Everything Changes..and Everybody Wants a Make-Over

Change. Most people hate it, but at BPI Media Group, we realized it was necessary for survival in this world where it's survival of the fittest. All of this change is part of our transition from a PSP to a MSP over the past couple of years as you've seen me reference in previous posts. With this transition came many changes for BPI, and the latest of these changes is the addition of website services.

What led BPI, a printer no less, to get into the website business you ask? The growing demand from our customers to help them marry their printed piece with that of their website. This demand, in addition to our storefront/online ordering solution, resulted in the addition of staff member, Brandon Rome. His experience and expertise in web design, code, seo, paried with a multitude of other "tech" skills in his toolbox made him a perfect fit for BPI at the perfect time.

Along the same thought process, it seems like every other tv show is all about make overs, whether it's your hair, weight, make up or your home decor, so BPI is "kind of" jumping on this band wagon; but, we are in it for the long haul!

Some make overs are worth it and oh-so necessary. Is a make over of your company's website overdue? With the addition of a web expert, we are offering a limited-time promotion to partner with you to review your website. Here's what's included in this review and why you should consider it:

-Website evaluation

• Redesign (visual "make over" or complete redesign)
• Improve user interface (how users navigate and how content is organized)

-Detailed analysis of where your site is now (performance metrics and ways to provide traffic results & seo insight)

-Suggestions offered to increase traffic, boost seo and graphic appeal

-Professional recommendations to ensure your site is working for you as a marketing tool and not just a refernce website

-Offer an integrated marketing tool via your website

-$175 one-time fee for evaluation of your company's website

If you would like to proceed with the suggestions we make, we'll provide a detailed quote on what it would take to "make over" your site.

This offer will be good through the end of February 2012. What happens after we "make over" your site? In keeping with BPI's philosophy of excellent customer service, we will offer the following services on an ongoing basis for as long as you'd like us to help you with your website:

-Hosting

-Site maintenance

-Allowing for and assistance with CMS (contenet management system), where the site is self-edited and published (you do the simple updates yourself)

-Access to analytics (including seo, or how your site is found by search engines)

-Plug-ins to allow for functionality expansions, which are usually customized

-Dynamic content or interactions (advanced log-ins, database-driven); ideal for any robust website

These continued services would be priced based on the amount of time spent to do the tasks, but as you know, we try to price our services as fairly and competitively as possible because we value your business and know your budget isn't unlimited.

With the addition of website development and design, we are adding another piece of the puzzle to help in your marketing. By tying the web and print together, the result is an improved ROI, where results are becoming more and more measurable as technology advances. If you have a website you're proud of and that is useful to your customer base, then you can boast about it on your print collateral and tie it to your social media outlets. These are changes that are lasting and worth the $175 investment.

Speaking of social media and ways to merge it with print and your website, BPI Media Group President, Alan Davis, shared this article with me about Google+. It is geared toward the print industry, but I feel it can be applied to any industry. Just another example of change in our revolving world.

If you'd like to have us take a look and offer suggestions on your website, please contact us. We would love the opportunity to help make your website as beautiful as your printed pieces, so you can have a full arsenal of marketing tools at your fingertips to share with customers and prospects.

Until next time...Elizabeth

Sales vs Marketing...Can't We All Get Along?

Collaborate. Brainstorm. Share. Align. Merge. Partner. Achieve.

These are all things the sales team and marketing department have always had a difficult time doing well. Until now. With jobs on the line and budget cuts at every corner for most of us, it's time we all just get along! OK, I will officially get off my soapbox now and offer some BPI Media Group tips and tools to help you make this dream scenario become more realistic.

• Print digitally. This is a great way to provide the sales team with handouts, case studies, white papers, etc. without tanking your budget all at once. By printing digitally, you can print a lower quantity resulting in dollars saved and less obsolete materials to trash later. Another huge benefit of printing digitally is the ability to personalize. Let's face it, we salespeople tend to have pretty big egos, so we like to see our name on the pieces we're handing out to the prospects we're chasing. If you're gonna print it for the sales team, why not personalize it? Or, take that personalization a step farther and dress up a presentation or case study geared toward a specific BIG prospect for your salesperson and you as a marketer will be their hero and make them look like a genius. I promise. You can do this on your direct mail pieces too. Stats show that you're more likely to get a return from a personalized piece than a static one. BPI's digital printing capabilities have expanded, so let's talk about ways digital printing could help you better partner with your sales team.

• Track Your ROI. Easier said than done, right? Not if you're utilizing a dashboard with real-time, lead-generation captures. Merge this with your CRM tool (we love salesforce.com!) and you'll have provided your sales team with better ways to follow up on those leads you're working so hard to generate for them.

