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First Impressions Count: Use Short-Run Packaging to Make a Splash

short run packaging labels

Packaging is a critical piece of the marketing mix. It is the first impression you make on a customer, so how it looks, feels and how well it’s made all contribute to the first impression of what’s inside. Some customers are more interested in packaging, sure, but everyone judges you by the package you choose, even if unconsciously.

For small and medium-sized businesses, finding an affordable solution for packaging your products can be a challenge. Boxes aren’t cheap! But there are some solutions for short-run packaging.

Promotional Packaging: Quick, Affordable, Personalized

At Printing for Less we’re always trying to push the envelope (pardon our pun) when it comes to innovative printing and mailing options and we’ve perfected an affordable solution for packaging: promotional packaging.

Our special packaging is built on three ideas: it should fast, affordable and easily personalized. Here’s how we do it:

  • We print your artwork (which can be personalized for each customer) on a large sheet of high-quality material (it’s called Invercote, think of it as something between cardboard and paper).
  • It is lightweight but durable, and it adheres to our stringent requirements for color and detail.
  • We perforated shapes for your box and add peel-and-stick tape at the right spots.
  • You just tear off the boxes, peel back the tape on the edges, fold it together and you’ve got a package.

This approach is designed for very short runs – it isn’t cost effective for you to assemble thousand of these on your own! So who can use Printing for Less’s promotional packaging? Well, plenty of people.

Perfect Packaging for Handcrafts

Promotional packaging is perfect for handcrafted products that are at home on Etsy and similar sites. Here are some of the ways our customers are using short-run packaging:

  • Soapmakers: The Pillow Box is perfect for cradling your creation! Add your custom branding, design and flair to your creation and have a product that pops inside and out.
  • Business card holders: Your business card is your first line of communications to your clients. Protect your investment with a custom business card holder
  • Jewelry makers: These easy-to-assemble packages are perfect for your bespoke creations! They can fit anything from necklaces to rings and earrings.

pillow box packaging

Affordable, Fast Prototype Packaging

Need a prototype packaging for a meeting? Need to do a market sample test ASAP? Promotional packaging can be a lifesaver.

  • Fast turnaround time: We can print, proof and deliver your packages in as little as three business days.
  • Test multiple versions: A/B test versions of your artwork, logos and more.
  • Personalized artwork: Change artwork, text, and designs based on customer data.
  • Affordable: Designed for short runs, you can create unique prototypes that hit budget.

Variable Data, Personalized Packages

Printing for Less’s promotional packaging takes advantage of innovative digital printing. This means you can tap into the power of variable data printing. If you have the data, Printing for Less can use it to trigger what changes in your artwork, from text to images to the entire design.

  • Change text on the packaging to reference customer names, birth dates and other details.
  • Swap out images based on customer preferences, past purchases, or, well, anything!
  • Change the entire art file for the packaging based on demographics, geography or anything else you can dream up.

variable data packaging example

If you want a simple, affordable solution for your packaging, see if our short-run options will be right for you. Check out our site here, or just give us a call. We’ll answer all your questions about cost, production time and most importantly: if this will work for you.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

Big Sky: Big Ideas 2017 – The Next Frontier in Customer Engagement

big sky big ideas 2017 Welcome to the Next Frontier in Customer Engagement

Montana technology company Printing for Less is proud to announce the initial speaker lineup for its second annual Big Sky: Big Ideas Customer Engagement Summit. Salesforce VP of Strategic Research Peter Coffee will keynote and spearhead the event’s discussion, alongside Printing for Less Founder and CEO Andrew Field. Additional speakers include Marketo GVP of Strategy Tawheed Kader; Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Author, The Transformational Consumer; ThriftBooks VP of Sales and Marketing Nicole Cox and Montana’s own Devin B. Holmes, Founder of Big Sky Code Academy.

To be held in Bozeman, Montana, on October 5, the event will bring local and national thought leaders together to discuss and reimagine customer engagement, the future of business and the power of technology to build a better world.

“We live in this crazy digital, mobile, social world, and have infinite channels. You can’t blast your way through it,” says Printing for Less CEO and Founder Andrew Field. “We know mass-market is dead, or dying, and as marketers we need to find innovative ways to create customer engagement. Printing for Less helps marketers deliver authentic and personalized customer experiences that drive engagement, and we look forward to connecting with other disruptors who recognize the power of this change.”

