Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
December/January 2013
This Issue
Make the Most of Your Marketing Budget 1-2
Tips & Tricks 3
Q & A 3
Idea Corner 4
A Vocabulary of the Graphic Arts 4
Changes for Folded Self Mailers 5
Print: Myths vs. Reality 6
ISO 9001:2008 Certification 7
Thank You 8
2013 Calendar Inside Spread
7 Tips to Make the Most of Your Marketing BudgetThe resources your business or organization devotes to sales and marketing is its marketing budget. We purposely use the term “resources” because a marketing budget may include time and materials as well as cash. It may be a specific amount based on a written plan, or it may be an informal recognition that some time and money is required to support a sales effort.
How can you manage your marketing budget to maximize its effectiveness? In this issue of The Idea File, we offer some strategies, ideas and activities to get the most out of your marketing budget.
Tip #1: Evaluate current marketing activities.
The best way to make the most of your marketing budget is to actively manage it. This means having a strategy and using it to guide how money and time are spent. If you don’t currently have a marketing strategy or it has been more than a year since you developed or reviewed it, then it is time to create it or evaluate it.
The first step is to set marketing objectives – define what you want to accomplish with your marketing activities. Objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and completed over a set time period. Marketing objectives need to be consistent with the current priorities of the business as expressed in your mission statement.
With marketing objectives in place, evaluate your current sales and marketing activities against the objectives. Are your current activities aligned with the
objectives, in conflict or irrelevant? Keep activities that promote current objectives; discontinue those that are in conflict or irrelevant.
Tip #2: Evaluate current marketing materials.
Assemble all the printed marketing materials currently in use by your company. Include not only sales collateral (brochures, sell sheets, product
bulletins), but also business stationery (business cards, letterheads, envelopes, mailing labels, note cards) and promotional materials (newsletters,
note pads, promotional products). Display the home page of your company’s web site in both desktop and mobile versions.
Examine the material. Is the information current and accurate? Is your brand displayed consistently? Does the material have appeal to the target audience? Is the graphic design and printing consistent with the product and the target audience?
Look at the sales collateral. Do you have literature that is appropriate for every step in the sales process? Is anything too elaborate for its purpose or for the intended audience?
2 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com
Determine what has immediate value without modification; what has future value if modified; what has no future value and should be eliminated; and what needs to be created. Pay particular attention to the consistency of the printed and web versions of marketing materials.
Tip #3: Decide whether to use social media.
The decision regarding whether to use social media for marketing is an important one for most businesses, largely because of the time it to takes for them to be effective. Currently, social media’s importance is being determined by participation measures (number of Twitter followers, number of “likes” on Facebook). There is scant information on whether participation translates to sales.
If you decide you have the time and training to use social media, determine whether your customers are active social media users by asking them. Use Google Analytics to see whether Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and other social media sites provide a significant amount of inbound traffic to your web site. You may find that your customers are indifferent to social media or that they don’t make buying decisions as a result of their participation.
Tip #4: Commit to a marketing program.
Using your marketing objectives, select the specific marketing activities to support the objectives, schedule them over a 3-6 month period, and stick with the activities even if you grow tired of them. The effectiveness of marketing activities is amplified over time; you risk losing any advantage by changing the activities too often.
Tip #5: Put someone in charge.
A lot of marketing resources can be wasted through inefficiency and low productivity. Committees can be effective in generating new marketing ideas, but may be less effective managing
the process of creating or modifying marketing material.
Overcome this drawback by having the committee agree on the parameters for creating or modifying marketing materials, then assign one person responsibility for managing the task within those parameters. Give the individual some, though perhaps not final, authority so the project can keep moving forward.
Tip #6: Spend part of the marketing budget on professional services.
One of the most important considerations for marketing material is to be sure it has brand consistency. Until recently, there was only one dimension to brand consistency – print. Now, however, consistency is required in both print and digital media.
Consistency has many dimensions. It means:
• Standards for writing: spelling, punctuation, grammar, abbreviations, citations and dates always appear the same way in every document and all web-based text.
