Full Color Printing News

Driving sales up in a down market

Businesses today face increasingly difficult decisions with their advertising budgets due to low sales and reduced customer response. It is very typical to see businesses stop advertising when the economy is down and cash flow is tight. I recommend my clients never stop spending altogether in a down market, but rather adjust how and where they spend.

Companies that stop spending altogether in a down market are forced to start fresh when the market improves. On the contrary, companies with the wherewithal to adjust their spending will weather the down market, having an edge over the competition by being aggressive sooner when the market does improve.

With so many options to a business owner it is not easy to decide how to adjust spending. That’s why traditional media like direct mail are back in style in such a big way.

Once you determine direct mail is right for you the next step is to choose a firm to work with who can help you with your campaign. A successful direct mail campaign includes several factors including design, offer, target, cost, etc. I spoke with national full color printing and graphic design company Preferred Print on the subject.

I first asked what trends were emerging in the full color printing industry and what has been successful for his customers. “…companies are realizing old faithful always delivered in the past, and are turning back to direct mail in droves. Let’s face it…in today’s market the security of a steady predictable conversion rate is more important than ever…”

When asked about customer success they said “it is important to our customers to have their campaign handled by one shop. By handling all aspects of the campaign from graphic design, full color printing, as well as the prospect mailing list needs and postage it keeps their costs down.” He added ”I had a recent customer mail 5000 full color postcards to a targeted list and picked up new customers worth $60,000 in total sales.”

When designing a direct mail campaign, full color printing is better than not. A postcard in full color is more impactful and is proven to get better results. Design your mailer around the goal of the campaign and the audience, as well as the product. Next you need to decide what type of mailer to use.

Postcards allow your message to have immediate attention and are especially useful for announcing new products or services, special offers, and lead generation. When deciding what size post card to use it is important to remember the most expensive cost is the postage, not the printing. This means you should opt for the larger format like a 6”x11”, since the printing costs are similar. It is typically the largest piece in the mailbox and commands attention. “We have seen big changes in our customers results when moving to a larger format, as much as 100%-150%.” says Mark Murray of Preferred Print.

That translates to real numbers. On 5000 4”x6” post cards with a total cost of $1445 for printing, and postage with a .5% response is $57.80 per lead. With the same campaign on a 6” x 11” post card total cost is $2095 with a response of .5% at $21 per lead. Obviously, results vary but the fact remains the small additional investment typically results in a marked increase in overall campaign results.

Brochures and Sell Sheets are better suited to share lots of information you can’t fit on full color postcards by having more space to convey the message visually and verbally. An 11” x 17” tri-fold brochure is great for getting your message out in a newsletter format and has good responses with the right design, plus you don’t need to use an envelope saving even more.

Finally, the most critical component is the list itself. This will make or break your campaign. “By properly targeting the people in the right stage in the buying cycle the conversions can be staggering. As an example, targeting a list of consumers for automotive lease can garner a typical .5% response. However, by targeting people in the last 3-6 months of their lease, our customer tripled their response by getting their prospects at a time they were already looking to make a move.” This can translate to virtually any industry; it simply requires working with the right partner.

For more information on full color printing or to discuss a direct mail campaign for your business contact Mark Murray with Preferred Print @ 800-329-0005 or visit http://www.preferredprint.com/

Written by Michael Carrus

One of the fears of many companys is how to get a class look on all of your full color printing and still use paper products that will be well recive in the consumers mind.

The fact is that almost all the cunsumers in the market places are very receptive to all marketing and promocnal full color printing that use recycle paper and green inks. The fact is the more comercal color printing companys push these plant health products the faster they will catch on.

Next time you are looking to do some full color printing for you corperation look to go green. They say little is the new big, and now green full color printing is the new BIG. Green color prnting is in big time.

You can work all of this into - your companys - 1.) Color Business Cards  2.) full color book printing  3.) Color Brochure Printing

there is a new directory worth looking at. The name of it is -

www.freeprintingdirectoryonline.com

The thing that I like about it is, if  your looking for a printing company and were in the USA and for a certen product as well a printing company that makes this product in your area. You have mean different way of finding the product you wish to buy at this printing vendor website. You should look at and live a post on full color printing news and let me know way you think. It also has the ability to look at the different companys that poduct these products on the home page of the site in catorgares scuch as color postcards, color catalogs, Calanders, color brochure, book printers, ect

One of things that I like to do when I’m creating a strong call to action for some type of marketing piece such as a full-color postcard, full-color catalog, full-color brochure or, full-color pocket folder.