A Montana born-and-raised company, Printing for Less believes there’s no place like the Mountain West to explore new ways of thinking. Big Sky: Big Ideas invites attendees to leave the beaten path and see Yellowstone National Park as few ever will — with their own backcountry guide. The park is located less than an hour from Printing for Less’s headquarters in Livingston, Montana, and just an hour and a half from Bozeman.

“We decided the Livingston/Bozeman area was the perfect place to bring together the best minds in business and technology to create a brighter future for ourselves, our customers and our broader community,” says Printing for Less Chief Evangelist Marne Reed.

Founded in 1996, Printing for Less has been at the forefront of the booming Montana technology scene for more than two decades. The country’s first online printer, Printing for Less is today a pioneer of Tactile Marketing Automation.

A private Printing for Less Executive Forum, held in part at the Printing for Less headquarters, will begin Thursday, October 4 and run for two days throughout the Customer Engagement Summit. At this invite-only event, Printing for Less customers and prospects will collaborate to share best practices, tactics and a path towards the future of customer engagement.

October 5, 2017

Bozeman and Livingston, MT

www.bigskybigideas.com

Event Agenda: www.bigskybigideas.com/agenda

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

 

5 Tips to Maximize Your Holiday Marketing Efforts

holiday card example Holiday marketing? You may wonder why it’s a topic now, as you sip iced tea on your porch and enjoy the summer. But it is never too early to start thinking about your holiday marketing planning! No matter what kind of business you run, it is important to plan ahead for the holiday shopping season frenzy. The last thing that you want is to be left high and dry, missing out on a key promotional period while your peers are reaping the rewards. Here are some tips that will help you crush the holiday season.

1. Push catalogs out early. Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite demographic: Millennials. Millennials have tremendous buying power and discretionary income, making them a highly desirable d. They respond astonishingly well to direct mail campaigns, with 77% of millennials paying attention to direct mail advertising, 90% believing it to be reliable and 87% reporting that they like to receive direct mail, according to the DMA. Sending millennials catalogs for your products is a great to get your products in the hands of those who will buy. Check out our nifty catalog guide here for more information and inspiration.

2. Every Door Delivery. Another fantastic way of getting your message into the hands of your customers in a geographical area is to use Every Door Direct mail (EDDM). EDDM is a method of sending your direct mail collateral out on specific mail routes with the post office, allowing you to blanket a geographical area in your messaging. See Templates for EDDM® mailers here. One tried and true piece of collateral is the postcard. Whether you choose standard sizes or opt for a large version, a vibrant postcard with a strong call to action will make an impression and bring results. If you haven’t designed a postcard before, take the time to learn some of the recommendations and best practices for building a strong piece. Our EDDM® Success Kit is a great place to see examples, learn best practices and understand how to track the impact your campaign has on business.

39 cent stamp design

3. Calendars: The gift that keeps on giving. Calendars are one of our favorite printed pieces. They provide a great amount of value to customers, and they allow your branding to be top of mind every day of the year. Want to increase brand engagement with your customers? Hold a photo submission contest. Any way you look at it, calendars are a sure fire win. Check out the best calendars in the game here.

4. Get clear on your goals. Recognize your KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) to track the success of your campaigns. It’s a crucial part of any campaign, as you need to know where your marketing dollars are going and how they attribute to revenue generated for your business. That being said, it can be confusing to know where to start when it comes to tracking direct mail campaigns. Our favorite way is to employ Variable Data Printing (VDP) to serve each customer with a specific coupon code that tracks who redeems them. Learn more about VDP here.

now open sign
5. Small Business Saturdays. Small Business Saturday is quickly becoming one of the best shopping extravaganzas of the entire year, and consumers increasingly take advantage of its savings like never before. In order to maximize your efforts for this gold rush, remind your customers of the potential deals and savings they could snag while visiting your store. Remind customers of store hours, provide them with coupons and ultimately drive buying behavior. Send your flyers out to postal routes in your area with EDDM, and get ready for a surefire hit. 

We hope that you’ll be able to take advantage of these tips and tricks to make the most out of your holiday marketing efforts. Want some more ideas to make this holiday season? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978. We would love to help you plan ahead for your most successful holiday season yet.