• Uniform graphic design: selection of fonts, color palette, use of white space, design grids, document templates, use of logo and other branding marks are predictable and contribute to brand identity.
• Exact reproduction of brand colors: use of standards (Pantone matching system for print, International Color Consortium for digital, hexadecimal for web).
Given the need for brand consistency in both print and digital, and ongoing changes in both technology and current trends in graphic and web design, it makes sense to use part of the marketing budget to hire trained professionals.
Tip #7: Publish a newsletter.
Printed newsletters have always been an effective marketing tool and are now enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Newsletters have a number of valuable benefits:
• They provide a way to share knowledge and information with customers and prospects in a tangible, portable format.
• They can be distributed to a defined target audience. Using digital printing, the content can be tailored to specific segments within the target audience.
• They keep a company top-of-mind for customers and develop familiarity for prospects.
• They are a good vehicle for distributing coupons or sales inserts.
• They can be distributed at a very competitive price using the USPS Every Door Direct Mail program.
• Newsletter content can be re-used in social media, to update a web site, or for internal training of customer service staff.
Plan, be consistent and follow through.
An effective marketing program can be scaled to the amount of resources available to carry it out. With a good plan, marketing material can be used repeatedly in different ways to multiply effectiveness and preserve consistency. For more information on how we can help you achieve your marketing goals, contact your sales representative at 763-425-4251. We can schedule a consultation in our office or yours.
Brand Standards
Q
3Visions 763-425-4251
To ensure consistency in all marketing materials and across marketing channels, many companies use a style guide or style manual. This is a set of standards for writing (spelling, grammar and punctuation), graphic design (typography, white space, design grids, use of company logo and other branding marks), and color palette. A style guide can be used internally when creating documents, marketing materials, web sites and presentations as well as externally to provide instructions to printers, sign makers and other outside vendors. A style guide is particularly beneficial in a decentralized, organizational structure where more than one department or unit may be creating marketing materials. The style guide promotes consistency in use of language and graphic design. However, this will require an editor to enforce the rules of the style guide. A style guide developed for a specific organization is called a “house style.” There are also style guides for specific publications, educational institutions, industries and professions, as well as style guides for the general public. The Associated Press Stylebook is the most commonly used style guide for journalism, while The Chicago Manual of Style is used by professional writers. The Elements of Style (also known as Strunk & White) is popular for the general public.
I’ve always relied on word-of-mouth to advertise my business. Is this a viable strategy?a It depends. If you are passively assuming that your customers are telling others about your
business, then the strategy is not under your control and won’t produce measurable results. Alternatively, you can actively seek referrals from satisfied customers, business advisors and suppliers, and significantly increase word-of-mouth activity. The first step is to make asking for referrals a habit. During each encounter with a customer, or after successfully concluding a job or sale, ask your customer for the names of three other people who would be interested in your product or service. Why three? Because it is tangible and measurable and gives your customer a goal. It doesn’t really matter how many the customer provides – the real purpose is to provide motivation.
If you are fearful of asking for referrals, keep in mind that most people like to help other people, provided it is easy and has no negative consequences. The worst that can happen is your customer says no and there is an awkward moment — a small risk for you to take against the reward
of getting a referral.
Always ask for referrals in person. It is respectful and ensures that your customer won’t put the request aside. When you get a referral, ask permission to contact the referral and use your customer’s name. Most importantly, contact the referral and report the results back to your customer.
4 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com
Chicago Manual of Style: a style guide for American English first published in 1906 by the University of Chicago Press deals with aspects of editorial practice — from American English grammar and usage to document presentation. The latest edition, number 16, was published in 2010.
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM): a marketing program of the USPS designed specifically for smaller, local businesses whose target sales and service area is a neighborhood. EDDM mail pieces do not require a mailing list, and can be mailed at the lowest available postage rate.
Graphic design: a form of visual communication that combines images, text and layout to effectively convey information to an audience.
HEX: an acronym for hexadecimal, a numerical system that uses 16 rather than 10 as its base.
House style: a company’s preferred manner of presentation and layout of written material.
