Digital printing has revolutionised the printing industry in a number of ways. One of the most important benefits is that you print-on demand so there is no wastage. Rather than printing for the most economic order quantities – you print only what you need and when you need it. In other words there is no minimum order quantity. If you just want one brochure it can be produced to the same high specification as a traditionally printed brochure – high quality print finish on a range of papers and cards with a gloss or matt laminate finish. Now the same benefit can be applied to the promotional gift industry and Direct2Print have teamed up with a specialist digital producer of some of the most popular promotional gifts. This is ideal for the small business owner or even tradespeople who are interested in promoting their business without investing huge sums of money.
How about some stylish personalised iPhone cases? With the rapid speed of growth of mobile
commerce and the potential of mobile phones and tablet computers gifts such as
this are beginning to replace items such as mouse-mats, pens and rulers and
some of the other more traditional gift items.
The key to successful promotional gifts is to make them
relevant. Key fobs would have a
practical application for a car dealer or an ice scraper could carry an
interesting advertising message for an air conditioning supplier.
For example, we have one customer who has a business that
occupies most weekends and he prefers time off in the week to play his
favourite game of golf. He can now
obtain a wide range of promotional products for his friends and colleagues at
the golf club that will keep his contact details in front of them whenever his
services may be required.
Promotional products can also be used in so many other ways
other than just to build awareness.
Some other possibilities come immediately to mind such as:-
•to say thank you to customers or staff
•to serve as a reminder of a tradeshow, event or
exhibition
•to support the launch of a product, campaign or
website
•to use as a "gift with purchase" to
encourage sales or registrations
•to sell or to raise funds for a charity, team, a
good cause or a project
•to hand out at Christmas or to celebrate other
events or anniversaries
The possibilities are endless. Have a look online at some of the products
available.
You will also see how easy it is to create the artwork or
you can upload your design.
And it would be of great help if you could let any friends
or colleagues know about this new service – we all have a network of colleagues
and many of them could seriously benefit from this service.
For your first order
or for any referrals to friends or family please contact me first and I will
personally send through a voucher code that will discount the price you pay.
If you need any help with any aspect of ordering these
personalised promotional goods do not hesitate to contact the Customer Services
at the Direct2Print Business Centre free on 0800 0345 845 or our normal
landline on 01384 376640.
Here is Part two of my A-Z of things that could possibly go wrong with your order: M-Z M.M is for MARGINS Margins, borders and tabs are often the cause of printing problems when presented with digital files for producing documents. If they are not set correctly we can end up binding into text or can nudge the text on to the next line, paragraph or page. Customers who design documents to the edge of each page often run into these type of layout problems. Remember to allow for plenty of “quiet area” around the edges of each page in a bound document or printed booklet.
N.N is for NOW In an instant world some customers just want something done immediately. This relates to the Late Delivery problems but also customers who always seem to leave things to the last minute. This is fine but is most annoying when they have been working or sitting on artwork for weeks and suddenly expect the printing to be completed on the same day! A bit of forethought and planning can save a lot of stress and money and lead to fewer potential errors from our point of view. We print and insert a Re-Order Form when we supply printed stationery, like letterheads. We also pride ourselves in providing the fastest digital print service in the UK. But we can’t do the impossible!