I know this is marketing 101 here, but don't forget to qualify leads. Recruit your sales team to define what a qualified lead is exactly, or better yet, who is a qualified lead. No one in your organization knows the customers better than the guys and gals in front of them, the sales team. (Well, maybe except for your customer service department, but that's a different post for a different day.) Using a tool such as a dashboard to track your campaign results is also a great way to track your ROI. Brainstorm with your sales team to incorporate some cross-media into your printed materials. Check out BPI's campaign dashboard. This is an awesome way to keep track of what the sales team is doing and also hold yourself accountable for how your marketing budget is being spent, which is typically poured in generously at the top of the sales funnel. (Side note: Check out Delivering Happiness by Zappo's CEO, Tony Hsieh to get a great idea of how sales, marketing and customer service can all work in perfect harmony and do some pretty amazing stuff.)

• Allow Access to Materials. I've heard enough marketers express concern over branding and maintaining consistency to know that it is hard to let go of the reigns and give the sales team access to the materials on which you have worked so hard to write, create and produce. But, what if in the end it could make your job easier, make you look oh-so-smart and keep the sales team happy? Too good to be true? Not exactly. BPI Media's storefront solution can help you protect your brand while giving your sales team what they need: collateral and tools to hit the pavement. This is probably the biggest way you can free up some of marketing's time (and budget) and please the sales team. Our solution offers template-based collateral that sales people can order as print on demand. This gives them the opportunity to personalize and pick and choose the materials they need for a trade show they're attending or for a big presentation. Arming your sales team with this invaluable tool will go a long way toward bridging the gap between your team and theirs. Don't worry, you can also set up approval steps where all orders placed by the sales team require approval before being processed. Just a good way to keep everyone in check and make sure over-eager sales person numero uno isn't running up a hefty tab by printing too much or ordering too often. If you'd like to see a demo of our storefront solution, let me know; I can share that through a webinar-style demo.

I'll leave you with a few other thoughts on ways sales and marketing can work together instead of against one another:

-Recycle or repurpose pieces: turn a white paper into a blog post (and link it up socially, so the sales team can share it) or convert a case study into a hand out or include it in your newsletter. Comes up with creative ways to give your sales team a reason to call or get in front of prospects!

-Group collateral based on issue rather than on industry. In short, don't make it industry specific or you can limit its use. Chances are the issues or challenges your product or service can address is encountered by multiple industries.

-Help your customers solve a problem by focusing on content they can use. A sales person who hands out a case study to a prospect can most likely better relate to that case study than to a corporate capabilities brochure.

I hope these tips and tools will be helpful to you and your team (sales and marketing included) in achieving the results you desire to help make your organization not only profitable but a pleasant place to work with your teammates. Remember, “Our success is measured by the success of our customers.”

Until next time...Elizabeth

What's So Special About SWAG?

I had a customer ask me last week, "What's SWAG?" With a chuckle, I explained that SWAG is Stuff We All Get. So, what's so special about SWAG if everyone gets it? It's special because it has YOUR company name on it, YOUR brand, and purchased with YOUR marketing dollars.

How come a printing company is promoting specialty or promotional items anyway? (pun intended) It's part of the reason BPI Media Group isn't just a PSP (Print Service Provider) anymore, but a MSP (Marketing Service Provider). Our conversion to a MSP started a few years ago when we added mailing services, but sure, a lot of printers mail. We took the conversion a few steps further and added digital printing capabilities, paired that with variable data, cross-media campaigns, and online storefront solutions, sprinkled in some data asset management and graphic and web design, and then topped it off with a spread of specialty items that help raise brand awareness for your company.

Variety of BPI "SWAG" we've shared in the past few months.

Specialty items are a great way to do a lumpy mailing (see last week's blog about lumpy mailings!) because an envelope containing a pen or other useful item blazoned with your logo is better than that of your competitor's in the hand of your prospect or client. You can also integrate the marketing message on the outside of the envelope or package in which you send out the item if you're mass distributing it. Specialty items are also a great way to share candies or other treats as gifts with clients to show your gratitude. A newer trend is to have contests through social media sites and offer promo items as prizes. Last winter, I shared BPI's coffee mug with several customers filled with apple cider and hot cocoa mixes. Not only was it nice to bring a little warmth to clients on some really cold days, but this was a huge success and opened the door for conversations about promotional items and how they can help keep your company or brand TOM (top of mind).

Here's what one client had to say about the significance of promotional items for brand loyalty, customer and employee incentives and give-aways at trade shows. "Promo items aren't only great at tradeshows to draw folks to your booth, but they have been a tremendous asset in boosting employee morale. We have also used promo items for contests through our website and social media campaigns. We'll sometimes include a free item with an order as a "thank you" to customers, especially if it is a first-time order."

If you've never considered using specialty items or you're not quite sure for the best application in your marketing mix, here's a list of the top 10 uses for promotional items according to the Promotional Products Association International as cited in "Top 10 Uses for Promotional Products During the 1st Q of 2011."