What I like to do generally suppose a question such as -

need business?

This is the headline that I like to use one on looking to get someone’s attention.  I feel as if I can get someone’s attention with a headline and there’s a good chance that they may read into the ad.  If they read into the ad is a good chance I may just catch them.

And the thing about asking a question as it actually ends up entering the subconscious of the person that you’re asking a question to when they may just need exactly what it is that you’re offering at that moment time.

As if there hasn’t been enough changes to color printing in the last  12 months.  It seems like we’re headed for some more changes. Here the things that need to be thought of when you’re selling printing across state lines.  Since fuel charges have been on the rise, various different carriers such as UPS FedEx Yellow Freight etc, have been increasing the shipping charges.

One of the things that I like to suggest some I full color printing manufacturing companies is to use a selling approach that will hopefully diffused objection of paying for shipping. What may customers calling up looking for various different printer products and one of their argument is as bike purchases from you and I live in Arizona and your businesses in Fort Lauderdale.  The price and the shipping is not to make it worth while for me to order this printed product from you I will order from a local company or local printing firm to get that product. This is the rubato I like to use.

Being that the fact you are located in Arizona.  One of the things that you say when purchasing from our local printing company here in Florida, does you don’t pay any sales tax.  Being that are printing us at such a low rate than you could possibly purchase locally and that save you money won’t turn.

I find this to be a very effective way to move through that objection of not wanting to purchase from an out-of-state printing company.  Because the increasing course of shipping.

This is a very effective thing to do, whether you’re selling full-color brochures or full-color catalogs. Virtually you can use this for all of your color printing services that you offer is for  all the resistance.  Potential clients may be using to get out of purchasing with you.

 You can also use this in your marketing that you send out nationwide that when they purchase from you they save sales tax.

I think one or more challenging things to figure out over the last few years is what type of machinery would one by when trying to leverage themselves in the full color printing arena. It is been my experience over the past 20 some odd years in this arena of full color printing.  That is been more challenging over the last five years actually picked a piece of equipment that you might be able to use the next 10 or 15 years.  By riding out that equipment until it is completely paid off, and you’d be able to leverage it out and purchase another piece of equipment. The problem is when you go to buy a piece of commercial printing equipment and it ends up being outdated within three to five years, if you’re lucky. The use disadvantage.  I piece of equipment, it’s probably worth 35 to 40% less than what you paid for. I have to tell you that this makes it a very challenging situations you looking to leverage out of one piece of equipment into another. I wish I could give you some type of a silver bullet or a magic wand that would make you immune from these choices, but the truth is that I can’t. My advice to you before you purchase any of this equipment that you do the due diligence to make sure that nobody is coming out with a piece of equipment that on making your is obsolete with the next three years. A lot of companies have made the decision to make the goal of the commercial printing industry is brokers.  Rather than commercial printers themselves. One of the companies that I do some counseling for www.onetwothreecolorprinting.com this company has made a decision to outsource all of its 12 and three color printing rather than trying to print in house for the simple reason that what they can actually buy cheaper from a company that’s been around for 20 some odd years.  And that owners will or equipment outright selling offset printing to the trade only that it would be for them to employ a commercial printing mechanic to produce their work internally.  The other thing that’s important in my opinion is to find a niche within the commercial offset printing industry.  Such as there is some companies out there that specialize in all they do is full color business cards. Some companies may specialize in just doing catalog printing. Other companies will put all their aphids and marketing in two producing just full color flyers. Some of these companies won’t even have their own graphic designers on staff, everything needs to be sent to them and what they call art ready, and/or artwork supplied. In my opinion.  I think your best taking a specific niche and doing some direct mail marketing and marketing and promotion to those groups of people.  Some other companies not only will they go after a niche market as far as product is concerned.  But they will also go after specific industries like just printing for Christian churches. They will go after the financial institutions and looked to be a specialist in that particular industry.