O.O is for ORANGE Orange is one of the most difficult colours to match on a digital press. To this day it remains as the reason for our only digital print order to be rejected on the grounds of colour quality. Needless to say we have even managed to overcome this difficulty with our new equipment and who knows – one day we may even solve the problem of printing gold on a digital colour press! P.P is for PROOFS Proofing remains one of the main reasons for jobs going wrong. We can offer many examples of our own but perhaps the most humorous example was for an order of commemorative mugs for England cricketer Ashley Giles. Rather than saying “Ashley Giles – King of Spin” he received a few thousand mugs proclaiming “Ashley Giles – King of Spain”! Q.Q is for QUALITY Quality is very subjective but appears to be no longer much of an issue with digital printing. We offer a total guarantee with every job for quality – and never seem to have a serious quality problem. Although with our machines calibrated on a daily or weekly basis there may be minor variations in colour for repeat orders. Even when the file is stored in the memory of our press there could be a slight variation due to climatic conditions but this is rarely significant. R.R is for REGISTRATION Registration is the term for lining up double-sided printing. There is a certain degree of tolerance required and also an area for allowance for the guillotine. Again, this is a lot easier on the latest equipment where accuracy can be adjusted to within a percentage point or two. One job that went wrong in our early years was for some personalised playing cards for a training company which formed part of the course – trying to print so many different files double-sided with little margin for error whilst trying to keep to a very tight deadline for a next day order. S.S is for SCANNED PRINTING When a file is scanned the quality is never as good as a copy saved from an original file. We often have to watch out for scanned pages that are not centred or are not clear when we prepare documents for printing. And even the best OCR software can make mistakes – one of which resulted in our getting the post code wrong on some invoices – the customer spotted the mistake some six years later! T.T is for TEXTURED STOCK We can digitally print on all sorts of textured stock – and printing on a linen paper and card gives fabulous results. Some artists frame the prints and they look like original oil paintings! However, some textures are not brilliant for digital printing. Hammer embossed or contoured papers and cards can prove difficult for toner application. And there are some specialist papers that can do some real damage if they wrap around the rollers of the machine. U.U is for US LETTER PAPER SIZE Why do Europeans and North Americans have different standard paper sizes? So many customers still have their default paper size set as US Letter size rather than A4 on their computers. We usually make a couple of quick adjustments and the problem is sorted. Occasionally though someone actually needs the job printed on US Letter paper! We printed a thesis for submission to a US university on A4 paper in error – and then had to carefully trim the document to A4 size afterwards. V.V is for VAT There are so many discrepancies with which items are zero-rated for VAT that all online orders are charged with VAT. Offline certain items can be zero-rated. These include (very, very briefly!) – newsletters, leaflets, brochures, books and booklets, circular letters, programmes and orders of service for funerals. And yet they all have to follow some very complicated set of criteria – such as the thickness of the paper, whether there is a tear-off portion etc. Again, why can we not simplify VAT for all us confused printers? Perhaps by making all printed items zero-rated! W.W is for WYSIWYG
Our general rule is “What you see is what you get” with a PDF file sent for digital or document printing. However, there are exceptions. The monitor may not be calibrated and there may be a host of issues with any fonts, images or diagrams you have incorporated. Two regular customers seem to have problems with their PDF’s and we check them very carefully now before charging ahead – we have learnt from experience! But in most cases… X.X is for XD DATA CARDS Finding something starting with X is difficult. But these days we are more likely to be presented with some miniscule memory disc from a mobile device or camera. However, we do get files to print presented on XD data cards – they can be used but we have had some issues in the past. Therefore, we prefer to operate from the traditional USB sticks or a CD / DVD – or even better a digital file uploaded or emailed over to us. However, on one computer we still have a “floppy disk drive” – just in case we are presented with some seriously old artwork. Y.Y is for YULETIDE OK – Christmas! Christmas cards from any specialist printer rarely go according to plan. And they seem to attract delivery problems. Specialist card printers are probably the most inefficient of all forms of commercial trade printers. This is why every printing business will try and print all greetings cards within their own premises. Our view is that if we remain in control of the whole production cycle we can usually overcome traditional problems that occur at this typically chaotic time of the year. And despite the problems they are still a very valued appreciation of thanks to customers and suppliers. Z.Z is for ZIGZAG FOLDING Just a small point but the artwork layout for letter folding does not always work for Zig Zag (or Z) folding. It takes a while to get your head round but we have found that if we print out a small mock-up to explain the difference it helps. It is always better being sure rather than sorry!
