Seth is a man I respect as he wrote the PURPLE COW a very good marketing book.
but Seth says trying to get to the C-level is very difficult. And comment of his is:
If you e-mail me or write to me or call me without me asking first, I hate you. You are a spammer. I won't buy from you or encourage others to do so.
In the print or graphics world how do you get your message across is you do any of the above statement?
This is when your variable data comes into place and your message has to be dead ass on.
And the information provide this week is what has to take place to get to this C-level client.
Enjoy the weekend
Alan
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Basics Folding
Once again I get the question on how do I make this more cost effiecent?
And when I look at the piece it has folds perfs, scores and is twisted in several directions.
Here is some secrets to help save money.
In folding a sheet, we have to look at the thickness of paper as NO one like cracking where the fold goes. Simple rule the thicker the paper the more the crack will be. So we score the sheet, but if you are in a price competive state, than we can run the project and the folds will go with the grain of paper (paper has a grain) and we can run a scoring wheel on the folder. This will not be the best score but with the grain going the correct direction then this will be a OK score, but this will save major dollars.
This is when we can also put a perf in the sheet.
These are little things which saves not only cost, but time and with the combination of the two sometimes it is worth having a few minor flaws compared to perfection which cost way more!
My thoughts
Alan
And when I look at the piece it has folds perfs, scores and is twisted in several directions.
Here is some secrets to help save money.
In folding a sheet, we have to look at the thickness of paper as NO one like cracking where the fold goes. Simple rule the thicker the paper the more the crack will be. So we score the sheet, but if you are in a price competive state, than we can run the project and the folds will go with the grain of paper (paper has a grain) and we can run a scoring wheel on the folder. This will not be the best score but with the grain going the correct direction then this will be a OK score, but this will save major dollars.
This is when we can also put a perf in the sheet.
These are little things which saves not only cost, but time and with the combination of the two sometimes it is worth having a few minor flaws compared to perfection which cost way more!
My thoughts
Alan
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Variable Data the next step
Now we have our data and we now know who are clients are, it is time to figure out what we want to say and to add more creditbility to my clients, but also we are wanting to find more clients to increase our business.
With variable data we want to call to action, as it is too expesive to just get someone to read and throw away, so we want a call to action. For two reasons, one is to track the response rate and the other to get a sale or a final decision. Once established this message then we send it to MR. JOHN SMITH stating their or his needs on the lititure and from there the process begins
Variable data is very effective in the market place and using varible data and pushing people to the web can be very powerful, but to do this without finding who you market is then it can be very expensive and you can get little to no results.
With Respect
Alan
With variable data we want to call to action, as it is too expesive to just get someone to read and throw away, so we want a call to action. For two reasons, one is to track the response rate and the other to get a sale or a final decision. Once established this message then we send it to MR. JOHN SMITH stating their or his needs on the lititure and from there the process begins
Variable data is very effective in the market place and using varible data and pushing people to the web can be very powerful, but to do this without finding who you market is then it can be very expensive and you can get little to no results.
With Respect
Alan
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
More about Variable Data
In trying to get information about your clients and really who are your clients there are several ways you can collect this information.
One is have a calling group call your clients and ask for the information and why are they your client, the second is to send a return postcard asking the question and having them mail it back in, but the best is a PURL.
Personal URL, and this is asking the client to go to a website which is personalized to your client and asking them to fill out a questionare and then you will give them some promotional item for their time.
But now we have this persons real reason they are your client, we know income, kids, no kids, occupation, race, various questions of habit they have, sports or events they like and this PURL questionare should be several questions long from 8 to 12 question and no longer than 3 to 5 min to fill out.
But we now KNOW, and once we get several of these back then we can start looking for others with the same qualifications and send them personal variable data to turn these non clients into clients.
When Variable data does not work is when a blanket variable peace gets sent out and there is no need.
