10 Ways Print Marketing Earns Repeat Customers

 

Loyal customers are extremely valuable.

A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect profit-wise as cutting costs by 10%, according to the book Leading on the Edge of Chaos.  Below are 10 ways print marketing can help you earn repeat customers.  

1. Print builds trust; trust builds loyalty.

Print is one of the most trusted advertising methods out there. 

82% of consumers trust print ads the most when making a purchase decision. Customers who trust a business are more loyal to it, leading to greater revenue and business growth. 

2. Loyalty programs … create loyalty. 

Loyalty programs do just as they’re intended: they build loyalty! 

Start a loyalty program by printing loyalty cards. This helps both your customers and your business keep track of points. Loyalty programs will turn the buying experience into a positive one for customers. They will feel like they are doing something good because each purchase gets them closer to the end reward. For example, every $100 spent equals 10% off their next purchase. 

3. Personalization builds loyalty.

Print adds that personal touch that can be lost in the digital world. 

Try sending out birthday cards to remember your customer’s big day. Or send out thank you cards to let the customer know you appreciate their purchase and support. A grateful company that remembers its customers’ birthdays will earn loyal customers. 

4. Direct mail campaigns foster loyalty.

Direct mail campaigns remind customers about your business. 

Try collecting the names and contact information of every customer who walks through your door. Then reach out to them through direct mail campaigns. Even the most loyal customers get busy and forget to stop by. Send them a friendly reminder! 

5. Promotional products build loyalty.

Promotional products keep your business at the forefront of your customers’ minds. 

The most loyal customers are the ones that are most often thinking about your business. By sharing practical gifts, such as pens, calendars, t-shirts, lanyards, key chains, and toys, customers will remember your company every time they frequently use the promotional product. 

6. Customer feedback creates loyalty.

Customers love to know their feedback is taken seriously. 

Jumpstart customer feedback by sending out surveys in the mail. Even better, respond to their feedback and let them know how you incorporated it into your business plan. This will make the customer feel valued while also providing constructive ways to improve your business. A valued customer is a loyal customer. 

7. A positive first impression produces loyalty.

Drawing in loyal customers starts at the very beginning: the first impression.

What better first impression than with print? It shows the customer you are a quality, trustworthy business that cares about its customers. 

8. Exclusive invitations generate loyalty. 

Host special events for your loyal customers and invite them through custom invitations. 

Holding special events for your customers will make them feel appreciated. They’ll want to support a business that appreciates them. 

9. Inserts foster loyalty. 

Put inserts inside of packages being shipped and customer bags. 

Include upcoming sales or special coupons within these inserts. This will keep your business on the customer’s mind. Loyal customers are the ones who remember you. Help them out!

10. Booklets build loyalty. 

Print informative booklets just for your customers. 

The fact that you took the time and effort to create booklets will appeal to any customer. They’ll want to remain loyal to the business that provides them with their favorite reading. 

Loyal customers are the best customers. Print can help you attract more loyal customers. 

Bleed and Crop Marks: What Do They Mean For You?

 

If you have worked with a printing firm, you have probably heard the words “bleeds” and “crop marks” come up before. But what does that actually mean to you, the print buyer?

What are Crop Marks?

Crop marks tell the printer where to cut the paper, especially if it’s a finished product, such as a business card or postcard. But there are crop marks on pages for a booklet as well sometimes.

If you look at a proof of your project, you will probably see these tiny lines that go horizontally and vertically, giving the margins for your project to be cut down. All crop marks in the USA should be either one-eighth or one-quarter inch. Since projects are printed on oversized paper with bleeds, these tick marks help guide printers when trimming the print job down to the final size.

What is a Bleed?

A bleed is when the color or text goes off of the page, and the cut will trim excess color off of it.

A bleed makes for a complete look as the artwork typically goes (or “bleeds”) off the page. There are two types of bleeds: full bleed and partial bleed. A full bleed is when all the artwork goes off the page, whereas a partial bleed is when only some of the artwork goes off the edge.

How to Use Crop Marks and Bleed Marks

These two tools ensure that you get a quality printed product containing all the words and artwork you desire. To have your project print-ready, you need to use crop marks so that bleeds can be done correctly.

When you save your project, you will want to use a PDF so that it remains permanent and the crop marks are solidified. This ensures your project will come out as you planned.

A PDF document contains embedded fonts, so the printer won’t have issues with what you laid out. One of the most common issues related to printing is fonts that are contained within the document.

For example, they might be incompatible versions, corrupted fonts, or missing fonts. Font issues tend to occur when using programs such as Illustrator or Adobe InDesign. A PDF eliminates these types of issues because all your design elements are embedded within the file.

No matter what your project is, we are here to help. If you aren’t sure how to create a PDF, let us help you. We want to partner with you to get successful print project results. Visit our website to learn more!

Creating a Successful Experience for Your Remote Team

 According to a recent global study by Logitech, more than 43% of employees are expected to work from home part or full time. Certainly, hybrid work environments are here to stay. And with the increase in remote workers, a smart balance of collaboration is critical. So, what does that look like?

7 Tips for Creating Successful Remote Teams

1. Space

Remote workers will need a comfortable space at home to work in, so you may need to budget for a new desk and chair for their homes and/or be clear in your expectations of what you provide and what the employee will be responsible for.

2. Workflow

You will need to make sure you are using efficient workflow and task management tools so that everyone is on the same page.

For example, you could use Workzone, Trello, Jira, or others just as effective. Then everyone will know when things are due and when someone is done with a project.

3. Daily Communication

Include remote workers in your daily communication.

They might feel isolated and alone if they are used to the banter and camaraderie of the office. Make sure you keep the lines of communication open so they can ask questions, provide information, and be a part of planning for different events and projects.