The last Blog on printing from a PDF got me thinking about some of the jobs that have gone wrong over the last 30 years and some of the reasons why. Fortunately, they are few and far between these days and developments in technology have helped to overcome particular problems. Some things that went wrong were due to factors that were totally outside of our control and on other occasions we had to hold our hands up and take the blame and claim responsibility. So here – to try and cover the wide range of possible problems - is a quick A to Z of just some of the things that have gone wrong or caused us problems in the past. It is by no means comprehensive but shows the complexities of getting the printing right first time! A.A is for ARTWORK Firstly, let me start by saying that with digital printing or document printing this is not as big a factor as with traditional offset lithographic printing. It is not quite idiot-proof but these days there is just a big green button to push and if the print settings have been correctly configured you should just have to collect the finished product at the output tray. See my previous blogs for potential problems with commercial printing problems – issues such as RGB files, no bleed, and low resolution images etc. etc. Suffice to say that probably 90% or more problems with printing are artwork –related! B.B is for BINDING Binding is a relatively straightforward process but we have learnt to concentrate on the quick and easy methods of binding – again see my previous blog on these. However, problems do arise and experience has taught us to purchase only quality materials. Good quality binding really makes a big difference to your final document’s appearance. When we had to produce over a thousand wire bound books within 24 hours we purchased a batch of cheaper clear acetate covers which turned out to be a false economy. It took twice as long to bind - simply to pull each one off the compacted mass and then the static when placed on paper made the job twice as long as it should have taken. C.C is for CUSTOMS I have a large number of contenders for C – including Couriers, Christmas Cards and Customers which will all have to be dealt with elsewhere in this alphabetical summary. However, the Internet has made the world smaller. And customs clearance is a particular problem when sending printed documents to some parts of the world. In Brazil the recipient needs to pay a tax before the parcel is delivered – in an attempt to stop Internet shopping competing unfairly with local suppliers. As a result we still have parcels awaiting collection because the tax to be paid is worth more than the document enclosed. Switzerland is outside of the European Union and their Customs seem to delay any imports as a matter of course. When we sent time-critical documents for a training course – we ended up getting them printed in Geneva. Even toners for a printer/copier are frequently held back as a potential “suspicious substance” allowing local distributors almost a monopoly position. D.D is for DRILLING We have had our problems with manual drilling in the past – including having to reprint a complete set of menus for a Chinese restaurant chain because we drilled the wrong side of the paper. But when it is online it should be fool-proof! But one of our old colour printing presses had an online hole- punch that worked well for the first few copies – but for some reason the position of the drilled holes varied during the course of the job. When the documents were inserted into the lever arch folders the pages were all out of alignment. After many tests and replacement parts, we eventually gave up on the process and replaced the machine as soon as possible. E.E is for EQUIPMENT Following on from previous point – make sure you have good printing and finishing equipment. Like cars – there doesn’t seem to be a bad piece of equipment these days but investing in quality has always paid dividends for our business. We had been squeezing the last remaining life out of some pieces of equipment and the quality was not good. And we now only use manufacturers to service our equipment, dealers seem to have a vested interest in just making a profit from their service contracts. F.F is for FILES Refer to my comments in the PDF blog – but we have been sent work with all sorts of file extensions that have not opened or been recognised. Also files are easily corrupted and we have tried to recover and repair wherever possible with mixed results. We have also been sent files that have an incredible data size far out of proportion to their contents. Sometimes we have waited an hour or more for a file to be processed in the printing machine – often when there is a deadline to meet! G.G is for GRADATIONS Gradation refers to tones and the quality of tinted shades (usually in background). They used to be the best way of testing the quality of comparable printers. The problems associated with our offset press have largely been overcome now we are predominantly a digital printer. But tones could appear banded and streaky when digital printing was first introduced. But as we have moved from 600dpi to 1200dpi to 2400dpi the quality has improved – so we seem to have cracked this one! H.H is for HUMIDITY Paper storage is an important consideration for all forms of printing – paper absorbs moisture in the air and performance can be seriously affected by atmospheric conditions. We now have a de-humidifier built into our colour press because of the problems caused by humidity. Machines jammed, there were “blank” spots on copied documents and certain papers curled up, created static or just stuck together when passing through the press. I.I is for IMAGES We are often asked to print a file that contains low resolution images. These are usually downloaded at screen resolution from the Internet and the client expects them to be enlarged to poster size with amazing results! When the printing is pixelated it is usually our fault of course! J.J is for JPEG Saying that – JPEG’s remain the second best piece of software after a PDF for a printing business. They can be very useful and we have even been known to print some pretty good business cards or leaflets from just a JPEG file. K.K is for KONICA Originally we were loyal to both Canon and Xerox, we then moved onto Ricoh for reasons of cost but now our Konica Minolta machines offer pretty good print quality and value for money. We have now moved onto our second generation of Konica machines and the standards have been enhanced with a few more bells & whistle added in the process. Hope this is not going to change now! L.L is for LATE OR LOST DELIVERY
Couriers are often the weakest link in our supply chain. They probably make up most of the other 10% of our problems after artwork! There is nothing more frustrating when a customer is awaiting a parcel – the situation can be complicated by factors outside their control – like traffic, accidents, weather problems etc. But it is wise to always build in a contingency for any urgent order to be really safe! We can now track most of our consignments online. We have had to introduce a £10 delivery charge for small value orders and keep to free delivery on orders over £50. The Royal Mail parcel service is a waste of time and is rarely worth the risk. It doesn’t happen often but occasionally a consignment is lost or badly damaged in transit. This is why we place great emphasis on selection of the most reliable courier and good packaging and labelling to minimise the risk of a problem.
