Foster Business Relationships With Holiday Cards

By Janice Jenkins

The holiday season can get too busy and crazy for small business owners. There are a lot to do during this time, from organizing holiday events and sales to sending warm wishes to customers. Things can get overwhelming especially if you will be working on a limited budget. However, there is one great marketing tool you can use to send your warm greeting to your customers and prospects during the holidays - the holiday cards.

The holiday cards. have long been used by businesses to keep in touch with their customers during the holiday season. Because people still love receiving cards in their mail, sending your own cards will be perfect way to communicate with your customers without your mail getting considered as junk mail. If designed well, your cards will look like a message from a friend increasing the chance of getting your card picked first.

Of course, it is essential that you design your cards well. You need to come up with a well thought out design that will appeal to your customers and prospects. If you have been creating printed marketing materials in the past, this should be an easy job for you. Here are some of the important considerations when designing your cards:

Think of the colors to use. Keep in mind that this is a festive activity so you need to use fun colors. If you want to stick with the holiday theme, you can use green, red, or yellow. You can always use the colors you used on your materials to create consistency and just incorporate a festive appeal.

Keep the font simple. Just because it is the holiday does not mean that you can go away with overly creative fonts. Remember that you still have to ensure your message is read at a glance, so just keep the font simple and easy to read.

Pick the right image. You might want to use an image that is appropriate for the holiday season. If you can take your own picture and put it on your card that would be better. Just make sure to use high resolution images.

Keep your message simple but warm. It is the holidays. You do not need to make your cards look like a sales pitch. If you do this, people will simply throw away your card. Just send your warm holiday greeting and leave the sales part on your other marketing materials.

Once the design is done, you have to get your cards printed well. Find trusted printing company that will help you create your holiday greeting cards professionally. Keep in mind that there are plenty of them out there, so you have to make a thorough research.

Your holiday cards can be sent both to existing and new customers. It will be best if you do some research first before sending your cards so you are assured that you will mail it to the right people. Do not worry of your budget. Holiday cards are cost-effective to produce. In fact, there are printing companies that provide discounts on printing allowing you to get great savings.

With well crafted cards, you are sure to foster warm feelings and ensure you keep your relationship with your customers strong. Include these cards in your to-do list today and see the difference it will bring your way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6770346

Your Google+ Page Is About to Get Some Traffic

Whether you want to or not, it’s time to jump aboard the Google+ ship. As a marketing professional, it’s your job to not only perfect your own Google+ page to ensure its continued success.

Finally integrating its purchase of Zagat, a replacement of Google Places called Google+ Local has combined the forces of Google Search and Google Maps, creating, as you can imagine, the Incredible Hulk of Google services.

The Basics

The essential function of Google+ Local is to provide recommendations and reviews of local businesses and restaurants. Whenever you search a business or restaurant, Google+ Local gives an overall ranking based on Zagat’s 30 point system (with 30 being the best) as well as individual scores based on decor, service, and cost.

Since this new software is linked with Google+, reviews and recommendations from anyone in your circles will show up front and center—giving you reviews from people you trust, rather than Joe Schmoes you’ve never met.

Why You Need to Know

Although this recent update to Google mainly affects eateries, the same 30 point ranking system will be used on any businesses searched using Google Maps, Google Search or Google+.

The ultimate goal of this update from Google+, from our perspective, is to encourage local businesses to enhance their current Google+ pages (or create them) and bring more usage and engagement to Google+.

So, like it or not, it’s time to get your Google+ page looking fine and fancy, as more and more Google traffic will now be directed to those pages.

Study Shows Continued Dramatic Growth in Personalized Mail

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with addressing your direct mail to “Occupant,” but a recent study of mail trends conducted by DirectMarketingIQ uncovers the skyrocketing appeal of personalized mail. In 2009, 28 percent of mail pieces were personalized. In 2010, that figure jumped to 34 percent, marking a 21-percent increase. But last year, personalization saw even bigger increases. Overall, the 2011 numbers represented a 46-percent leap from 2009.

SOURCE: Deliver Magazine, May 2012

Data Hygiene – 5 Best Practices

Business contacts represent a lot of value, so it is both important and potentially profitable to invest in data hygiene. Here are some ways to keep your customer and prospect data fresh and up to date.

• Begin by entering the data correctly in the first place. Create a standard operating procedure for data-entry, and train your key personnel on it.
• Standardize your format of business addresses. For additional details, refer to Publication 28 from the United States Postal Service. For examples of recommended field selection and layout of business addresses, visit: http://pe.usps.gov/text/pub28/welcome.htm.
• Pay for postal returns and update your files with the returns. This should be done before every mailing.
• Take regular statistical samples of the data and check it manually using an outbound phone call.
• Ask for customer data regularly, and make it very easy for the customer to provide the information. Always ask for the information the same way – no matter where you ask for it.

