Some Interesting Trends!

We are seeing some really interesting trends in the printing/marketing world these days. One that I would like to chat about it some really great design ideas and challenges that have been presented to us. As a solutions provider we are tasked with solving problems. Sometimes it means we need to engineer a piece to accomplish a specific task, sometimes it means producing a product of the same quality but at a reduced price through different processes and sometimes it means being super creative with our customers to create a piece that differentiates them in the market place. These challenges are a lot of fun and the results can be really amazing when we are involved early in the process.

One of the most universal requests we see these days is producing things in smaller quantities and being competitive in the marketplace. This usually presents itself in the form of “on-demand” printing. With digital equipment in the market providing high quality print we can produce amazing looking pieces in smaller quantities. This is great because we can make 50 customized DVD jackets, or short run pocket folders, or highly customized presentation pieces and a reasonable cost. This combats obsolescence of materials and allows our customers to leverage customized marketing in very intimate settings. Imagine a proposal to a big prospect where every piece you hand them in a pocket folder is customized with your prospects logo and verbiage to support your prospect-specific case. This makes a really big impression and with a little planning you can have very high quality pieces. Your cost per piece may be higher, but your impact and your sales rate will be much higher as well.

Keep these things in mind the next time you are considering new products or need solutions to a specific problem. We are here to help.

New Year – New Mindset

Almost everyone I have talked to in the last 18 months, regarding their next 6 month plan, has repeated the mantra “do more with less”. Sounds simple enough but those of us that are responsible for that task, at any level of our respective company, know how difficult and challenging it really is. We are all putting more pressure on our vendors, coworkers and managers to do more “things” with less resources. But sometimes more pressure isn’t what’s needed, sometimes we need to more creative in our tasks. Just because we have always done something a certain way doesn’t make it the most effective, most efficient, way to do it.

Let’s examine a fictitious company, we’ll call them Al’s Auto Parts. Al’s has always had a pretty loyal customer base because of Al’s great service. Al’s main communication with his customers has always been it’s yearly catalog, a 600 page monster that contains every wing nut and light bulb put into a car since 1980 from every manufacturer, foreign and domestic. Al’s has always been proud of their catalog and love the fact that their customers have it as a desktop reference. What Al’s doesn’t realize is that the catalog is very inefficient and cumbersome to find parts. Al’s has never polled it’s customer base and learned that 87% of them never use 75% of the catalog because they only service certain vehicles. If Al’s would be open to changing the build of it’s catalog and simply ask it’s customers what sections they need, Al’s could save a LOT of money in print and distribution costs, and have a more useful reference for his customers.

This is one example of how we need to start thinking in 2010. Our same marketing and communications approach that has worked for the last 5 years may not work this year. We need to be more targeted in our approach. Be open to the fact that not all of our customers are the same and do our best to identify their needs. You will be surprised what customers and clients will tell you if you take the time to ask. It might be the difference between success and failure in the coming months.

Time to re-evaluate?

I am of the opinion that doing business today has to be different than it was yesterday, literally. Things are changing so fast these days that it feels like very little is sacred anymore. The project that was a huge success two years ago doesn’t impress anyone anymore. The catalog that has been your mainstay doesn’t get opened, or at least doesn’t sit on your customers’ desk as their favorite reference anymore. Things just aren’t the same.

So, I say if it is time to re-think, let’s really be open to new ideas. Let’s consider a more personalized version of our catalog, maybe we make the content more relevant and targeted. Let’s think about using VDP in our marketing campaigns to better relate to our audience and offer them a more relevant coupon or gift. Maybe it’s time to consider printing less pieces at a time but print the updated piece more frequently allowing us to have the most up-to-date information in our prospective customers hands. All these things are available today and may have a profound impact on your business in the near future. The technology is available to ROI these pieces on a cost per acquisition or sale instead of a cost per piece like we are used to thinking about print. After all our goal is to convert our marketing and advertising budgets into sales and results, not just pretty printed materials. I believe the answer today is a more relevant, timely piece with a great offer that may happen to be a bit more per printed unit, but has far greater results (sales or new customers) than static pieces by the thousands.