Having just spent twice as much time as usual
trying to print Excel files today, I am making a general appeal to all our
customers to always send us PDF files for printing.
Canon came up with an alarming statistic that
although more than two thirds of all business documents are now sent across the
Internet as a PDF file – only 10% of our computers are capable of saving a file
as a PDF.
Created in 1993 and perfected over more than
20 years – PDF’s have been one of the most welcome software developments for digital
and document printing companies.
Editing documents in the world’s most popular
piece of software for document printing - Microsoft Word - illustrates the
problem.
Word files can be easy to create, save and
send. However, if you save a Word document on two separate PC’s with different
printer settings you will almost certainly get problems with pagination – line
breaks, margins and page breaks can easily be altered.
That 75 page document suddenly becomes 77
pages when it is printed and all the headings have jumped from the top of one
page to the bottom of the next.
If you transfer between different versions of
Word or between a PC and a Mac, the situation may be even worse.
Microsoft PowerPoint can be just as
problematic. And Excel can be a real nightmare! So here are 10 Good Reasons why there are
more than one billion PDF files in
existence today and why it would really be appreciated if you sent us a PDF
rather than your documents or digital printing in any other format:-
1.
What you see
is what you get!
PDF’s are viewable on any device. They exist independently of the hardware,
software and the operating systems. It
doesn’t matter what version of the software you run or whether you use a Mac or
a PC.
The clue is in the name – PDF stands for Portable Document Format and is designed
to be universal and work across all platforms.
We get digital artwork for print in every
possible format from Microsoft Publisher for PC or Mac, to Quark Xpress for PC
and Mac or InDesign for PC or Mac. The
permutations run into thousands! Even if we had the same piece of software
there could be big problems when we send a file to print. It is not always the case – but in most
circumstances – “what you see is what you get” when we print a document from a
PDF!
2.
Trusted
Security.
Many industries deal in sensitive material or
intellectual copyrights that need a high level of security.
The password protection option with a PDF allows
both recipients and those receiving the file to know that their information is
secure.
Even legal professionals trust PDF’s as their
preferred file format.
For an electronic document to be admissible
in a court of law, it must be created in a file format that cannot be altered
without leaving an electronic footprint.
PDF’s satisfy that need.
And because records are stored in PDF format
they are likely to remain the legal standard format for many years to come.
The originator can set passwords to protect
the content or create permissions to disable printing or modifications and even
add watermarks or encrypt the data.
Remember though – let us know the password for
printing otherwise your delivery may be delayed! We had a real rush job last month and were
unable to print because we were not supplied with the password.
3. Quick and Easy to Create.
Creating a PDF is no different to adding an
extra printer option on to your computer.
You simply select the PDF creator as one of
the printer options and can usually select the desired resolution – whether you
want to just need the file to be read or printed contents. The press-ready
option with some creators is designed to supply the highest resolution file for
printing.
Your document is converted to a PDF file with
a couple of clicks of the mouse and you can store it anywhere you wish on your
computer.
Simply send it as an email attachment or
upload the file for printing to our FTP Server or one of the file transfer
services, like Dropbox.
With some software you can always easily
convert them back into their original format if necessary, so that further editing
and amendments can be made.
4. Decreases the File Size.
You can usually convert any file into a PDF
without sacrificing quality.
The PDF should effectively embed all your
fonts, text and graphics.
