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Recently, my son, a sophomore in college, called and asked if we could help him do some marketing to increase his fraternity’s membership. You see, “rush” was fast approaching after Winter Break, and the fraternity really wanted to increase the ranks of the brotherhood. Remember, the year is 2012, and the students in the fraternity, along with the rest of the University, are part of the Millennial Generation. These kids have been wired since a very young age, and grew up with MySpace, Facebook, texting and all the rest.
So what kind of marketing did the fraternity have in mind? Well, the fraternity had decided to do a little old fashioned marketing. They were in need of a straightforward letter to be mailed to the entire population of male freshman at the University during Winter Break. They composed a well written two sided letter explaining what was unique about their fraternity and fraternity house and sent out the mailing.
Well, lo and behold, the mailing produced results. To be honest, the fraternity paired the mailing with a new and more proactive approach to the “rush” process to improve the size of the rush class. Although the mailing itself isn’t responsible for all of the credit, the fraternity had a fantastic “rush” period in January, and signed up 22 pledges versus 11 the previous year. Many of the prospects mentioned the mailing when coming to the house to check it out. The bottom line is that the fraternity exceeded their expectations and is on a better growth path than before.
What are the lessons here for today’s marketers? There are several valid conclusions that can be drawn from this experience. First off, it makes sense to employ marketing to improve your growth, membership or what have you. Doing something beats doing nothing most of the time, so long as the strategy chosen is affordable and makes sense. Second, good paper based marketing is still effective, even with the Millennial Generation. It is fairly easy to execute and may be less expensive at times than electronic alternatives, so long as the marketing is targeted properly. Finally, when possible marketing should always be done from several angles simultaneously. This multifaceted approach usually works best.
You may not be responsible for increasing fraternity membership, but the importance of marketing in the Great Recession is not to be taken lightly.
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged cheap brochure printing, cheap business card printing, cheap flyer printing, cheap poster printing, Cheap Posters, Cheap Printing, discount printing, low cost printing, Marketing on a budget, marketing strategy, marketing to the Millenial Generation, multi-channel marketing, multifaceted marketing, online printer, Online Printing, printing advantages, role of print in marketing, successful mailing campaign, targeted marketing, ZoePrint.com Leave a comment
Communication is about spreading the word. In ancient history, communication began with the oral word as languages were invented. Later, in medieval times, people risked life and limb to carry royal proclamations from ruler to subject or to carry messages from town to town. “Don’t shoot the messenger” was a real edict in medieval Europe…anything done to the messenger who carried proclamations was considered done to the king and was a treasonable offense. The Town Crier in colonial America carried messages from hamlet to hamlet and made sure the populace heard the message. Town criers wore uniforms to enhance their credibility. From colonial America, we all know the story of the ride of Paul Revere carrying the message of the attack of the British to the colonists. While some were responsible for carrying the message, others, like Ben Franklin in colonial America, had to print the message at a printing company for later distribution.
Fast forward to the 21st century. The printing process is now more widely distributed, taking place everywhere from print shops to homes and businesses. At the same time, the computer and internet revolution means that some messages can be spread at the speed of electricity, traveling around the world in seconds. Information dissemination takes place 24 hours per day and is more important than ever. Electronic media is probably the primary source of information these days but there are also many other important media. Speech, radio, television, the internet, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and other print media all play a role.
So, what is the role of printing in the communications puzzle in today’s world? For several hundred years, the printed word represented the facts, the truth and the record. Printing was important since it allowed ideas to be widely distributed and made them readily available for later revision. Would the Constitution ever have been written without the Magna Carta? As time went on, although digital documents became more and more accepted, printing retained a level of trustworthiness that electronic media sometimes lacked. Printing is still a way to persuade, to make something real and to express creativity. Printing stimulates more than the sense of sight; you can feel textures of various paper types and some “special effects” are only available in print. The role of printing today is somewhat the same as it has always been: to persuade, to communicate and to impress. The audience has changed, but the importance of printing as a communications media remains significant.
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When creating marketing for your company or organization, you are faced with a choice: do the design yourself or let a professional do it. With easily available and easy to use graphic design software many people opt to create the design themselves. This is certainly a way to save money. Or is it?