International Color Consortium (ICC): a group established in 1993 by eight industry vendors for the purpose of creating, promoting and encouraging standards for vendor-neutral, cross-platform color management systems.
ICC profile: a specification for color management. The ICC specification V4 has been approved as International Standard ISO 15076.
Do you have a product or service that you sell to multiple, diverse audiences? Do you need to change the marketing message (features and benefits) so it is tailored to each audience segment? One solution is to create separate versions of a single brochure. To begin, develop and assemble the elements that will be common to each version of the brochure. These could include product photos or drawings, description, operation, basic features and technical specifications; company branding, background information, history and contact; and QR code(s). Next, develop a profile of each target audience segment and translate product features into specific benefits and applications for each segment. Assemble additional photographs that demonstrate the benefits and show the product in use by a member of the audience segment. If needed, write additional copy tailored to the interests of each segment. You are now ready to create a preliminary layout using the information common to all versions while leaving room for the information specific to each segment. Complete the layout of each version and save as a PDF which can be printed digitally as needed and in the quantity needed. If you are integrating a lot of segment-specific information into the basic layout, you may find it beneficial to have us create all versions of the brochure. For more information, call your sales representative at 763-425-4251.
Pantone Matching System: a system for specifying colors and the corresponding formulas for the inks to produce them. Used as a standard by the graphic arts and printing industries.
Social media users: individuals and communities who create and share content on the web.
Style manual; style guide: a set of rules defining use of punctuation, grammar, preferred spelling and capitalization, formatting of citations and references, abbreviations, and other matters related to the readability and visual appearance of material.
The Elements of Style: a guide to American English writing comprised of 8 “elementary rules of usage”, 10 “elementary principles of composition”, “a few matters of form”, a list of 49 “words and expressions commonly misused”, and a list of 57 “words often misspelled”. First published in 1918 by William Strunk, Jr. and revised by E.B. White in 1959, the book is commonly known as Strunk & White.
New Folded Self-Mailer Requirements
5Visions 763-425-4251
The revised mailing standards for folded self-mailers (FSM’s) will become effective on January 5, 2013. The USPS defines a self-mailer as a folded, “un-enveloped” letter size piece of mail which does not have a binding. The goal of these changes is to decrease jamming of mail equipment, reduce the amount of damaged mail, and maintain a steady flow of mail through the high speed processing equipment.
The Changes
Before you design and order mail pieces for 2013, please review these new rules so that you do not get stuck with additional postage charges or, worse, unmailable pieces. The new rules do not apply to cards, envelopes, booklet-style letters or mail pieces designed to carry discs.
• Length: A minimum of 5 inches and a maximum of 10 1/2 inches.
• Height: A minimum of 3 1/2 inches and a maximum of 6 inches.
• Thickness: A minimum of 0.007 inch; (0.009 inch if the height exceeds 4 1/4 inches or if the length exceeds 6 inches); the maximum thickness is 1/4 inch.
• Maximum Weight: 3 ounces.
• Rectangular, with four square corners and parallel opposite sides.
• Within an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of 1.3 to 2.5, inclusive (see Domestic Mail Manual 601.1.4).
• Maximum number of panels, bi-fold, tri-fold and oblongs: 12 for FSM’s constructed of non-newsprint paper
Exception: Quarter-folded self-mailers made of a minimum of 100 lb. book-grade paper may have four panels; those made of 55 lb. newsprint must have at least eight panels, and may contain up to 24 panels. The rules include the definition of a “panel” and lengthy descriptions of permissible fold and panel configurations. The sealing options provided are numerous, including the optimal continuous glue line as well as three or four glue spots, three or four elongated glue lines, and various tabbing options. Many of the options are dependent on paper weight and the number of folds or panels. There are also numerous options for other design elements, such as die cuts, perforations, loose enclosures and attachments.
For more details, go to www.visionsfirst.com/client-tools/resources or contact your sales representative at 763-425-4251.
There are many popular misconceptions about the impact that printed materials have on the environment. However, the idea that print is
detrimental to the environment is factually wrong.