This ensures that even if recipient doesn’t
have the same fonts loaded on their computer they will still be able to view
and print the file correctly.
When the PDF is created it also tends to
compress large files so that it is easier to transmit over the internet. On average it compresses the file to
approximately a quarter of the original size. This saves transmission time when sending the
files or uploading.
There may be a slight deterioration in
quality when printing or even some colour variation but this is often too small
to determine and not usually applicable when printing documents.
With digital printing we sometimes print from
the original file if there are no obvious issues to maximise the quality.
We have had a few problems with PDF’s but the
number of issues is very small relative to the number of documents we produce.
5. PDF readers and creators are Free.
Adobe Reader is a free download and can even
be pre-loaded on new PC’s and Macs for reading documents on the Internet.
Anyone you send the file to should also be
able to see the full version of your document on their screens and print it out
without a problem.
Adobe and a few other suppliers can provide
software for creating and manipulating PDF files although these come with a range
of costs.
However, there are some excellent PDF
creators that can be downloaded and used for free on the Internet.
For 20 years or more we have provided a
“Useful Link” on www.direct2print.net to some of these.
CUTE PDF is a good option – and we have
arranged for many clients to use the free download when sending us the order.
6. Create Interactive Documents.
To create a fully interactive experience, the
latest versions of the PDF software will allow you to add hyperlinks, rich
media, music, movies, and many other advanced features.
You can even create interactive forms for a
multitude of applications to save time, increase reliability and reduce the
cost of postage of the more traditional methods of capturing and sending data.
7. Mobile Access.
Mobile devices are taking over
from PC’s and are beginning to dominate the digital world.
Fortunately, this is not a
problem.
Adobe Reader is available on any device, so
people can read your PDF files anywhere they want, while still accessing a lot
of the same functionality they would get on a desktop.
8. Completely Searchable.
Users can easily find what they are looking
for through a quick search.
PDF documents can even be organized with a
table of contents that link all sections to the appropriate pages in the file.
There are two forms of PDF – ones created
from an electronically processed document and a scanned PDF which has
searchable capability.
Using PDF as the basis for document storage
and archiving results in numerous benefits to companies wishing to reduce
paperwork and free up time and space for more productive use.
And with password protection they can be
stored without any tampering or changes applied.
9. Provide Print
imposition.
There are some clever optional software
features for specific applications and uses in different industries.
Within the print industry alone there are
some excellent features to make the printing a lot easier. You could merge multiple documents, such as
spreadsheets, photos, and presentations, into a single PDF file.
You could simply impose files ready for
printing - this is not only a great time-saver but saves any paper wastage as
well.
Some add-on programmes are designed to search
out for any issues prior to printing. This
is designed to highlight problems such as low resolution images that would
result in poor quality printing.
10. Document
Tracking and Analytic Capability.
In addition to the security measures
mentioned previously, recipients can also view who has had access to the
information within the document.
If the password is breached, the appropriate
actions can easily be taken.
Anyone who originated the document can allow any
of their colleagues to mark up and comment on the contents.
This will allow them to respond and suggest
modifications but still leave you in control of editing the original.
So these are just 10 of the obvious advantages.
There may even be more.
They are just some of the reasons why we
would recommend you obtain probably the most important piece of software that
has been created and developed over the last 20 years.
You can then email or upload a PDF file to
Direct2Print confident in the knowledge that the quality will meet your expectations.
The finishing touches of any printed
item need to focus on the original objectives and purpose of the document.
This section may not seem applicable
to all printed items but is still designed to make sure all your hard work has
been worthwhile.
If you were producing a manual, a
report or a document designed to educate it should be something that the
recipient would want to keep “to hand” rather than lock away and never to use
or refer to again.
If it was a brochure or an item of
promotional print - it should exude quality and create an image that will lay
the foundations for a sale.
If it required a direct and immediate
response - it should have one or more incentives and make the “call to action”
immediate and available through a number of different channels.
These latter items are the easiest to
evaluate and quantify but you should try and measure the effectiveness of all
your printed items.
Introduction
In theory
the hard work has been done. The content
is relevant and the printed item is visually powerful and should effectively
meet all your original objectives.