Many types of services have transitioned over the last two decades to do-it-yourself enterprises. Take, for example, planning a trip. Obviously, if you are just booking a flight and a car, it is probably just as easy or easier to do it yourself. What about a more complex trip to somewhere exotic which you know nothing about? Well, you can research it yourself…you need to find flights, perhaps on carriers you have never heard of. You have to book hotels, bed and breakfasts, apartments or something. You need to plan your activities, book tours and eat out each meal. Just the thought of all of this is exhausting. Plus, you have to evaluate the quality and reliability of all of the information you read online. Sure, it can all be done if you have days and days of time with no commitments…also a rarity in today’s world for most people.
Do you remember who travel agents are? A friend of mine recently suggested that travel agents have gone the way of the buggy whip. However, I can tell you from personal experience that sometimes, in the transition to the internet crazy world today, some things have gotten lost. Twenty years ago, complex travel was certainly easier, although there may not have been so many options to consider. Back then, you called a travel agent, and he or she presented you with two or three practical options, hopefully backed by either personal knowledge or recommendations. You booked one of these options and then you were done, other than reading a few travel books.
Well, is cheap do-it-yourself graphic design quality graphic design? Many times, the answer is yes. After all, who knows better what you want than you. If you do it yourself, there is no need to explain it to anyone else or to proof someone else’s work (although you definitely need to proof your own work). On the other hand, we offer both options at ZoePrint.com, and you may want to consider letting one of our professional designers do it for you. Our designers understand the importance of white space, the judicious use of photos and images and which colors go together well. They have years of experience under their belts. They also have the experience to know what works in design and marketing a business.
So, make the right choice for you. Either do it yourself or let Zoe design it for you. You win either way!
Posted in Design, Marketing Tips Tagged cheap booklet printing, cheap brochure printing, cheap flyer printing, cheap graphic design, cheap handbill printing, cheap leaflet printing, cheap newsletter printing, Cheap Printing, cheap printing online, do it yourself design, graphic design, how design affects printing, marketing, Marketing on a budget, online graphic design, Online Printing, targeted marketing Leave a comment
With tight marketing budgets today, the key to an effective marketing campaign is not how much you spend, but spending marketing dollars effectively. You have many choices when you try to drum up business. In order to make the right choice, your marketing needs to find the right target market.
Although electronic and online options abound for marketing, few if any of these can geographically target your audience in the way that printing can. Geographical targeting is important because this is one way to find great prospects for your product or service.
You may be wondering how you can geographically target your customers? One way is to purchase a highly specific mailing list which is customized for your company. You can draw a radius around your location and send postcards, newsletters or brochures to households or businesses a specific number of miles around you. You can also filter your list by gender, profession, or income to more accurately find your correct audience. In addition, you can print something which is specific to the people you are trying to reach.
Another type of geographical targeting is even more basic and specific. For instance, handing out flyers near your place of business can result in sales for an ice cream store on a hot day. Similarly, leaving brochures or flyers at a hotel for business travelers near a pizza parlor or other restaurant can drive sales to the restaurant. Lastly, handing out business cards at a conference can also be a type of targeting if the attendees are all good prospects. All of these are inexpensive ways of driving sales. None of these involve extensive planning or time.
So, target your market and print away…just be sure to hit your targets in 2012!!!
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged cheap brochure printing, cheap business card printing, Cheap Fast Printing, cheap flyer printing, cheap flyers, Cheap Newsletters, Cheap Printing, cheapest online printing, cheapest printing on the web, discount printing, experienced online printer, high quality low cost printing, high quality printing, Marketing on a budget, Online Printing, print v. email marketing, printing advantages, printing v. electronic media, Quick Printing, targeted marketing, ZoePrint.com Leave a comment
Ordering cheap printing online can certainly save you a lot of “green,” but it can also save our environment a little “green,” as well. For the environmentally conscious, online printing presents a great opportunity to “go green” and save money at the same time.
Green Printing begins at the most basic level – You. That may sound silly, but the important thing is to first approach print ordering from the right perspective, and then carefully choose the right partner to execute the completion of your printing orders.
What do I mean about approaching the printing from the right perspective?
