4 Reasons to Reexamine Print Marketing In 2011

Don’t be fooled by what you see; print is still king. You read that right. In a world where everyone has gone tech-crazy, pay attention – the printed word has managed to stand firm as the most impactful means of communicating, especially with a consumer base. So don’t dismiss print marketing just yet, it may be the best way to grow your business!

1. Retain Your Customers: According to a study conducted by Junta42 and MarketingProfs, customer retention was the most important goal for marketers when it came to content marketing outside of basic brand awareness.  Customers still responded to printed material, if for no other reason, they don’t get it as much, so use that as an opportunity to stand out.
2. No Audience Development Costs: Publishers expend huge amounts of time and money qualifying subscribers to send out their magazines. Many times, publishers need to invest multiple dollars per subscriber per year for auditing purposes.
3. Print Still Excites People: The printed word is still perceived as more credible to many people than anything on the web. It goes to the old adage, “If someone invested enough to print and mail it, it must be important.
4. Ask Questions: The Internet is great because buyers can find answers to almost anything. But where do we go to think about what questions we should be asking? Print allows your customers to ask questions.

Will you still be engaging in print marketing in 2011 to retain your customers?

Why Print Media is Essential to Your Marketing Strategy – Part 4 of 4

Week 4 – Understanding the Marketing Mix

We’ve come to the end of our monthly series, “Why Print Media is Essential to Your Marketing Strategy”. To close out our tips for success, we would like to introduce the marketing term, “the marketing mix”. This is comprised of the 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. When putting together a marketing piece, it is important to ensure that each of these elements are included and are easy for the consumer to identify. Here’s an example:

Sample: A menu for a new Thai restaurant is mailed to all households within a 5-mile radius of the establishment.

Product: What type of food is created at this restaurant? Is there wine? Dessert? What is the specialty here?

Price: What is the quality of the menu that was mailed? Is it inkjet paper or vibrant card stock? What about the quality of the graphics? Is the logo fuzzy or is it clear? Does it look like a professional designed the piece or does it look like it was created in a Word document? Also, are the menu prices listed?

Place: What’s the location of the restaurant? Is it in an upscale area? Is it located near a mall? Is it close to the interstate? What about the interior of the restaurant? Is it carryout only or dine-in?

Promotion: Are there any specials on menu items on Mondays? What about discounts off your total purchase price if you order appetizers and dessert? Is there a frequent diner program that you can sign up for? How often are you rewarded for your patronage?

A restaurant that understands their marketing mix can answer all of these questions by a menu alone. Think about your business…what would your marketing mix look like? Leave us with your comments!

Don’t forget, you can email us at sales@corpgraphicsinc.com for your complimentary Corporate Graphics of America calendar. This is your last week!

Why Print Media is Essential to Your Marketing Strategy – Part 2 of 4

Week 2 – Engaging Your Potential Clients

Print media remains to be one of the best ways to engage your potential client base, for a variety of reasons:

It’s easy to share and pass along to people. Create a scratch-and-sniff card for a candy company and send it through the mail to your clients. An email message does not smell as sweet!

It causes potential customers to make a decision. Will you peel back the discount behind Door Number #1 or Door Number #2? Entice your customer with a deal on a piece of print collateral.

It can be viewed multiple times in the course of a day. You can close an email, and it’s out of sight. You can place a card or a menu with a magnet on the back and see the same marketing message every time you look at your desk, bulletin board, refrigerator, etc…

What print material have you used to engage your clients in the past? Send us your comments! Also, email us at sales@corpgraphicsinc.com for your complimentary Corporate Graphics of America calendar. It has listing of our various services included for your reference!

A New Year, A New Chance to Be Noticed!

On behalf of Corporate Graphics of America, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

2011 can serve as the beginning of a new approach to your business, which means you will need brand new marketing collateral. Contact us in January at 773-481-2100, and we can get you started on a new plan to mark your best year ever.

P.S. Get your 2011 calendars here! Email us at sales@corporategraphicsinc.com for your free 2011 calendar!

Direct Mail > Online Messaging for Generation Y

In a recent study of over 2500 U.S. and 2200 Canadian households, ICOM (a division of Epsilon Targeting) found that consumers in the 18-34 year-old demographic overwhelmingly prefered—by two to three times—to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers, rather than online sources such as social media sites.

Do you think this sounds like the opposite of what you would expect in this age group? While it may be shocking to hear, it’s good information to know when planning your marketing materials for 2011. It has never been possible to reach all of a business’ target markets through one medium, whether it be television, online, radio or print advertising. This is why having a presence in various mediums will help your business grow exponentially.

Here are some other great findings from the study:

• 62% of this age group prefer to receive personal care product offers coming in the mail versus 22% prefer online
• 66% prefer to see food product advertisements offline versus 23% for online offers
• 53% prefer to learn about Over-the-counter medicine via direct mail versus 21% online

• 36% of U.S. respondents, across all age groups, trust the mail more than email—up from 29% in 2008

If you are ready to create high-quality direct mail pieces for your business, contact Corporate Graphics of America today at 773-481-2100 or sales@corporategraphicsinc.com.

What makes a great promotional piece?

Next week is Thanksgiving, so major retailers have given their final approval on the marketing pieces that you will find in your mailboxes, newspapers and door handles. Here are some tips for you to create great promotional pieces this holiday:

Compose a reference of great examples

When you come across promotional pieces that catch your eye, save them for your reference. It is also a great idea to figure out why you prefer some pieces to others and repeat these positive characteristics in your materials.

