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Grow Your Business with Direct Mail

If you’re thinking about new ways to get the word out about your business, one of the best options is direct mail. This tried and true marketing channel puts your message directly into the hands of current and potential customers and grabs their attention.

If you’ve never given direct mail a chance, it can be tricky to know where to start, and what the best options for your business are. That’s why we’ve put together a few best practices and bright ideas for growing your business with direct mail.

Inside the article you’ll find

Surprising statistics about the power and response rate of direct mail
Suggestions for unique physical pieces
How to create a memorable brand experiences for your audience with direct mail

Learn more about direct mail marketing for small businesses.

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

Boost Your Small Business Marketing by Repurposing Your Website

As a small business owner, time is one thing you don’t have just laying around. You need all the secrets to saving resources and money you can get, especially when it comes to important but time consuming aspects like content.

Great content can change the way customers perceive your brand, engage with you, and purchase. But for many small business owners this seems overwhelming. That’s why we’ve pulled together some of our best secrets for repurposing content you already have to better market your business. In this article, you’ll learn how to:

Create reusable content
Repurpose website content for blogs, emails, direct mail and more
Get multiple social posts out of one piece of content
Drive customer engagement with content across multiple channels

Learn more about repurposing your content.

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

6 Rules to Make Anyone Better at Writing Content

Focus on the customer

When potential customers read content, in the back of their mind a little voice is asking, “What’s in it for me?” Always be answering that question with your copy.

Wondering how you can talk about your business and your customers at the same time? It’s simple—tie it back to them. Pair statements about your company with why the reader should care. See below for examples of content that is self-serving, versus content that focuses on the customer:

Bad: We offer flexible hours of service and custom package pricing.

Good: We offer flexible hours to fit your schedule, and custom pricing for your unique needs.

See what I did there? I mentioned a fact about my hypothetical business, but it’s a fact that adds real value. Which leads me to my next point:

Keep it benefit focused

Most businesses tend to be feature focused. But if you stay benefit-focused, you’ll set your company apart. This is how you answer the “What’s in it for me?” question. An easy way to do this is to think of a feature first, and then ask what benefit that feature brings to your customers.

Let’s say you’re a formal menswear retailer with fashion experts and tailors on hand at all times. The benefit is that your customers have access to the expertise they need to get the perfect product. Emphasize the latter.

Be human

Whether you market to consumers or other businesses, you’ve got to make a connection with the reader. Do this by being human. It doesn’t mean you have to be super casual, funny or over the top. It simply means dropping the industry jargon and being relatable. People buy from those they trust. If you sound like a cyborg, you won’t fall into that category.

Keep it short and sweet

Don’t say in ten words what you can in four. Don’t drone on forever.

Have a strong Call to Action

Calls to Action are what you ask the reader to do. Want them to call? Email? Sign Up? You’ve got to tell them. Leaving them without a CTA is like ushering them out the door.

Engage, engage, engage

Engagement means creating a dialog between you and your customers. Whether on social media, blog posts, or your website, dialog give you real time insights into how customers are feeling and builds relationships with them.

Rules for good engagement are similar to that of good small talk. Don’t ask questions that bring your conversation to a screeching halt (this largely means avoiding “yes or no” questions).

Let’s say you’re a campaign manager for a local politician running for office, and you’ve just written a blog. Below are an example of good vs. bad engagement.

Bad: Were you happy with the last Mayor’s term?

Good: What did you like the most about the last Mayor’s term? What would you like to see done differently?

Note: If you’re going to ask people to engage, be ready to follow up when they do.

Want more resources on writing content for your business? Check out this blog post to see what kind of content turns prospects into customers, and customers into lifelong advocates.

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

9 Ways to Market Your Business with Note Cards

Business marketers of the world, brace yourselves. There’s a tsunami of emails coming. According to the Radicati Group, a technology market research firm, there will be over 206 billion emails sent or received every day by 2017. There were 183 billion total emails sent or received just two years ago, and 100.5 billion were business emails.

If that’s not a sign that it makes sense to send dimensional mail to help market your business, we don’t know what is.

There’s one printed product that’s just the ticket for small- and medium-size businesses to use instead of emails. It’s the note card, that old reliable marketing tactic.

Sending note cards is an effective marketing strategy that you can implement quickly and inexpensively.

Aside from that daily email onslaught, note cards work for lots of reasons. Nobody gets good mail anymore. We get tons of junk – and bills. Think of how getting a personally addressed note card or letter perks you right up. How fast do you toss aside all that other impersonal mail to open up an envelope that’s hand addressed to you?

Exactly.

A dimensional mail card puts you back on top of the recipient’s mind. It’s a personal communication that causes an immediate reaction. Most emails just can’t do that.

Check out these 9 ideas for when to send note cards to market your business:

After meeting a prospect or a customer.

Maybe you had coffee, lunch, or a meeting with a customer or someone interested in working with you. Send a note card to say thanks.

After meeting people at networking events or trade shows.

After you collect business cards at events, send note cards to people who made an impression and/or would be ideal clients. Do it within days to maximize impact.

After listening to an enlightening speaker.

If a business presentation blows you away with insights and inspiration, thank the speaker with a note card. You never know where it might lead.

After giving a presentation.

As a public speaker, you should at the very least send a note of thanks to your host/s. If the group’s small enough and you can get their contact information, send the audience members note cards, too.

To thank someone for their actions.

When someone does you a favor of any kind, send them a card even if you’ve called or emailed them. Here are great reasons: they referred you to someone else; they mentioned you by name in a webinar, article, or blog post; they gave you advice pro bono about a problem you were having; they simply took the time to meet you for coffee or lunch to catch up.

