If you want some awesome plastic cards, consider frosted plastic instead of the normal white cards. They really stand out.

Al. 602-482-1142.

With all of the attention surrounding social media these days, it’s hard to be swayed away from the online marketing temptation and back into traditional offline marketing while using such items as calendars to sell your products.  Sure, you can send out a Tweet promoting a product special or event, but that tweet is out of view for many in mere seconds. Yet, these same “old-fashioned” offline marketing tools are not only essential parts of your marketing mix, but you’ll find you will get a lot more bang for your buck when mix up your strategy cost-effectively.

Calendars Sell

One of the most overlooked marketing tools is the simple calendar and, yet, it packs a tremendous amount of punch.  There are many advantages to using them to sell get in front of your customers for long periods of time.

1.  People like freebies: Participate in a Mardi Gras festival and you’ll see teems of people scrounge for free beaded necklaces or pull your shopping cart up to a food sample stand at Costco and you’ll understand the power of freebies.  You don’t have to give a high-priced item away in order to promote your business, and calendars are inexpensive tools that have high perceived value.

2.  They last 365 days a year: Most consumers need to see an advertisement or message at least seven times before they take notice and if you’re spending your marketing dollars on ads, you’ll know the cost quickly adds up.  With calendars, your advertisement, message and contact information is in front of your customer all year long.  You could spend thousands of dollars on advertisements in your local newspaper to reach potential customers multiple times or you could spend a few dollars to have multiple advertisements right in front of your customer 365 days a year.

3.  Calendars contain many messages and promotions: When you are able to customize your calendars to give to new or existing customers, you can add multiple product messages about features and benefits.  Essentially, you have 12 spaces to add content.  Add monthly coupons or even have your business card perforated on the calendar so that your contact information can be given away in referrals.  Your calendar can be as functional as you make it.

4.  Calendars are useful: Calendars actually serve a purpose and despite the latest technology with smart phones, iPads and such, people still find traditional calendars useful.  They’re easy to use and you don’t have to plug them in at night to recharge.  Have a pen handy and you can mark down appointments, birthdays and events quickly.

5.  You have multiple channels to give them away: When giving away calendars or any other promotional product, there are numerous channels by which to reach customers.  Of course tradeshows are the most common venue, but your sales personnel can hand them to prospective customers door-to-door.  You can include them as part of your direct mail strategy or at the point-of-sale.  You can even sell them for a nominal amount and donate the money to charity.  (You not only would be showing your customers your commitment to good will, but advertising your products to them annually.)  Promotional product distribution has many avenues that traditional advertising and even social media do not offer.

Greenway Print Solutions has a variety of calendars to choose from and at amazingly lower costs than their competition.  And they can be customized to precisely fit your business goals.

Creating a strong brand for your business takes strategic planning, after all, your goal is to deliver a message that’s clear while connecting to your consumer on some sort of emotional level. While it would be nice to create an effective brand using only one strong medium, you’ll find you get a whole lot of mileage out of cleverly crafting the right marketing mix.

With all the rage in social media and online marketing, offline strategies still hold high importance. Despite the technological age we are in, we’re still social beings who conduct business in brick and mortars and meet face-to-face. Call it old-fashioned, but how many times have you verbally told someone about your business only to be asked for a business card or brochure? The fact is the majority of the population didn’t grow up with a smart phone in their back pockets or even a keyboard on their desk. And that’s something every business owner still needs to take into account.

Branding Your Materials

When it comes to your offline marketing, branding your materials well so that they achieve your goals is crucial. The look, feel and design of your printed material all play a critical role and consistency both online and offline is key.

Your Identity: Your corporate identity should be consistent throughout all of your printed material, from your brochures,  letterhead and envelopes to your promotional material and presentations.  Your corporate perception and message should be the same on all pieces, right down to the font and color.  If your current supply looks somewhat of a mish-mosh, consider taking the piece that represents your identity and streamline what doesn’t fit.

Your Direct Mail Campaign: Direct mail is an intrinsic part of your marketing mix, having the advantage of being able to send your material repetitively to your new prospect.  The average consumer needs to see your message seven times before they take some sort of action and direct mail is a cost-effective way of getting in front of them and being top-of-mind when it comes time for them to buy.  Direct mail doesn’t necessarily have to be the traditional postcard either – you can send sales letters, catalogs and brochures, too.