Variable data – getting started

I think the evidence is overwhelming that adding personalization to your mail pieces can have a profound effect on your marketing. I say this with a bit of caution to those of you who have never attempted variable data printing (VDP). Please don’t fall into the trap of assuming that simply adding your recipients name at the top of the card is going to have the sales leads flooding in. While this is a start down the right path, it is well short of justifying the added expense of digital printing. Instead, take a look at what data you have on your current customers or if your lucky current leads. Usually “leads” consist of a purchased list and, while those have gotten better about providing data they still may be of little value. Your current customers are your best bet. They have already purchased from you, hopefully had a great buying experience and if so would be likely to buy from you again. Today’s active customers are a very valuable commodity let’s treat them like it. Run a campaign strictly for past buyers. Make them an offer that makes them feel appreciated and remembered. Hopefully you have a data collection method that will provide you with some nice data on your customers that can drive a truly variable piece. Maybe the art is different for different demographics, maybe the offer is different for select age groups or both. The sky is the limit with possibilities. Just be specific and targeted in your approach and I think you will see an uptick in response.

There are places that can help you sort through all of this and would really like to help. So, don’t be afraid to reach out to your vendors / partners and ask for their help and input.

It’s a system!

In today’s world of design and marketing we need to be focusing on more than just the piece in front of us. Let’s think of design and marketing as a system and not one project. We need to be asking ourselves “what’s next” while designing the current piece or mapping out our newest marketing campaign. If we keep thinking about how this drives the next piece or step we will find ourselves creating more meaningful pieces for our target audience as we progress through the campaign.

If we take a look at our iPod giveaway campaign from a couple of years ago we can see how this all comes together. We started with our customer list and designed a piece with variable data and personalized URLs (PURLs). The piece had a call to action on it that would ask the recipient to go to their PURL on the web and complete the survey in order to be registered for the iPod. While developing the survey questions we kept asking ourselves “what action does this question drive?”. Usually it was another segment of our database which is exactly what we wanted. We wanted to create groups of people that we could speak to on a more personal level during the next piece and that can only happen when you have specific messages for specific groups. Another question we asked in our survey, sticking with the music theme of the iPod, was “What is your favorite genre of music?”. This seems like a whimsical question at first but as a designer my mind quickly started having images of a rock and roll design, a country music design and so on. Now that we have a segmented list of people who answered questions in a particular way we can also associate a design that grabs their attention because they told us they like rock and roll or country and this just isn’t information you can buy through a list provider. We had to get that information on our own. That campaign and information gathering process drove sales leads for at least 6 months. It was a memorable piece that averaged a 15% response rate which is way, way above the industry norm of 1% – 1.5%.

I want to be clear that no one component drove those results. It was a combination of good planning, good design, a great giveaway and the necessary tools to track the results and leads and then good follow through by our sales department. Our ROI on this particular project was outstanding, not results I would expect every time, but it shows the possibility of a multichannel campaign. Next time you start to put together a piece ask yourself what your next step will be. If you draw a blank, you could probably get more bang for your buck.

Thinking About the “Box”.

I don’t know if I’m alone on this one but I hate the phrase “think outside the box”. I think I dislike it so much because the box isn’t ever the same. As designers we feel so much pressure to be creative and hit a home run on every project that we often forget to think about the things that have always worked. There is a reason there is a box in the first place and why things are considered classic! It’s because they have always worked.

When I struggle for a spark I take a look at things I’ve done in the past that have worked well. Now, obviously, I don’t recycle an old design but I may use certain elements, themes or even color palettes to jumpstart a new design. I look at it this way, every time I start completely from scratch I have the possibility of a flop. I know that sounds really pessimistic but we’ve all been there. You get this great idea, run with it, make a great piece and get absolutely nothing for results and, let’s face the facts, results are what matter. Results keep people coming back to you for work.

So, the next time you are struggling, take some time and look over those projects that were successful. I even look at the ones that weren’t. Over time I can be more objective and reevaluate a project. You will see where you missed the mark more often than not and the ones that worked will really stand out too. Take some mental notes of these projects and then start your design. You will find yourself focusing on what works and really avoiding the things that didn’t. Over time you can turn “the box” into a treasure chest.

Optimism and opportunities.