To thank someone for their purchase.

This works well for small business owners, especially solo practitioners. If you sell books, for example, thank customers with a note card.

To acknowledge an anniversary or other special occasion.

On every anniversary of a client engagement, send that client a note card. If you’re aware of key milestones for their businesses, send a card.

To congratulate a customer or colleague.

If you’re active on LinkedIn and get those emailed notices alerting you to connections’ birthdays, work anniversaries or new positions, send them note cards. This gesture is much more meaningful than the standard online LinkedIn acknowledgment.

Just because.

Send note cards every now and then to customers and prospects just because it’s personal. It says, “I’m thinking of you.” It’s a welcome gesture.

Make a Lasting Impact

Make sure your branded stationary includes some sort of personal touch, like a handwritten address or stamps you apply yourself. Over time, recipients will recognize your company name and logo. People will know you took the time to get in touch with good old-fashioned mail. Many of them will hang onto your cards. While all those billions of emails go whizzing by, your 1st class note card will stop traffic and get noticed.

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

Booklet Printing: Going Beyond the Brochure

Perhaps you’re aiming to reach as many new customers as possible before a big promotional event. Or you just launched a new product that is a perfect fit for your existing customer base. Whatever your goals, custom booklet printing is a great way to spread your message, showcase your products and create buzz around your business.

There are times when printed materials like a brochure or a rack card don’t have the space you need. Maybe the look and feel needs to be more substantial to communicate the value you offer. In these scenarios, a custom booklet strikes a great balance between those smaller formats and a larger piece like a poster.

Booklets are much like a mini-catalog and can be printed with a matching envelope or mailer, giving the finished project a polished, cohesive look. Booklets are usually assembled using a saddle stitch method that then allows the booklet to fold flat for mailing. While saddle stitch finishing is common, other options like perfect binding, square back binding or Wire-O binding can help create that particular look you want.

Consider a booklet when you want to highlight large imagery, like an interior designer or architect may need to do. Colorful booklets grab attention and have plenty of space to convey important details about your services or products. Attractive booklets are less likely to be thrown away than a traditional brochure and can help engage your target market.

You may want to include industry specific tips and tricks that your customer will find helpful, increasing the value of the booklet. You could position it as a “How To” guide, or turn it into a handy pocket reference that your audience will use again and again.

Another way to capture customer attention is to incorporate personalization in your booklets. Little details like printing the customer’s name or targeting imagery based on their previous purchase habits with you can make a significant impact. For example, if your database shows that a particular group of customers always buy a specific brand from your showroom, you can customize each booklet for that segment to showcase that specific brand on the cover.

You can upgrade the look and feel of your booklet by graduating the size of each page assembled. This will give you attractive “tabs” that can be incorporated in the design and make it really stand out. This option is easy to implement and increases the appeal significantly. Another option to make your piece stand out from the crowd is to pick a non-traditional size, which can be easily customized to match your unique needs. We offer booklet size options ranging from small (2.95″ x 4.72″) all the way up to enormous (12″ x 13.9″)!

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

Rack up the Business with Rack Cards

Sometimes the amount of info you want to communicate falls right in between business card and brochure. The business card isn’t enough canvas, but the brochure is over-kill. Sitting snugly between these two options a handy solution—the rack card.

What the heck is a rack card, you ask? Basically, rack cards are smaller-format printed pieces that measure 4″ x 9″ and can be produced in a variety of sturdy cover stocks and printed on one or two sides. Think of it as just one panel of a brochure. You’ve most likely seem them used to promote tourism and travel-related businesses such as hotels, theme parks, museums and attractions.

However, they can also be used to promote a wide range of other businesses and services such as spas, restaurants, schools, dry cleaners, car washes, special events, pet services and more.

The keys to successful rack card marketing include:

Eye-catching design
Call to action or offer
Placement in all the right locations

Make Your Cards Stand Out

Make sure your piece stands out with eye-catching graphics and a bold headline or offer, especially if your card will be placed in a rack with hundreds of other cards.

When you have a preliminary design, look at it in context with other cards. Is yours different, inviting? Take a step back and try to spot your card from three feet away. Use bright colors, engaging fonts, and crisp, relevant images to make your message leap off the rack.

Prominently feature your contact information, including phone, website, and email address. Consider featuring a map to your location, especially if you target visitors who don’t know your area. If you’re a service provider, consider adding a list of services and prices on your card. Restaurants can list their select menu items or feature a coupon.

Remember, you have two sides to work with. Keep the front simple and engaging. Never forget that white space is your friend. Put your detailed information on the back of the card.

Make Them an Offer They Can’t Refuse

Target your customers with an enticing offer or invitation. This incentive will help drive business for your product or service. Some ideas:

2 for 1 admission
Percentage discounts
Added freebie with a purchase
Kids dine free

You can even add a perforation to the bottom portion of your rack card for a tear off business card or coupon. Pretty snazzy, huh?

Make them ubiquitous

Distribute your rack cards far and wide to reach as many potential customers as possible. Place them in high traffic locations where they are sure to be seen and taken. Ideal locations for travel related businesses are visitor centers, chambers of commerce, convention centers, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and rest stops.

For retail goods and services, ask local businesses (not your competitors) if you can place your rack cards in their store or office. Consider using branded rack card holders or stands to capture attention and reinforce your business. Spread your message far and wide to see the most return on your investment.

Ready to get your rack cards created? Check out these great design ideas, call us at 800-930-7978 or get your quote today.

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Check out these 9 ideas for when to send note cards to market your business:

Make a Lasting Impact

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