There are several things you can personally do to keep your cheap printing green. First of all, you should ask yourself if you need to print the document you are considering printing. This may sound like a crazy question coming from a printing company, but it is important to think about whether the use of the document justifies printing it. Assuming you make it past this hurdle, you should think about the size of the document you are printing and the quantity. The size obviously affects the environmental footprint of the document with a smaller document using less paper. On the other hand, it is important that the printed document be large enough to be read easily and and for the attractive design you are using to be appreciated. The quantity also affects the environmental footprint of the document, so it is beneficial to think about how many printed pieces you need to accomplish your objective. Reprints are cheap with modern technology, so over ordering is usually unnecessary.
Once you have answered all of these questions relating to printing a proper size and quantity, you can turn your attention to your potential printing partner. Obviously, there are a variety of printing companies to choose from online and offline, but not all of them produce the documents in the most environmentally correct fashion. One thing that sets ZoePrint.com apart from many competitors is that we focus primarily on digital printing production with modern equipment. Most online printers aggregate large numbers of small print jobs on a large format offset printing press, which can generate a lot of waste in paper and plates, not to mention the fact that many offset inks are petroleum-based. At ZoePrint.com, our modern digital equipment has low energy requirements, uses fully recyclable and biodegradable toner, and produces no toxic byproducts. This type of digital printing equipment is extremely efficient at producing short runs of printing with the first sheet off the press as vibrant as the last. This means that setup and waste are also minimal. Whenever possible, we offer papers with recycled content and certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), or The Rainforest Alliance. For offset printing, we use soy and vegetable based inks. We produce our Heidelberg® metal printing plates on our chemistry-free plate machine. Furthermore, we recycle 100% of our used printing plates, toner cartridges, and all possible paper waste.
So, think carefully about who you use for your next printing job. Are you simply saving green, or is your printing green too?
Posted in Green Printing Tagged cheap brochure printing, cheap business card printing, cheap flyer printing, cheap newsletter printing, cheap poster printing, Cheap Printing, cheapest online printing, cost effective printing, environmental printing, green printing, low cost printing, Marketing on a budget, Online Printing, Quality printing, Quick Printing, twitter marketing, ZoePrint.com Leave a comment
Printed posters and printed flyers are an inexpensive way to get the word out about your product, service or event. At present, although there are some digital alternatives to flyers and posters, these options do not present the same flexibility or advertising efficiency as printed materials.
Let’s take a look at printed posters and flyers and compare them to the digital alternatives available.
Instead of printing a poster or a flyer, you could try one of the following electronic alternatives:
•Email advertising
•Banner advertising on websites
•Text message advertising
All three of these methods have a cost to them, and it is difficult to compare the cost to printing. Frequently, banner advertising is priced on a cost per thousand ‘impressions’. An impression occurs when the banner shows on a page the viewer is looking at. Email advertising pricing may be charged by the number of people who are sent the ad. In both of these examples, only a miniscule percentage of people will actually notice and/or read the ad. The vast majority of people ignore banner ads and they may never see email ads at all as they go into the spam or trash folders. Most of the appeal of this type of advertising is based on sheer volume of people who may get exposed to the ad.
In contrast, flyers and posters can be handed out to recipients, mailed to them or strategically placed on appropriate bulletin boards or other posting areas. They can also be handed out in a critical location where people may need the product or service. For instance, flyers for an ice cream shop may be handed out up the street from the shop on a hot day. To me, it seems much harder to completely ignore something which is either handed to you or put right into your hands, particularly if it has a strong design in full color and you may be interested in the service or product. Printed flyers and posters force at least two of our senses to be engaged (sight and touch), whereas electronic media only engage one.
There is another fundamental difference between printed flyers and posters and their digital alternatives. First, the electronic alternatives highlighted above are perceived as either intrusive or are demand driven. In other words, some of these methods, like email marketing and text message advertising are perceived by the public at large as a nuisance which is to be avoided. This is evidenced by the mere existence of programs which filter out spam from your email. Banner advertising is not so much of a nuisance (although some people see ‘pop up’ ads as annoying), but will probably not be clicked on by the prospect unless that prospect has a need at that moment. In contrast to these, printed flyers and posters are not seen as an annoyance for the most part. Further, some prospects may retain the flyer or poster for later reference if they think they may have a need in the future. (Usually, electronic advertising is mentally ‘discarded’ once the user is off of the computer or other electronic device. There are just too many electronic messages for us to remember most of them!) Another way to say this is that it may be easier to “create demand” from a printed flyer or poster.