The whole
process so far has been to grab attention and create interest at a time when we
are bombarded by a multitude of different messages from every direction.
By following
the Tips outlined in the previous Blogs you will have managed to build up trust,
persuade or create a favourable image.
You have made effective use of good copywriting, design, colour,
photography and visual communications.
The quality
of the printing and papers/cards will also have added to the image. You should have used production printing
technology. Presenting your client with printed documents on an office printer
would not compare with the 1200dpi quality printing from one of the production
printing presses from the likes of Konica Minolta, Canon, Xerox or Ricoh!
You should
have avoided all the usual common mistakes - like cramming too much information
into a small area or made bad decisions over fonts and colour combinations.
Making spelling
mistakes is still the most common error as we seem to have lost the art of
writing and work in the short-hand world of texting and Twitter.
However, even
well-established brands can be damaged by something that passed through the
checking stage - like this poster for Tesco’s Cash Back service:
We are
getting to the moment of truth.
Now the last
piece of the jigsaw is to make sure there is a “call to action” – the final
measure of effectiveness of your communication against the original objectives.
The
recipients will have been influenced by their emotions and they now need to
justify their actions with logic to take the next step – whether this means
actually reading and referring to your training manual, requesting more
information or making a purchase.
And in terms
of maximising your own investment and value for money you need to make sure the
printed item you have created has been given the longest possible lifespan
according to the business you operate within.
Keeping Content Fresh
One of the
drawbacks of any form of printed documentation is that it is dated as soon as
it is produced.
In some
industries this is obvious – selling products like car dealers selling second
hand cars or an estate agent selling property.
In others it
may be necessary after a year or more.
Training
manuals will need to be updated to take account of any new technological
developments, changes in legislation or any other variables that have caused a
change in circumstance.
Providing
training materials in lever arch files makes it easier to swap contents than if
they were supplied as comb bound or spiral bound documents.
Some may
only have a “shelf life” of a few months – particularly if a product is
seasonal or at the “cutting edge” of new technology.
Content
needs to be updated regularly if at all possible.
This is the primary
benefit of digital printing.
You simply
update, personalise or modify as and when you need.
There is
very little, if any, wastage.
Variable Data Applications
Another
great advantage of digital printing is that it lends itself to variable data
where text and images can be personalised on every printed item.
This makes
the communication very personal and relevant – and usually very much more
effective.
Variable
data applications are now not just exclusive to improve response rates for sales
and marketing departments – but also have a wide range of applications in
finance and HR communications as well.
However,
this is a big subject in its’ own right and will have to be covered at a later
date.
Building Up Trust
The benefit
of working for a company with a well-known and established brand is that trust
is almost taken as a “given”.
However, for
most of us working in the small and medium sized business sector we need to
build up trust through effective series of communication methods and gradual persuasion.
There are
various methods to re-enforce the confidence you have in what you are trying to
say.
Good
examples are testimonials, case studies, the offer of free no-obligation
consultations and proposals, guarantees and any form of money-back commitment
you can offer a potential client.
Case Studies
always make an excellent source of credibility and trust. The more respected the testimonial and closer
the case study to the recipients own industry or situation, the better.
Offering a
potential client the opportunity for a personal testimonial is a very effective
conclusion of a personal proposal or quotation and a website or brochure full
of testimonials provides a great deal of re-assurance.
Reducing any
risk is the best way to build up trust.
Payment only upon completion of a project gives the purchaser a sense of
comfort. A money-back guarantee if
anything goes wrong gives comfort. Or a
general guarantee in proportion to the value of the investment being made or for
the longest possible period. In some
cases a Lifetime Guarantee can be a sales clincher!
We will all
have examples of purchases which we have made personally where the guarantee
has been a major factor in the logical decision-making process.
In the case
of Direct2Print, we offer a total quality guarantee and a delivery guarantee
which we try and honour when at all possible.
Sometimes
this is an expensive commitment. Our
Fast service is a Guarantee to deliver printed documents within 6 working
hours.
We have been
asked to meet this deadline on occasions and the number of times we have failed
in the last 20 years can be counted on one hand.
We will do
everything within our power to achieve customer satisfaction.
One particular
case that comes to mind is the production of training manuals for a customer
having a training course in Geneva.