This Trick Will Make Your Print Marketing More Effective

Personalize your print with Variable Data Printing

Personalized marketing feels impossible in a world of infinite choices. Customers control the conversation, and even small and medium-sized businesses have to recognize and adapt to this new landscape. One thing remains constant, however, and smart marketing takes notice: everyone wants the VIP treatment. Creating relevant messages for targeted audiences is the crux of marketing, but without the proper toolkit, it can be a daunting task.

Spray and pray marketing is a waste. Sure, digital technology makes it easier to spray more and pray harder, but what’s the point? You want quality results from your marketing dollar (are you making at least $3 for every $1 you spend?) and customers don’t want to sift through junk. Maybe the answer is going old-school.

We love direct mail, and studies show that we aren’t alone. According to the USPS, 47% of Millennials happily check their mailbox each day. But they don’t want junk mail that goes into the garbage, 95% of them want the feel-good effect of getting personalized direct mail. If it appeals directly to you, it isn’t junk. Millennials are commanding a growing slice of US dollars and already control $600 billion a year in spending power. Here are some tips to get the message out to Millennials:

Personalize Your Print Marketing

Millennials value individuality. Personalization in direct mail is not a new concept, but it is an initiative that bears many unexplored possibilities. With services such as Variable Data Printing, businesses can intelligently personalize marketing with a startling amount of variables. Want to send different offers to people with blue eyes and brown eyes? Done. Want to change images on your print based on demographics? Easy. As long as there is data for it, anything can be changed with variable data.

Bridge the Gap Between Digital and Physical Channels

Of course, we’re fans of physical marketing, but we know digital marketing isn’t going anywhere. It offers ease of insight, it is nimble enough to react to changes in your market, and it is incredibly affordable. Closing the gap between digital and physical channels makes both more effective. In fact, you can bank on seeing a 7.9% lift in engagement when you bridge this gap. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Send a postcard with a coupon for items in an abandoned shopping cart
  • Send a mailer that includes only items the customer is likely to buy, based on their past buying behavior
  • Welcome kits tailored for specific customers
  • Send a gift card honoring a customer’s birthday, anniversary, etc.

Make Print Marketing Scream Quality

One thing that print does better than digital is delivering real, tangible quality. We’re paper, packaging, ink and color experts. We can tell the difference between 30# and 40# paper by sight, but even if you’re not a print expert, you know quality when you feel it. A high-end smartphone box feels expensive, well-made and flawless. Imagine the disconnect if your $1,000 smartphone came in a flimsy tissue paper box! That’s the power of print!

You don’t need the budget of a multi-billion dollar company to use personalized, targeted printing. At Printing for Less, we use an innovative process to lower the cost of VDP so it is affordable for the rest of us. Give us a call, and we’ll help you find a solution that fits your budget, timeline, and goals.

Give us a call and see how we can bring extreme personalization to your print.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.

USPS Changing Bulk Mail to Marketing Mail

Harness the USPS rebrand to your Marketing Advantage

Attention, multi-channel marketers! A recent United States Postal Service (USPS) rebrand could help you reshape the way you send direct mail.  The USPS recently announced that it will change the name of its Standard Mail (aka Bulk Mail) to “USPS Marketing Mail,” active January 2017. Marketing Mail now officially includes printed matter, flyers, newsletters, catalogs, bulletins and small parcels.

According to the USPS, the shift was made to, “better communicate to mailers how this mail class can be used.”

Printing for Less is here to help you use USPS Marketing Mail to get your message into your customers’ hands. But what does that mean, exactly, for you if you plan to do a mailing campaign? There was a change in the postal rates on January 20th, but that’s already implemented. But there are some specific criteria for your mailing to qualify for USPS Marketing Mail classification. Check them out:

Minimum per piece weight: None

Maximum per piece weight: Less than 16 ounces

Minimum quantity: 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail

One great perk for direct-mail marketers is that mailing material doesn’t have to be mailed as First Class mail, or periodicals, which are both subject to different postage rates. There will  also be lower postage rates for non-profit organizations.

Another great feature is that USPS Marketing Mail will not have a per-piece price. There are; however, different prices for different classes of materials. Postage varies depending on whether you’re mailing a, “letter, large envelopes, parcels, Marketing parcels and Parcel Select Lightweight parcels,” says the Postal Service.