So…come up with your creative design, get it printed and get the word out! Your prospects will appreciate knowing about your product or service and you will benefit as a result!
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged advantages of printed flyers, advantages of printed materials, cheap brochure printing, cheap business card printing, Cheap Business Cards, cheap flyer printing, cheap flyers and posters, cheap newsletter printing, cheap poster printing, Cheap Printing, cheapest online printing, cheapest printing on the web, discount printing, low cost printing, Marketing on a budget, Online Printing, print v. email marketing, printing v. electronic media, Quick Printing, ZoePrint.com Leave a comment
In today’s world, all of us engaged in marketing need to think carefully about the dollars we are spending and the return of investment of those marketing dollars. Printing a corporate or informational brochure is no longer the given it once was. The internet is a readily available alternative and is interactive.
So, why print brochures at all for your company or organization?
Although it involves some expense, printing a brochure for your organization will help enhance your marketing efforts and bring you more business. Here are some of the reasons that printing brochures makes good marketing sense:
1. Printed brochures give your organization gravitas in a way that a web site does not. Although you will also need a website to be a credible business, creating a corporate brochure may create the idea in your prospect’s mind that you are a “real” company, one with a physical presence and a tangible organization. The anonymity of the internet gives some people the impression that online companies may be phony storefronts only, and that companies or organizations behind websites themselves may not always live up to the hype.
2. Some ideas may be more easily communicated on paper than online. Recently, I have seen some companies marketing complex products like software try to accomplish the sale using only websites and online demonstrations. At times, a simple, well thought out brochure could have conveyed ideas fairly easily that were absent from online sales pitches. In other words, a brochure is a way to make sure that all of the basic concepts behind your product or service are understood quickly and easily.
3. Printed brochures are still more portable and universally accepted than electronic media. Even though tablet computers have made great inroads in portability of electronic information, you cannot be sure that your prospect will have a tablet computer in hand at the point when you meet. Plus, handing over a printed brochure is much quicker than getting someone to a website.
4. Most marketing advisors preach reaching prospects through multiple channels in order to have a higher success rate in landing business. In other words, the electronic media support the printed media and vice versa. One channel may be effective with certain clients, but two channels are almost certainly more effective.
In short, brochure printing is an essential part of marketing most businesses and organizations. If you make ZoePrint.com your source for printed brochures, we will do our part to help you both control costs and get a high quality printed product.
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged brochure printing, cheap booklet printing, cheap brochure printing, Cheap Business Cards, cheap flyer printing, cheap leaflet printing, cheap newsletter printing, cheap poster printing, Cheap Printing, cheapest printing on the web, cost effective printing, discount printing, high quality printing, low cost printing, Marketing on a budget, multiple channel marketing, Online Printing, printed brochures, printing advantages, printing on a budget, printing v. electronic media, printing versus electronic media, Quality printing, reasons to print, why print Leave a comment
In the internet age, why bother with a printed newsletter? This is an important question, and it needs to be addressed in detail before printing and/or mailng out a hard copy newsletter.
So…what are the advantages of printed newsletters? There are several reasons to consider printing a newsletter for your clients and prospects. First off, think of a newsletter as a “corporate news magazine”. In other words, the content of this document is important. Although many things can be included in a newsletter, probably the most important is some real content. Content is critical because it gives readers a reason to read. It is also important because the newsletter will have value if it communicates real information rather than just hype. It is also interesting to note that although there has been an explosion of information available online, printed magazines are very popular, even in the 21st century.
Second, you can use a printed newsletter to add value to the products or services you provide. Since so much information is sent electronically, a printed newsletter is sure to get noticed by your clients. There is less competition in your customers’ mailboxes than there used to be. So, if you can communicate tips or ideas which are useful to your customers, they will look forward to the arrival of your newsletter on a regular basis.
Third, printed materials will help give you top of mind awareness in your customer base long after an electronic version is forgotten. Printed materials tend to be retained if they are perceived as valuable, and they may also be shared with colleagues.
Fourth, printed newsletters can drive traffic to your website. The use of printed newsletters (and other materials) in combination with electronic media is a particularly effective marketing tool. You can highlight new features of your website and also use QR codes to make it easy for clients to get to your site via mobile devices.