At my home a Dentist sent me a personalize letter, which as a marketing peace it did get opened and it did get read and for a few seconds I thought about our current dentist verses this new dentist and there was no reason for me to leave my current Dentist and threw the letter in the trash, never to be seen again!
But the letter did work, it just found no reason.
What should of happend?
Maybe a search of parents who have children ages 2 or 3 and they are looking for a Dentist for their children, or People new to a city within the last 2 years, but I've lived in my house almost 18 years have two teenagers and in my late 40's, this information is out there and who ever helped this dentist spent dollars which was not needed.
This is why having proper data is so important.
Thank you
Alan
One is have a calling group call your clients and ask for the information and why are they your client, the second is to send a return postcard asking the question and having them mail it back in, but the best is a PURL.
Personal URL, and this is asking the client to go to a website which is personalized to your client and asking them to fill out a questionare and then you will give them some promotional item for their time.
But now we have this persons real reason they are your client, we know income, kids, no kids, occupation, race, various questions of habit they have, sports or events they like and this PURL questionare should be several questions long from 8 to 12 question and no longer than 3 to 5 min to fill out.
But we now KNOW, and once we get several of these back then we can start looking for others with the same qualifications and send them personal variable data to turn these non clients into clients.
When Variable data does not work is when a blanket variable peace gets sent out and there is no need.
At my home a Dentist sent me a personalize letter, which as a marketing peace it did get opened and it did get read and for a few seconds I thought about our current dentist verses this new dentist and there was no reason for me to leave my current Dentist and threw the letter in the trash, never to be seen again!
But the letter did work, it just found no reason.
What should of happend?
Maybe a search of parents who have children ages 2 or 3 and they are looking for a Dentist for their children, or People new to a city within the last 2 years, but I've lived in my house almost 18 years have two teenagers and in my late 40's, this information is out there and who ever helped this dentist spent dollars which was not needed.
This is why having proper data is so important.
Thank you
Alan
Monday, February 22, 2010
Variable Print lets talk!
With today's new technologies we can now customize a marketing plan directly to your client. I can show stats and how this gives you a better ROI. But before we start designing these great ideas lets talk about YOUR MARKET
Who is your client?
What do they look like?
Where do they come from?
Not to long ago if I was doing a mail campaign, I took several zip codes, a few finacial income levels and would drop the mail to what ever came up and if we were really lucky we would send out our mail and get a .25 or 1/4% of those people would respond. It was the throw a few ideas to the wall and see which one sticks.
In todays market you are going to have to know who you customers are, and this is the one of the most shocking items I find is how corporations do not know who their client are?
First steps you need to do to find out who is your real client and who you really make money from?
Start with your current billing and lets look what everyone has in common.
Lets look at the buyers and what they have in common?
Geography
and the list can go on and on, but we will find a common thread.
And while we are sorting thru this information we need to send out a few reply cards and internet post to ask WHO you are and WHY are you here?
This is a time tasking pain in the butt project, but if you are going to market to your clients and NEW clients then it if better to go hunting for bear with a bullet and not a shotgun.
Tomorrow we will talk about ideas to get people to give you this information and by the end of the week we will start showing you how to build a good variable print marketing campaign.
Till then
Alan
Who is your client?
What do they look like?
Where do they come from?
Not to long ago if I was doing a mail campaign, I took several zip codes, a few finacial income levels and would drop the mail to what ever came up and if we were really lucky we would send out our mail and get a .25 or 1/4% of those people would respond. It was the throw a few ideas to the wall and see which one sticks.
In todays market you are going to have to know who you customers are, and this is the one of the most shocking items I find is how corporations do not know who their client are?
First steps you need to do to find out who is your real client and who you really make money from?
Start with your current billing and lets look what everyone has in common.
Lets look at the buyers and what they have in common?
Geography
and the list can go on and on, but we will find a common thread.
And while we are sorting thru this information we need to send out a few reply cards and internet post to ask WHO you are and WHY are you here?
This is a time tasking pain in the butt project, but if you are going to market to your clients and NEW clients then it if better to go hunting for bear with a bullet and not a shotgun.
