had a friend who worked for the local paper and had just lost his job so I figured he would be a perfect person to run this new business. I found that he didn't know anything about printing as he had worked in the office. So, I got the manuals out and started reading. In one weekend I learned how to make a plate, how to put the blade on the tabletop press and start printing. Then I taught my new employee how to do the same. In March of 1972, we opened our first Speedy Print. Luckily, it was an idea whose time had come as it was successful from day one! After about a month, my new partner (employee) decided he didn't like printing and quit (Without Notice). That boys and girls, is how I became a full-time, printing owner over night.

Elwood Smith, Founder