Add-on service options, like tracking, insurance and return receipts, will be available. Forwarding service is not include unless you request and pay for it. For the full details, please visit the USPS Marketing Mail website. 

 

Benefits of USPS Marketing Mail

One of the main benefits of Marketing Mail is cost. Compared to a service like First Class, it’s a particularly affordable mailing option. Marketing Mail is a great option for US customers, since it’s a domestic-only service. There are also add-on services, like Priority Mail Open and Distribute, that can help speed up the delivery times for your mailing project.

 

Drawbacks of USPS Marketing Mail

Unlike more expensive options, this mail class does not have forwarding services unless you pay extra. There are minimum piece requirements (200 pieces, or 50 lbs) as well.

Marketing Mail has a generally a longer delivery timeline, with an average of five days for local mail, and up to three weeks for national mail. Any time-sensitive mailing needs may require turning to a more expensive mail class.

 

How to Deliver Your Goods

Printing for Less is here to help you create the mailing piece of your dreams, and will get it out the door and into the right hands on time, in the right class and within your budget.  

We have dedicated mailing experts ready to walk you through all your options. Whether you’re a mailing neophyte, or a grizzled direct mail veteran, we will make your mailing project painless and compliant with postal regulations. We can help you build your mailing lists, check against the National Change of Address (NCOA) registry, schedule and even mail your final pieces for you.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978, or read about our Direct Mail Service Options to learn more. Let’s get started today.

Direct Mail Recharges Marketing


DM_Recharges_HEAEDER_01272017 Banging your head against an inbox? You aren’t alone – email has a dismal response rate no matter how you cut it: 1.3% percent, according to Silverpop. Attention spans are shrinking, email is getting clogged – and frankly – emails just aren’t very fun.

Direct mail brings a much higher response rate to the table, with more people acting on direct mail and preferring it to email. Direct mail is even better when it works with digital channels – netting a 7.9% response rate.

Why does direct mail work so well?

Direct Mail is a Real Thing

In an increasing digital world, the concept of a real thing has special weight. Open an email and get bombarded with ads, retargeting, annoying video ads, pop-ups and more. It’s a circus of crass marketing and we’re trained to ignore it, or even worse, use an ad blocker to kill it dead.

With direct mail, it is just the consumer and your message. You reach them with their physical senses. Studies show they look at direct mail more closely, remember it better and longer, and are more likely to act on it.

Print Can be Personalized

Digital printing lets direct mail enter the world of one-to-one personalization that’s been the playground of digital channels for years. Personalized direct mail can have impressive results, scoring a 20% lift in response rates. Personalization isn’t just limited to copy either – you can swap out new images, designs, and more based on any criteria: demographic, geographic, even lead score.

Direct Mail is a Blue Ocean

Direct mail isn’t being used much anymore. There’s a misconception that it’s too expensive and doesn’t work. Well, let your competition think that – because for you it is an open field. Why compete for attention in a crowded marketplace when you can engage on a channel that nearly 80% of consumers say they always pay attention to? Build your brand, start a conversation, keep their attention in an uncrowned space.

Digital and Direct Mail Work Together

Direct mail isn’t going to win on its own, no channel will. But together, you can use direct mail to bolster your digital engagement. Imagine an abandoned shopping cart, send a postcard with a discount card to the customer that references their shopping cart – personalized offers will drive them back to pull the trigger. Want more ideas? Check out our idea book filled with great direct mail ideas your competitors aren’t using.

Direct Mail is for Everyone

Nearly half of all people over age 65 do not use the Internet at all. It is seen as a daily gift, it is held, opened, and passed around – and not just by Baby Boomers. Digitally jaded Millennials respond to direct mail with as much vigor as their parents.

Direct Mail Can be Automated

Direct mail can be seamlessly added to marketing automation and CRM systems. You can set it up once and forget about it – as leads pass through your workflow they can trigger the send of direct mail. Shameless self promotion: we’re pioneering that technology and we think we’re the best.

Putting the power of personalized real stuff in your customer’s hand makes you stand out, builds an unforgettable customer experience, and drives real action.

Need help with your print? Talk to a live print expert today: 800-930-7978.