Tomorrow we will talk about ideas to get people to give you this information and by the end of the week we will start showing you how to build a good variable print marketing campaign.
Till then
Alan
Friday, February 19, 2010
The Basics
If we are going to give information about this industry then we are going to start wth the basics.
I'm always asked is their ways to make this more cost effiecent and the awnser is yes, change your design sizxe and this always comes back with can you give me another awnser?
The US standard for paper is 8 1/2 x 11 and everything which is made is a divison of this size.
Paper mills manufacture their paper to get the most out of what we call a parent size sheet. Which is 23 x 35 as we can get 8 - 8 1/2 x 11's out of this sheet. Now the paper mills know we like to run ink off the edge of the sheet which is called a bleed so they manufacture a 25 x 38 size to accomidate this action.
Now the 8.5 x 11 can be 11 x 17 which is a 4 page or 17 x 22 which is an 8 page and so forth. We can also run 11 x 8.5 or we can fold it to 5.5 x 8.5 or 8.5 x 8.5 and all these size is a division of 8 1/2 x 11.
The paper industry runs 3 sizes everyday and if we can run to their standards of paper get the most out of the sheet then we can be more cost effiecient when it comes to your product. Those standard sizes are:
I'm always asked is their ways to make this more cost effiecent and the awnser is yes, change your design sizxe and this always comes back with can you give me another awnser?
The US standard for paper is 8 1/2 x 11 and everything which is made is a divison of this size.
Paper mills manufacture their paper to get the most out of what we call a parent size sheet. Which is 23 x 35 as we can get 8 - 8 1/2 x 11's out of this sheet. Now the paper mills know we like to run ink off the edge of the sheet which is called a bleed so they manufacture a 25 x 38 size to accomidate this action.
Now the 8.5 x 11 can be 11 x 17 which is a 4 page or 17 x 22 which is an 8 page and so forth. We can also run 11 x 8.5 or we can fold it to 5.5 x 8.5 or 8.5 x 8.5 and all these size is a division of 8 1/2 x 11.
The paper industry runs 3 sizes everyday and if we can run to their standards of paper get the most out of the sheet then we can be more cost effiecient when it comes to your product. Those standard sizes are:
23 x 35
25 x 38
26 x 40
Now you can buy divisions of these sizes like 19 x 25 or 20 x 26 but you can see it is just a division of the standards.
So the next time you are in design and you are looking to be cost efficient then look at the finish size and ask how many of the final size can I get out of 8 1/2 x 11 and if the awnser is one then you are good to go, as a 7 x 10 piece is 8.5 x 11 to our industry and the cost will be basically about the same when it comes to paper.
With Respect
Alan
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Where is Print really going?
It is said the web will take over print? In some parts this is a correct awnser but here are a few facts which needs be known.
According to Printing Impressions: Print world wide will increase from $706 Billion dollars in 2008 to $724 Billion in 2014.
I'm not saying there are markets which will not be effected and totally go away, but these markets were short term in the first place like the Annual report, business forms and etc. But print is very much alive but like everything else in the world it now looks totally different.
If you will look back at this site either daily or weekly I will keep you informed about this crazy world we call GRAPHIC ARTS!
You will get my knowledge, and at times you will get my opinion but I will promise you this I will always state my reasons and not just VENT because of this world we call PRINT!
With Respect to all
adp
According to Printing Impressions: Print world wide will increase from $706 Billion dollars in 2008 to $724 Billion in 2014.
I'm not saying there are markets which will not be effected and totally go away, but these markets were short term in the first place like the Annual report, business forms and etc. But print is very much alive but like everything else in the world it now looks totally different.
If you will look back at this site either daily or weekly I will keep you informed about this crazy world we call GRAPHIC ARTS!
You will get my knowledge, and at times you will get my opinion but I will promise you this I will always state my reasons and not just VENT because of this world we call PRINT!
With Respect to all
adp
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