I wanted to take a minute to discuss what seems to be on everyone’s mind these days… the economy. I would like to try to put a positive spin on a bad situation if I may. A bad economy is painful for just about everyone at some level. You may have lost your job, or, you may be required to wait longer for someone to answer the phone at tech support because they have “restructured”. The latter is not nearly as inconvenient as the prior but still frustrating. So where is the silver lining in all of this you say? Opportunity! It might be harder to find these days but I promise you it is there. Now more than ever marketing and advertising can pay big dividends.I know I have noticed the number of direct mail pieces in my mailbox dwindling over the last several months and that means less competition for my attention and ultimately my dollar. It is very easy for organizations to tighten the belt on their marketing dollars but I would argue that now is the perfect time to ramp up your marketing efforts.However, I would encourage you to be as selective as possible on who you market to and to be more creative with your messages. Take the extra time and effort to be selective with your mailing list. Try to segment the likely buyers from the unlikely. Now would be the time to send fewer pieces but more personalized. With todays technology it is easier than ever to be specific with your message. Make that potential buyer feel like you are talking to him/her alone and not their entire county. If you have specifics on past buyers now is the time to leverage them. Craft messages and designs for your female audience and then do the same for your male audience. You could segment further by age if you have that information available. I bet that if you spent a few minutes, you could quickly come up with 3 or 4 different segments for your current mail list. As a designer I find it much easier to design for a specific group of people and not all age and gender ranges. It is easier and quicker than you think.

Next time you are ready to do a mailing give personalization a thought and if you have questions you know where to find us.

Until next time….

Introduction

Hello all.

My name is Brady Manthe and I am the Business Development Manager here at J-C Press. I am a 14 year veteran of the graphics community and have a very diverse background. I started in a small screen printing shop and have since participated in the signage / wide format industry, web printing, sheetfed printing and last but certainly not least digital printing. I am by no means the foremost expert in any of these fields but I have learned some valuable lessons through my experiences and I would like to share them with you. Hopefully I can provide some information that makes your job a little less stressful and a lot more exciting.

So, thank you for joining us here and please visit often.

Thank you.

Brady

Corporate EVENT wins!

Good morning! I just wanted to share with you that EXHIBITOR and Corporate EVENT magazines won a total of 14 awards at the Minnesota Magazine Publishing Association gala last night in Minneapolis. Among the awards was the cover of the Spring 08 Corporate EVENT magazine that you print for us. This award is possible because of all the hard work that goes in to the magazine on the part of many departments and disciplines. That work includes the efforts that JC Press brings to the great quality of the printed piece. For that work, we share this award and our thanks with you. Corporate EVENT magazine was also named Best Overall magazine in the Trade category. Thanks again for everyone’s efforts and support! Best! Kay Williams Director of Design & Production Corporate EVENT magazine.

US Postal Service – Move Update & What You Need to Know

Undeliverable mail costs the United States Postal Service over $2 billion per year and it is growing! On November 23, 2008 the USPS will begin requiring NCOA (National Change of Address) certification for all presorted First Class Mail and Standard Mail if a postal rate discount is requested. For more information visit: http://ribbs.usps.gov/files/Move_Update/Move_Update_FAQ.doc

J-C Press has made the necessary investment in NCOA certification capabilities and will be processing each and every mail list we receive to insure that it complies with the USPS requirements.

In order to certify your mailing lists, we will need to have your authorized signature on USPS Form 6014 and the BCC acknowledgement form. These forms must be completed each year. We will keep these signed forms on file at J-C Press.

The cost for this certification is $40 for each mailing event. This expense will be added to your invoice as a separate line item. Without this signed document, you will be unable to qualify for any discounted mailing rates and First Class rates will apply.

Please note that the certification process will add 4 – 8 hours to the workflow on any particular job so please plan accordingly.

In the short term, you will recover some of this money in reduced postage both through the discount and through a reduced number of pieces that will be sent (due to invalid addresses). You will also benefit from increased deliverability which should improve your results.

In the longer term, you will benefit from reduced printing costs as you narrow your list to only those customers/clients/prospects to whom you can expect delivery.

Please complete USPS Form 6014 and fax it back to us at (507) 446-5358 before November 1, 2008 so that there are no delays on your mailing campaign when the requirement goes into effect.