Myth: Paper is Made from Fresh-Cut Trees
Reality: Paper is made primarily from “waste” products in the United States. The vast majority – a full two-thirds – of the fiber used to make paper comes from sources other than fresh-cut trees. One-third comes from wood chips and sawmill scraps, one-third comes from recycled paper, and just one-third comes from “new growth” trees.1 Of course, these statistics are based on industry averages. There are 200 mills in the United States that use recovered fiber exclusively.2
Myth: Print Leads to Deforestation
Reality: Print promotes trees. Contrary to commonly-held belief, paper mills are not cutting down old-growth forests in order to make paper. Nearly all the wood used in paper production comes from “tree farms” – acres of trees grown as a renewable crop, like broccoli or wheat. Print actually gives private landowners a financial incentive to grow trees rather than selling off their land for other uses, such as development.3 As Dr. Patrick Moore, Co-Founder of Greenpeace, has stated, “Using wood sends signals to the marketplace to grow more trees.”
Myth: The Tree Population is Shrinking
Reality: More trees and forests exist today than 20 years ago. With the increased demand for printed goods that we’ve seen over time, many people believe that the forests must be shrinking. This is simply not true. There are 12 million more acres of forest in the United States today than there were 20 years ago; between 1953 and 2006, we saw a 49% increase in the number of trees still standing after mortality and harvesting.4
1 U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste.
2 American Forest and Paper Association.
3 Edward L. Glaeser, Professor of Economics, Harvard University, “ A Road Map for Environmentalism,” Boston Globe, May 21, 2007.
4 Down to Earth.
6 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com
The Environmental Impact of Print: Myths vs. Reality
7Visions 763-425-4251
Visions, Inc. Achieves ISO 9001:2008 CertificationCertification Provides Quality Assurance to Clients in All Industries
Visions, Inc. is proud to announce that their quality man-agement system has been certified as complying withthe requirements of ISO 9001:2008 following a thoroughreview by an independent audit firm.
ISO 9001:2008 is a series of internationally-recognizedstandards developed by the International Organization ofStandardization which defines requirements for the imple-mentation of quality systems in operational procedures.This quality management system sets a global standardfor quality assurance processes that ensures a company’sproducts and services are among the best in the world.Companies seeking certification must demonstrate to thesatisfaction of an independent, third-party auditor theability to consistently deliver products that meet the highstandards of both customer and regulatory requirements.
“At Visions, we strive to provide the best possible cus-tomer experience - from our first engagement, to the finaldelivery of our products and services,” said Jon Otto, CEOof Visions. “Achieving ISO Certification validates our com-mitment to a quality management system that promotescontinuous improvement and assures that our productsand services meet the highest set of standards. We areboth proud and excited to have earned this certification, as the overall benefits will be received by those most important to us – our customers.”
The ISO 9001:2008 standard is a demanding certificationwith stringent auditing guidelines, management reviewsand process improvements. The standard identifies re-quirements designed to help companies create and main-tain procedures that ensure quality in their products andservices. ISO 9001:2008 applies uniformly to industriesinvolved in the design, development, manufacturing, installation, and servicing of products regardless of their size.
Visions is also pursuing SSAE 16 compliance. Look formore details on our continuous improvement initiativesthroughout the New Year.
For more information, contact Dean Milinkovich, QualityManager at 763-425-4251.
This Issue
This newsletter is printed on 80# New Page Centura gloss text.
Make the Most of Your Marketing Budget 1-2
Tips & Tricks 3
Q & A 3
Idea Corner 4
A Vocabulary of the Graphic Arts 4
Changes for Folded Self Mailers 5
Print: Myths vs. Reality 6
ISO 9001:2008 Certification 7
Thank You 8
2013 Calendar Inside Spread
8801 Wyoming Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN 55445www.visionsfirst.com
Address Service Requested
PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE PAIDTWIN CITIES, MNPERMIT NO. 2805
As 2012 comes to a close, everyone at Visions, Inc. would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU for your patronage this past year. We wish you and yours all the best in the new year and look forward to serving you in 2013.
Thank You!