4. Time

Ensure employees know when their start and stop times are so that they don’t go over their allotted time, costing you money if they are paid by the hour.

Not only that, but you don’t want your employees to get burned out. Most people say this is the hardest part of working at home--knowing when to quit for the day. Many people forget the time and focus on their projects.

5. Structure

Structure is a critical step in making remote work successful.

Although working at home is more flexible, things can go array without structure. You will need to have standards and specific goals for remote workers, so they know what is expected of them. If you expect them to work 9 to 5, make sure they know that. Otherwise, they may think it’s okay to start at noon as long as they get their hours in.

6. IT Safety

Recently, the US Secret Service issued an alert warning of fraudulent emails related to Covid-19 that contain malicious attachments.

This is a good reminder to practice the same standard of privacy and protection of information no matter where your team is working.

7. Internet Usage

Remember that while employees are working at home, their spouses and children might also be using the Internet.

This means they may have a slower connection and might need to be taught how to best deal with this. Consider setting up additional connections for employees or advising them on connecting and disconnecting various devices when not in use.

We can all agree that remote working is here to stay for many people, and for others, we never know what the future holds. With that said, it’s nice to know we are here for each other. Our printing firm is here to take the weight off your shoulders when it comes to professional printing. We are your partner when it comes to printing high-quality designs and styles. Need something specific? Check out our website today!

Signs for success in your school

Classrooms of all sizes and for all stages of learning need proper signage to create a welcoming, positive and impactful atmosphere for students. Make sure your school’s hallways, classrooms and other facilities are equipped for long-term success with the right kind of visual communications from Allegra.

Consider how you might use the following in your classroom or other school facilities:

Banners: Flags and banners of all sizes can easily attract attention when used outdoors. They’re ideal for promoting upcoming athletic or art events to your local community but can also be just as easily used indoors to help instill a little bit of extra school spirit.

Floor graphics: When placed well, floor graphics can help you direct the flow of foot traffic through busy hallways. If you have younger students, you can also appeal to their senses by creating colorful patterns or even games like hopscotch!

Posters: A well-decorated classroom becomes a place where students feel excited and inspired to learn. Posters are a cost-effective way to instill confidence in the classroom, promote upcoming events like dances, or just reinforce your school’s logo, mascot and colors.

Window graphics: If your school has classrooms that tend to heat up from large windows bringing in excessive sun exposure, consider using window graphics – you can display high-resolution images on perforated vinyl that helps to dilute the sun’s rays while promoting what makes your school special.

Yard signs: Do you need to promote an upcoming open house or other school events? Or are you just looking for a fun, cost-effective way to highlight your graduating students? Consider yard signs as an easy, visible way to promote and inform!

At Allegra, the possibilities for visual communications are limited only by your imagination. Contact us for more information on what kinds of signs and graphics may be best suited for your school!

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Playwicki Farm Foundation 2nd Friday Gets a New Exclusive Sponsor

 

 

 ANNOUNCING THE EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR: Michael Logan, Sr. (left) President of Allegra Marketing, Print and Mail, of far Northeast Philadelphia presents a blowup check for $3,000 to the Playwicki Farm Foundation board as part of his company’s exclusive sponsorship of the 2022 Second Friday Events to be held at the bucolic 110-acre historic farm located at 2350 Bridgetown Pike in Feasterville, PA. Receiving the check  (from second from left) are Stu Freeman, a foundation board member, Rose McMenamin, President of the Playwicki Farm Foundation, June Olson, a board member and Walt Mulholland, Director of the Lower Southampton Parks and Recreation Department. The events are open and free to the public and will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 13, June 10, July 8, August 12 and September 9. All will feature an exciting conglomerate of food trucks, disc jockey and live entertainment, a wine and beer garden for adults, children’s games and activities and more. Parking is free. All of the Second Fridays are being planned and produced by Mommy’s Lil’ Black Book, of Levittown, PA.

3 Ways to Build the Perfect List for Your Next Direct Mail Campaign

According to a DMA report, direct mail campaigns have high response rates. They found for existing customer lists, the response rate is on average 9%, and for prospect lists it’s 5%. A well-planned direct mail campaign can help amplify your marketing strategy, break through the clutter from competitors, and drive customer action.

The effectiveness of every direct mail marketing campaign is directly related to the quality of the mailing list. To reach the right audience, you’ll need to make sure you create the list carefully. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind when you are in the process of building a mailing list for your next direct mail campaign:

1. Analyze your existing data. A great place to start building a mailing list is by reviewing the data you have from existing customers. If you are in need of additional data, there are many different strategies marketers use to collect customer and prospect names, emails, and physical addresses. Some of these strategies include; gathering data with trade show registrations, social media responses, contest entry forms, white paper downloads, product warranty cards, e-newsletters subscriptions, and other simple sign-up forms. Once you start building your list organically, you will be able to use that information to track your customer’s behavior and make better marketing decisions.

2. Harness the power of mailing list segmentation. As soon as you have the right number of contacts on your list, the next step will be to figure out which variables you can use to separate your contacts into smaller and meaningful groups. Highly targeted lists segment people based on things like geographic location, lifestyle characteristics or age group. Segmenting your house list will enable your message to be more relevant and meaningful.

3. Personalize the message for each audience. Today’s small and mid-sized business marketer can easily and affordably leverage the power of  highly targeted data to reach a very specific audience. With variable data printing capabilities from your print marketing provider, you can personalize text and images by individuals or groups to improve response rates.

Are you ready to start planning your next direct mail campaign?

Your local Allegra can help you source and manage all the data you need to build a successful mailing list. Contact Allegra for all your business design, print, and mailing needs.