Your Contact: It may seem elementary, but all of your material should include all of the ways your customers, new and old, can contact you online and offline.  This includes your address and phone number along with your social media and website.   To save on space, a QR Code or Microsoft Tag will help direct consumers to your selected online content.

Give it Away: Promotional items, such as pens, calendars and mugs are not only great to receive but they are consumables that stick around for a while.  Your next client may lose your business card, but your coffee mug will stay on his desk.  Throw in a calendar and your identity and message will be a daily reminder all year long.  The life of a promotional item is longer than many other medium in your marketing mix.

Your marketing mix can include a wide variety of items that serve to connect your business and identity to your existing and potential consumers.  There’s not one medium that will yield optimal results by itself; rather, it takes different types to stay in front of your market.  Streamlining your brand and keeping it consistent will help your consumers remember you when it comes time to buy.

If you’re looking for products to include in your mix, be sure to check out all that Greenway Print Solutions can offer you.  If it can be read, scanned or touched, Greenway Print Solutions can get it printed.

The premise is that businesses can target consumers based on locale rather than a variety of demographic characteristics that can closely predict buying habits.  It uses the idea that sheer locality is a winning driver between business and consumer.  So if you’re a local physician, dentist, restaurant, auto dealer or retailer that relies on local consumers, an Every Door Direct Mail campaign may just be your profit ticket.

If you intend to reach between 200 – 5,000 households and your piece meets size and weight requirements, the program could work well for you.  You will not be required to get postage permits or pay an annual fee either.  The Postal Service is also offering free classes nationwide that will show you the benefits of the program and how you can use it to build revenue and increase traffic.

For more information on the program, click the Every Door Direct Mail link below.  And Greenway Print Solutions can help print that perfect piece that’s cost-effective for your campaign.

Every Door Direct Mail

Greenway Print Solutions

Designing, printing and using your company brochure takes a little more planning than many might think.  Yet, the right brochure can help promote your business, product or service while connecting new customers and increasing sales.  In order to craft the right brochure that wins over customers, keep the following tips in mind:

Use a Template

There are many publishing software applications and even online templates that you can use to design your brochure.  The use of a template is necessary if you want your design to remain within the folds and be print-ready.  It’s easy for your brochure to get misaligned during the printing process, especially if you are printing them yourself.

Print at Home

It may entice you to save a few dollars by printing your brochure yourself, but you’re bound to run into some trouble.  Most personal printers have paper weight restrictions and if you think you’ll wow your customers with a brochure printed on 20-pound paper, think again.  Color is another hindrance as most do not print true colors – the design that shows up on your monitor may not look the same once it’s fed from your printer.  And if you’re looking to bleed your design, you’ll have issues with that, too.  If you’re serious about using your brochure as an effective marketing piece, consider having it professionally printed.  It won’t cost you an arm and a leg while providing you with return on your investment.

It’s All About Copy

Even if you’re an avid online marketer, you know that content sells.  Your brochures’ copy should carefully communicate the benefits and features of your product or service and what it can do to make your customer’s life better.  While you may think your widget is cool and your employees fabulous, your customers don’t care.  They want to spend their money on things that solve their problems so clearly articulate those benefits.

Design it Right

Layout design is key to your brochure.  If your brochure is bogged down with too much copy, your customer is likely to skip reading what you believe is pertinent to the message.  Adding too many graphics will detract from the verbal message.  Your goal is to mix content and images in balance and relay the important messages you’re trying to convey without overwhelming your reader.  And carefully add white space to help draw attention to the text and images.  Remember, your customer has a limited attention span, so if you cannot communicate how your product or service will benefit them quickly, your brochure will likely be a flub.

Distribute, Distribute, Distribute

Brochures are usually given out to prospects in more of a passive manner.  However, your brochure is more of a powerful advertising piece than simply a handout to only those who are interested.  If Jane isn’t interested in your widget, her friend John may be and she’s got something to give him.  Be more aggressive when handing out your brochures and consider it to be a valuable advertising piece rather than extra marketing collateral.  Your brochure could bring in customers you never thought would buy.

Having your brochures professionally designed and printed can mean all the difference especially in terms of sales.  If your brochure is not giving you a return on your investment, no matter the expense, contact Greenway Print Solutions today.  They can help you create brochures that work.