1. Customer Goodwill and Retention

2. Tradeshows

3. Employee Relations and Events

4. Brand Awareness

5. Public Relations

6. New Customer/Account Generation

7. Employee Service Awards

8. Not-For-Profit Programs

9. Internal Promotions

10. New Product and Service Introduction

According to the same article about Q1 promo item use, promotional items that were perceived to have greater value generated more sales leads than products of lower value. By including a promo item with a pre-show mailing, you could increase the likelihood of an attendee stopping by your booth. Studies show that 76% of tradeshow attendees had a favorable attitude toward any company that gave them a branded promo item. An overwhelming 70% of tradeshow attendees who received a promo item remembered the name of the company that gave it away.

What are the top promotional items? Things you can wear (shirt), writing instruments, bags and drinkware are the most popular among business professionals. These are considered valuable because they can be used daily. Who doesn't want their logo in their prospect or customers' hands every single day? Here are a few more top sellers:

• Desk/Office/Business Accessories

• Calendars

• Recognition Awards/Jewelry

• Computers/Tech Gadgets

• Sporting Goods

• Automotive Apparel/Accessories

• Magnets/Textiles/Housewares

• Food/Electronics/Clocks

The common denominator among all of these items are that they are useful and appreciated. If you give someone an item they can use, you increase the chances of them remembering you, your company name and your brand.

If you'd like to chat about ideas for promotional items, plan for an upcoming tradeshow or event, direct mail campaign, etc., please give me a call or email. I would love to cook up a recipe for success with you! To browse BPI's specialty items, click here. For pricing or questions about a particular item that catches your eye, let me know! As always, your feedback is welcome, and remember that power of promotional items is its ability to inform, remind and persuade. Until next time...Elizabeth :)

Ready, Set, Mail!

Recent client meetings have certainly had a common theme: mail. This week I'll be highlighting some of the key steps in planning for a mailing and some options you may not have considered...yet. Let me start by giving you some background on BPI Media Group's mail capabilities.

In 2004, BPI added a mail department to bring this service in house. Our mail specialist, Doris, was shipped off to training and continues to go through continuing education training every time the postage requirements change (which is pretty often!). In 2008, a second mail machine was added to the mail department to keep things moving quickly out the door and into your mailboxes. Our mail equipment has the capability to inkjet addresses, apply tabs or wafer seals, apply scratch-off tabs with "winning numbers" underneath and print variable messaging in a variety of colors. BPI's mail machines can mail handle everything from a postcard or self mailer to approx 1" thick catalog or magazine. On average, we process 800,000-1,000,000 pieces of mail/month. Got multiple pieces to insert? We can handle that too. We cass-certify every mailing to offer the best, automated postage rates. We also run all mail lists through NCOA (national change of address) in case someone has moved.

Now that I've brought you up to speed on our equipment and what it can do, here's some info that I hope you find helpful in planning for the mailing. This is the fun part because you can do so much with mail!

• The most important piece of the mail puzzle is the data, or list. You wouldn't just randomly send your company's offer or promotion to just anyone and expect stellar results, right? Of course not! You plan and analyze the data by researching the demographics of who buys your product/service, when, how often, etc. After this info is gathered and reviewed, you can compile and/or purchase a list that is the best fit for your company's product/service. Put your data to work to help do one of the following:
• Resurrect a dormant customer relationship.
• Proactively cross sell and upsell.
• Create ongoing purchases via a loyalty program.
• Timing is imperative. If you have a specific event or a window of opportunity for a promotion your company is offering, think about when you need to mail. Sure, you can always mail first class if your budget will allow it, but for those who want to stretch their marketing dollars and save on postage, plan to allow time to mail presort standard (formerly known as 3rd class many years ago). If you mail presort standard, you'll want to allow about 3 days for every mail processing center your mail will travel through on its journey to the recipient. (We can help you with this too in order to time the mail out perfectly!)
• Mail smartly. Part of this goes back to messaging and images, but in our "me" society, try variable or personalization on your mail. It really isn't a high-cost luxury. Adding a person's name or spelling out their name in a graphic definitely boosts response rate because it gets attention.
• Make mail part of a multi-channel campaign. While 36% of US respondents across age groups trust mail more than email, pairing print and online messaging combined further improves your ROI & boosts results of your mail campaign exponentially. (Source: "Finding the Right Channel Combination: What Drives Channel Choice," ICOM 2010) Click here for a great article on driving traffic through mail.
• Track your mail. I'm not just referring to the IMB (intelligent mail barcode) you now see on all direct mail, but try adding a QR code, which is highly trackable and capitalizes on the mobile culture, or include a landing page. This requires a call to action and will be sure to get responses and provides a way to track your responses via online dashboards.

• Lastly, make your mail noticeable. How, you ask? Do something different and try lumpy mail (aka, dimensional mail). If you receive a package in the mail, aren't you more likely to open it than a flat envelope or a postcard? Click here for an interesting article on the power of lumpy mail.

BPI did a lumpy mailing of a message in a bottle as part of a campaign earlier this year, and it definitely got noticed! Our feedback from this piece was phenomenal! Brainstorming with customers about projects, especially mail, is one of my favorite things to do, so please give me a call or email if you'd like to bounce ideas around on ways to get ready to mail! For more great articles about mail, check out Deliver Magazine. To join BPI's mail list or offer feedback, click here.