You’re looking to do something like a full color brochure.  You don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for it.  Call preferredprint.com.  This company has been around for are in excess of 10 years and I’ve always been very happy with the work that they’ve done for me in the past as well as the work for my clients that have referred to them.  Their graphic designers are well-equipped to basically handle all of your needs from logo design as well as and not limited to catalog design, brochure design, pocket folder graphic design. I will leave you there direct URL this will bring you directly into the brochure page for www.preferredprint.com the full color brochure or link is : http://www.preferredprint.com/color-brochures-printing_15.htm definitely give them a call and let me know what you think. By the way some people who refer to this as a full-color flyer. Remember when it comes to full color printing or commercial printing.  The difference between picking the company that might be $100 cheaper versus a company that would give you a highly professional finished product can make the difference between a promotional campaign that is successful all promotional campaign that goes in the toilet.

I have been around and involved in the full color commercial printing industry for well over 25 years.  I guess this makes me what they would call a trained professional after all I have been earning well over six digit personal income and have created and business tens of millions of dollars over the last 25 years. Some years ago when I first was introduced to the full color printing market place as a person purchasing full color printing for my own events. I started out as a nightclub promoter and I would order for color printing from a commercial printer located in Manhattan.  Over near Spring Street and Van Damme. The thing I was able to find out, back then was how form printing worked, better known as gang run printing today.  Nowadays, almost all a full color printing that you purchase on any given day is done by a gang run printer. Back then, very few printers were actually involved in production in this way.  And if you want to buy something like 5000 full color postcards you’d end up paying someone area for upwards of 700 to well over $1000 for 5000 full color postcards. Now for product is even more superior than that, based on technology in the sheer volume and competitiveness of this particular industry the commercial printing industry.  That same product can be easily purchased phone anywhere in the area of $150 to someone area of $325, which I have to tell you this is significant discount from where once was. One of the companies you have heard about from me many times before is www.preferredprint.com This company offers a variety of full color printing at virtually wholesale printing prices.  It’s a definitely worthwhile time to give them a hard look to see what they have that minefield to help you in the future your commercial printing needs.  So whether it’s 123 color printing or something that may be a bit more coarsely such as full color catalogs, full-color brochures, full color business cards, full-color letterheads in envelopes.  They also dual wide variety of promotional products, and I know that they also carry a full line of mailing equipment.  So they’re able to fulfill all of your direct mail and marketing needs.  They also have a full staff of graphic designers.  I believe that the Rall running state-of-the-art G5 Macintosh computers.

One of the websites that I would like to write about today is called www.freeprintingdirectoryonline.com this particular directory has virtually every single full color printing company in the whole continental United States. What’s really great about this directory is that you can search by very us different categories such as city state as well as by company name. It also has the vendors set up in such a way that it actually shows in that listing one is that the company specializes in.  For example of the company does full-color brochures is listed on the full-color brochure section in the directory. And if the company specializes in full color business cards than it will be located in the business card printing area and the director. I think you’ll find this to be a tremendous resource when you are shopping your full color commercial printing.

Wouldn’t be nice to come up with the marketing campaign for your company that would be a win-win for you no matter what it is that you did? I believe if you come up with a very sophisticated, full color postcards, and/or a nice full-color brochure.  This is definitely possible. Keep in mind, he deftly need to come up with something that’s not been done in the marketplace before.  It’s not to say that you can’t use something that someone else did in and put your own little twist on it but it’s definitely important for you to research this. One of the ways that I like to do some basic grassroots research is to call my existing client base in person different ideas by them to see if this is something that they would be interested in getting involved in. I may say something as simple as if somebody saying something in the mallets that ask and offer do some type of for a limited time only you were able to receive this in the ordered something with the next 30 days, would you be interested? One of the things that I personally like to do is I like to put a very big strong call to action on the front of the you the brochure or catalogue. Usually I’ll pose at some type of a question. I have mentioned this in some articles in the past one of the questions I used to like to ask is (((((( Need Printing???? ))))) I like to do this because it actually poses a question and asked people turn around me to say yes I do or know I don’t. I find this to be very very effective on not saying that this is what you need to do, but I have seen it work for me on various different occasions.