Lastly, since printed newsletters tend to have some “shelf life”, the use of good design and paper stocks is highly important. Excellence in design may sometimes be appreciated more in a printed piece, where small details, such as font choice, the use of specific colors and other design techniques take center stage. Using a high quality paper is also important to try to ensure that the newsletter “looks good” when it arrives at the client’s office and stays in good shape.
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged cheap business card printing, Cheap Business Cards, cheap flyer printing, cheap newsletter printing, Cheap Newsletters, cheap poster printing, Cheap Printing, discount printing, drive traffic to your website, inexpensive printing, low cost printing, marketing, Marketing on a budget, newsletter content, newsletters, Online Printing, printed newsletters, printing v. electronic media, quality paper in printing, top of mind awareness Leave a comment
Printing and E-mail Marketing both have a place in marketing businesses and organizations. However, both tools are different and can be complimentary if used correctly.
Usually, E-mail marketing is seen as a great tool to keep in touch with existing clients, whereas printing (and mailing) is a great way to find new customers, especially when you want to geographically target certain areas.
Let’s compare printing and E-mail Marketing in greater detail. E-mail marketing isn’t free, but it can be much cheaper than sending a printed piece to everyone on a mailing list. E-mail marketing can be a low cost way to stay in touch with existing clients. However, in order to be an effective tool, the subject line of your email must be catchy enough to open immediately and the content and offer must be compelling enough for the recipient to take action quickly. Unfortunately, most of the time, emails are deleted before being opened or read. Furthermore, emails often are buried so deep in a prospect’s inbox, that, by the time the prospect needs the service, the email may be long forgotten. Another factor to consider is the collection of email addresses. In order to legitimately use an email address for marketing purposes, a person must sign up for an email newsletter or be an existing customer. You cannot legally purchase lists of email addresses to use. In contrast, you can purchase a targeted list of physical addresses for a very targeted print mailing. E-mail marketing may be best used to keep in touch with existing customers or make them new offers―these recipients may be more likely to open and read the email.
In contrast, printing and mailing can be a very cost effective way to target new prospects, but it has to be done right. Let’s say your business is an athletic training camp for children playing sports in school. You can purchase a targeted list of “homeowners” with a combined income of “$_” per year or more, in the age range of “30-45” and in specific “zip codes” in your area. You’ve just narrowed down your audience to people who likely have children in school and may be ready to invest in private athletic training for their children! A post card is likely to catch at least a glance from most recipients, and this targeted audience is even more likely to read more and consider calling. What’s more? Prospects may even tape your postcard on the refrigerator so that the prospect doesn’t forget to discuss the camp with their family. A printed piece is easier to hold on to for consideration than a fleeting email, facebook post or tweet. When printing is included in combination with your digital marketing campaign, you are sure to reach the most potential customers!
So…the key is to use both media to compliment each other and reinforce your marketing messages. Printing and mailing can easily target new prospects in a geographic area. E-mail marketing can reinforce your message with existing clientele. The use of both can be a powerful combination!
–Zoe
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged cheap brochure printing, cheap business card printing, cheap flyer printing, cheap newsletter printing, cheap poster printing, Cheap Printing, cheapest online printing, Email marketing, Marketing on a budget, online printer, Online Printing, print v. email marketing Leave a comment
In today’s increasingly digital world, there are many options to think about when coming up with a marketing plan for your business or organization. Of course, there is the online world, including engaging websites and email marketing. There is also social media to consider: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and the like. You may even be using pay per click advertising.
It is important to remember that while most electronic media is extremely important to reach your target audience, it is also very transient. Waiting for clicks online can be very frustrating and is also somewhat haphazard. It is also critical to pursue multiple marketing channels to reinforce your message and make sure you have top of mind awareness in your audience.
ZoePrint.com offers cheap printing for those looking to make the most of their marketing budget. Here are some important benefits of using printing as part of your marketing mix:
With a convenient source like ZoePrint.com, making printing part of your marketing mix is easy and inexpensive.
All the best,
Zoe
Posted in Marketing Tips Tagged cheap brochure printing, cheap business card printing, cheap flyer printing, cheap newsletter printing, cheap poster printing, Cheap Printing, Email marketing, facebook marketing, Marketing on a budget, marketing strategy, Online Printing, print v. email marketing, printing advantages, twitter marketing Leave a comment
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