Digital Printing

Digital printing is a relatively new printing process that reproduces images on some sort of tangible surface, such as clothing, paper and plastic.  The ink used in digital printing does not absorb into the surface, rather it forms a layer.  Every impression has the propensity to be different, so digital printing is often times used for short print runs (less than 5,000 pieces.)  With the use of new technology, digital images and text can be sent via a computer to your printer for a speedy turnaround.

Electrostatic Printing

Electrostatic printing is similar to photocopying in that the toner is thermally fused to the paper.  Toner is used instead of ink and pressure and images are reproduced using electrostatic charges.  This type of printing is typically used for very short runs.

Offset Lithography Printing

Printers typically use offset printing for newspapers, magazines and brochures because the use of ink is rather economical, it can be used to print on textured surfaces and the set-up process is minimal.

Offset printing involves the use of a flexible plate that is coated with photosensitive chemical, allowing light to produce an image area.  The plate doesn’t actually come into contact with the paper; a rubber blanket receives the ink and then transfers the image area to the paper – one ink color at a time.  (Hence, costs differences for multiple colors used.)

Flexography

Flexography is typically used for packaging, such as plastic bags, business forms, cellophane and bottle labels.  The process uses a flexible relief plate that sticks to a printing cylinder and is great for non-porous substrates.

Thermography

Thermography uses a process whereby power is dusted over a printed image in which the ink has yet to dry to give it a raised effect.  The thermal powder is heated so that it melts on the ink and raises it above the surface.  Thermography is similar to engraving except it’s less expensive and faster.  It’s commonly used for business cards, letterhead, invitations and greeting cards.

Screen Printing

With Screen printing, inks is forced through a screen in which an image or pattern is formed.  Compared to other printing processes, screen printing is relatively slower to produce products.  Common screen printing uses include wearables, mugs, paper, plastic, wood and metal.  If the final product needs printing that encompasses a wrap-around or is oddly shaped, screen printing is a viable option.

Gravure Printing

Gravure printing uses an etched copper plate that that comes in direct contact with paper.  Though expensive, gravure printing produces high quality printed images and is used for long runs, such as magazines, brochures and catalogs.  Wall paper, plastic laminates and even upholstery and vinyl flooring come out looking great using the gravure printing process.

Knowing the different types of printing processes will not only allow you to get the best quality for your particular piece, but it will save you money by not using a process that’s unnecessary.  Professionals, such as Greenway Print Solutions, can help you travel through the printing maze with ease in order to achieve your desired outcomes.

Businesses are always touting they have great customer service and if we were to put all of those touts in a basket, it would be quite a large basket.  Yet, proving that a business truly values its customers is another story indeed.

It’s not often that a business or even a business owner receives a whole lot of recognition from a customer, let alone be presented with an award.  But in this case, the “proof is in the pudding.”

Alan Chait, owner of Greenway Print Solutions, has always prided himself on customer service and it was the primary reason he left the printing corporate world as an employee to start his own business.  He believed he could offer his customers a lot more, not just with a vast array of affordable, quality products, but with superior customer service.  To prove it, the story goes:

” Last week I had an appointment with my largest customer, a $200 million company, to review some business forms we are working on.  The meeting was supposed to be in their North conference room, but when I arrived nobody was there.  Suddenly one of the managers showed up to tell me they had moved the meeting to a conference room in the back and he took me there.  In the room were about 200 people, seated and listening to two of the top executives talk about how to use some of the forms I designed for them.  In the back was the CEO who, when he saw me, told me to sit down.  I told him I’d just wait outside until they were done, but he insisted that I sit and watch the class.”

“The CEO suddenly got up, stopped the meeting and told everyone that they had decided to award their Vendor Partners who have been responsible for their success.  Of the 10 or so vendors, they voted on who should get the first award, which was me.  I had to get up in front of all these people and listen to all the wonderful things that I’ve done for them, my dedication and hard work.  Being a little bit of an introvert the “ambush” was an overwhelming surprise and I am very proud to get the award.  (Ironically, I was working on pricing out acrylic awards for them to give to their employees, or so I thought.  It turns out I’ll be printing my own award.)”

The award shows that the foundations that I built Greenway Print Solutions on 30 years ago is alive and well.

If you’re looking for a printer with exceptional customer service, contact Greenway Print Solutions today!