Because the
manuals were held up by Customs in Switzerland we had to arrange a 2 hour reprint
and courier delivery on a Friday afternoon by a local Swiss printer – BTL
Services.
The training
course was starting the following day. A
full refund was not an option for the client.
We had to
“bend over backwards” to resolve the problem.
The final
cost we absorbed was five times the original retail value of the transaction. But in the end our reputation was more
important to uphold.
Give Them a Reason to Act Now
It is
important to give someone a reason to act now rather than give them a reason not to do so.
Otherwise
all your preceding efforts to get their attention, interest and desire will
have been wasted.
This is
often easier to plan in marketing literature rather than other documents and
business printing projects.
We produce a
large number of printed training manuals.
However, even with these feedback on their effectiveness after the course
finishes is an essential component of the communication process.
The usual
techniques in sales and marketing literature are in the form of a special
offer, benefit, prize or gift as an extra incentive to respond immediately or to
take action before a certain date.
But there
are many other techniques – including highlighting a shortage of supply, possible
volume or quantity rebates, a warning notice that prices will be increasing and
the most important of all - introductory discounts.
In the case
of Direct2Print we offer a 50% first time order discount. This is the nearest promotion to an “offer
you can’t refuse” because in most cases the profit in the first transaction is
negligible. Hopefully, by building a
relationship even as an online printing specialist the repeat orders will
justify the initial promotional price.
“Word of
mouth” recommendation is the most valuable form of marketing. We want to encourage the first order to
overcome the potential risk of dealing with an unknown supplier and also to
“spread the word” to all their contacts.
We have been
able to trace business generated from third party recommendation and this is an
active part of our strategy. We have effectively used a “Recommend A Friend”
reward scheme for those passing on our contact details and using our services.
This service
seems to have been superseded by social media.
Social media
has made this aspect of referral even more important and websites such as Trip Advisor can make or break the
reputation of companies – particularly those within the hospitality sector.
Finally, one
interesting piece of research in direct mail claimed you needed an average of 3
benefits before a call to action to achieve good response rates and it often
needed a final “push” with a special offer to get an immediate commitment or
purchase.
In the old
days – it was often in the PS of the correspondence – as a final and last attempt
to persuade or prompt you to take action.
Make it Easy to Respond
You often
have to tell the recipient what they need to do next. Don’t just assume that they will look for
your telephone number or visit your web site.
If you don’t
tell them what action to take they will very often take the wrong course of
action.
One direct
mail tip was to involve them in actually doing something – like cutting out a
coupon or completing a survey.
The golden
rule is to give as many options as possible – let them respond by email, phone,
fax, text, or any way convenient to the client .
Double check
all this channels of communication are correct and working. There is nothing so annoying to decide to
find out more information only to discover the link has broken or the phone is
not answered in a professional manner.
Also wherever
possible make these lines of communication free.
Direct2Print
have been great advocates of the FREEPHONE and FREEFAX service and we have retained
the same numbers for over 20 Years.
The
incremental cost is miniscule in comparison to the perceived value – especially
compared to premium rate lines sometimes used for customer services.
One point to
remember with 0800 numbers is that they are not always accessible from a mobile
and you will also need to offer a landline number as an alternative.
BT were once
the darlings of the print industry and they introduced new dialling codes to
accommodate an ever-rising demand for new landline numbers – and Freephone not
only overcame a geographical resistance but made stationery more long lasting.
Email continues
to replace traditional channels and has revolutionised business communications.
It has virtually destroyed the need for a postal service within the last 20
years – basically because it is immediate, free and traceable.
However,
there is nothing more annoying than receiving spam email that is not relevant
and this can seriously damage your reputation and relationship.
Technology
will continue to make responding even easier in the future and it is important
that we all keep up with the developments to enhance customer service.
Review and Evaluate
Finally, after
the event it is time to sit back, review and evaluate the effectiveness of your
project.
Ideally a
combination of quantitative and qualitative feedback is required – but after
all your hard work you may just want to feel that you have done your best and
can have a great deal of satisfaction in the end result!
In the next
series of blogs we will look at some specific Case Studies, new technological
developments in the print industry and offer hints and tips on how to design
specific items of business stationery.