Use design elements consistently to fit with your brand messaging

You want your audience to identify that the marketing piece is from your company, even if your company name is not on it. Companies that do a great job of this include McDonald’s, Absolut Vodka and Tiffany & Co. The best way to do this is to stick to a few consistent design elements on all of your materials, such as your logo, typeface, graphics and brand colors.

Focus on the customer’s wants

Before creating a marketing piece, put yourself in their position and ask “Why should I care?”. If you can give customers practical information that they can use, you have a higher likelihood that your message will be heard loud and clear.

Use white space effectively

If you jam too much into every available space, you are likely to confuse and overwhelm your readers. Be sure to give your content some breathing room.

Last thoughts…

• A simple, clean, organized layout gives your materials a professional appearance.
• If your marketing materials are too intricate or content-heavy, your readers will struggle to find your message.
• Experiment with different offers to see what your target market responds to – from coupons to special offers and promotional pricing.

For more information on how Corporate Graphics of America can assist you with creating engaging marketing pieces, contact them at 773-481-2100.

How to Build Brand Awareness Through Printed Materials

One of the most important facets to a business is the brand image. It not only defines the product and/or services provided by a company, the brand image defines the level of experience, skill and quality exhibited by the company.

Brand awareness can be built in a number of ways, but one of the most visible and tangible ways in through printed materials. While you can email a link featuring your retail website to potential customers, some people enjoy holding a catalog in their hands and flipping through the pages to experience the products. The paper you use for the catalog, the print style, the images used on the front and back covers all relate to the image of your brand, so it is important to keep this in mind when creating print materials.

As a new year approaches, you have the opportunity to plan your marketing materials in advance to get the attention of new customers. Here are some ideas for some great print collateral that Corporate Graphics of America can help you develop:

Print Newsletters

While email newsletters are convenient, print newsletters are easy to share with others. Often, when you forward an email newsletter, some of the formatting is lost or jumbled, making it difficult for recipients to share content with their friends. Spice up your newsletter by adding a recipe, crossword puzzle or sudoku puzzle. Also, be sure to add a coupon that can be used within a limited time period. Print newsletters can be sent monthly or quarterly, depending on the goals of your business.

Postcards

If you would like to share information quickly or you are in between newsletters, a postcard is a great option. To create a great postcard, keep the text to a minimum on the front and draw the readers attention to the back of the card for more information. Postcards are great to announce a new website, exclusive members-only sales and special events.

Posters

If you would like someone to showcase your business for an indefinite period of time, you may consider having a poster created. For example, if you are an image consultant, you could have a poster created with the “Top 10 Items Every Woman Should Own in Her Closet”. If you are a financial planner, you can create a poster with the trend lines of the stock market before the Great Depression to the current year to show how stocks and bonds have fared over time and why it is still a good time to invest.

Custom and Specialty Pieces

Send your message out in a unique way with a custom piece. This year, Mini Cooper mailed prospective buyers a cardboard stencil for use in their garages. The lettering read – “MINI PARKING ONLY”. This piece was easy to fold into a invitation-sized envelope and made quite an impact on prospective buyers.

For more information about building brand awareness through high-quality printed materials, contact Corporate Graphics of America at 773-481-2100 or sales@corporategraphicsinc.com.

Marketing Materials for 2011

It’s November! Have you started thinking about creating any of these items for the new year?

• Customized 2011 calendars
• New logos
• Business cards
• Annual reports
• Booklets
• Brochures
• Catalogs
• Newsletters
• Point-of-sale displays

Corporate Graphics of America can visit your business and outline an affordable marketing plan for dynamic printed collateral that is sure to draw attention to your company in the new year.

We also offer targeted interactive marketing services, including email newsletter creation, social media management and SEO campaign creation!

Call to schedule an appointment at 773-481-2100 or email us – sales@corporategraphicsinc.com.

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Why Direct Mail is So Effective

Do you know why direct mail remains as one of the most powerful and effective ways to reach your client base? It is because clients still like to receive brochures, catalogs and special offers from companies they respect and patronize.

Here are some tips to keep your direct mail pieces from being perceived as junk mail:

Personalize your mail pieces

Which are you more likely to read – mail from friends or something marked “Resident”? People like to know that something was sent especially for them, not mass mailed to anyone within a general area. If your mail pieces show respect to the recipients, your messages will be welcomed and be read.

Think of direct mail as an extension of customer service

Businesses that develop a mailing lists as they develop will build relationships with their customers better than companies that simply purchase mailing lists. It also costs less to get an existing customer to buy from you than it would to get a new customer to do the same.

Create pieces that your customers actually want

Be careful not to send any of the following to your customers:

• mail that is poorly written and uninteresting
• mail that is deceiving or that makes false promises
• mail that arrives too late for a special event or special promotion
• mail with incorrect contact information (i.e. misspelled names)

Mail occasionally; don’t be intrusive

Once again, your mail must be something that your customer will be delighted to receive, such as a birthday card or a special offer on a frequently-ordered product.

The mail you send to your existing customers can be the most profitable advertising you will ever do, and it is worth doing well. If you would like guidance to prepare the best mail pieces to your valued customers, give us a call at 773-481-2100.