At Professional Print & Mail we’ve always known that printing and mailing go together and have offered both services for over 25 years. From maintaining your existing list or purchasing a new prospect list to designing, printing and mailing your direct mail campaign – have it all done in one place.

Call or Click Today

559/237-7468

Info@PrintFresno.com

Mobile Barcode Postage Discount

You may remember, last summer the USPS offered a postage discount if you included a mobile barcode (QR code) on your direct mail piece. Well, the USPS has decided to bring this program back for the summer of 2012 (July 1 – August 31, 2012).

Click here if you would like all the details, but for your convenience, here are the main facts you need to know:

• Qualifying mailings may receive an upfront 2% discount off eligible postage.

•  Qualifying mailings are presorted and automation mailings of First-Class Mail cards, letters, and flats and Standard Mail (including Nonprofit Standard Mail) letters and flats with a mobile barcode inside or on the mailpiece.
  
  
• The mobile barcode must lead the recipient of the mailpiece either to a webpage that allows the recipient to purchase a product or service on a mobile device, or to a personalized URL, which leads to a web page that is unique to an individual recipient.
   
• Participation requires electronic documentation.
  

Professional Print & Mail can help with your entire direct mail campaign including adding QR codes that are integrated with personalized URLs. For more information or to get started on a direct mail campaign give us a call at 559/237-7468, or email info@PrintFresno.com.

Think BIG! Print BIG!

BIG dreams, BIG ideas, BIG plans? Then you need BIG printing!

Large format printing is an effective marketing choice for creating an eye-catching statement. Think about the visual impact you could make with banners, adhesive wall clings, vehicle wraps, event signage and even wall and floor graphics.

Now, large format design and printing is more affordable than ever and with our fast turn around time, is a great way for you to stand out from the crowd.

Take a moment a look around. You are surrounded by valuable advertising real estate: storefront windows, your company vehicle, even the walls and floor of your waiting room or shop. These are perfect places to add:

·         Banners

·         Trade Show Booths & Pop Up Banners

·         Wall Graphics & Murals

·         Vehicle Wraps

·         Floor Graphics

·         Window Clings

·         Product Exhibits

·         Point-of-Purchase Displays

Thinking BIG can grow your business and sales, and large format printing is a creative and eye-catching way to do it. Contact Professional Print & Mail for all your large format printing needs. From design and printing to installation, our team of experts can do it all!  

Call or Click Today

559/237-7468

info@PrintFresno.com

Pushing the Envelope

Marketers thoughtfully develop the inside components of a direct mail package. But the best letter, brimming with features and benefits and a measurable call to action, is worthless if it’s never read. The envelope is the key tool that determines whether your direct mail gets opened or tossed.

A poorly designed envelope that fails to motivate the recipient to open it is like mailing money out the door. Carefully consider every element, including physical dimensions, copy, layout, and design.

Anything outside of the standard #10 envelope, either larger or smaller, will set you apart. Make sure the envelope is at least ¼” larger than your largest insert. Steer clear of window envelopes unless it’s the only way to achieve personalization. Smooth, heavier stocks show off your color designs, while textured stocks, such as linen or laid, offer high-end feel. Explore the myriad of options now available.

Technology has advanced to the point that you can place dynamic messaging on the front, back, and even the inside of the envelope. Your copy should provoke curiosity, but not give everything away. The goal is to pique interest so the recipient looks inside, but there should be something more – new information, a special offer – as a reward for opening it.

The envelope should be clean and well-designed, but that means different things to different marketers. Some, concerned that documents with too much visual flair will be dismissed as “junk mail,” choose plain white envelopes imprinted with the corporate logo to lend credibility and seriousness. The other extreme is the marketer who uses starbursts and call-outs that shout, “Open Now!” The best strategy is somewhere in between – a mix of bright colors, interesting textures, vivid imagery and bold messaging to grab attention quickly. While it’s important to keep the design cohesive with your other printed materials, using the same envelope design for multiple mailings may work against you. Even a friendly prospect might assume he’s already heard the message inside.

Personalization increases response rates, whether it’s through variable-data messaging, using a legible script font, or actual handwriting. Postage stamps add another personal touch. An envelope has the best chance of being open if it’s delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday, the lightest postal delivery days. Six weeks seems to be a good interval between mailings – you want to stay fresh in your prospect’s mind without becoming a nuisance.

It is really important to not assume what will work best for your business and test, test, test to be certain. The abundance of creative options makes envelopes a versatile vehicle for presenting your message. Give these precious communication-carriers a try as you plan your next direct mail campaign.