Need a Little Insite?

If you are one of the many, super-busy people in this world, you need your print project printed yesterday, and you don't have time to wait hours or days for a proof. If you missed BPI Media Group's webinar last week presented by BPI University, don't fret. You can watch in two short segments (about 25 minutes total)an Introduction to Insite presented by Jan Spears, BPI's prepress director.

Introduction to Insite: Part 1

Introduction to Insite: Part 2

First, let me tell you a little about this proofing system and what makes it so great. Trust me, you'll want to join this bandwagon and speed up your proofing time like many other users have done.

What is Prinergy and Kodak Insite?

• Prinergy—Kodak workflow with full automation with soft proofing.
• Insite is a part of Prinergy where customers can be set up with a custom ftp site. Once their files are uploaded, Insite will perform tasks based on rules-based automation. Rules-based automation is set up for each customer based on their needs and type of product to print.

Why should I use Insite?

• Increase automation and efficiency of the proofing system.
• Take advantage of the state-of-the-art online tools in the system.
• Utilize the reliable, color-accurate soft proofing.
• Allow multiple proofers in your company to review the document before it goes to print.
• Allow for notations to be made on the proof for other reviewers to see.
• Enable the uploading of replacement pages on the fly.
• Be able to proof your document within a matter of minutes after it's uploaded.
• See quickly any file problems that the preflight manager may find (i.e., inadequate bleed, rgb images, low-res images, font issues, etc.)
• View your proof in a "page-turn" format just as if you were turning the pages of a hard-copy proof with smart-review.

If you want to read more about Insite, click here. If you want to sign up for BPI University's next webinar or watch previous webinar's you may have missed, click here.

Until next time...Elizabeth

I'm new to twitter, so please check it out & follow along if you'd like.

Are We Listening?

As sales and marketing experts, feedback is key to help us have better conversations with our customer and prospects. Without it, we keep spinning our wheels and not getting any traction or additional sales. How do we get the highly-desired feedback, listen to it and apply it to our sales and marketing efforts?

I recently made a purchase and then received an online survey about my purchase and the buying experience. I completed the survey (it only took 5 minutes after all) and gave them my honest opinion, which in this instance, wasn't a five-star rating in all categories. Why did I do this? Because I hope someone on the other side is listening (reading) and will change somethings to make the buying experience better for others in the future. That's what a smart sales and marketing team does: listen.

While there are several options out there for creating surveys (I like survey monkey), if we don't heed the message, then we are not really listening. I can hear my high school teachers saying it now, "I know you can hear me, but are you really listening?"

A great way BPI Media Group gets feedback from our customers and communicates with prospects is through landing pages. The "guts" of a landing page is the 3-5 question survey portion. How the customer or prospects answers the questions guide you on how to continue the sales conversation with them and gauge their interest or willingness to buy. You can even gauge if they are a hot, warm or cold prospect. Knowing this information means you've listened, and the future communication we have with that person is 1:1.

The best part of a landing page or an integrated campaign is being able to not only see the responses, but you can download them, see trends and listen to not only the individuals, but to segments and groups. Break these off into subsets and market to them in a much more specific way. This is a sure-fire way of boosting your ROI. If you'd like to see a demo of an integrated campaign or want to talk details on how it could work for your sales and marketing team, don't be shy...I am listening.

Until next time...Elizabeth

I'm new to twitter, so please check it out & follow along if you'd like.

To Be Continued...

For the past two weeks, I've been buzzing and tweeting about BPI Media Group's postcard offer. In case you haven't heard, we have several options to help meet your budget for a postcard/direct mail campaign. We've developed this special pricing to help you "practice what we preach": keep the conversation going through multiple touches in a campaign. Costs add up when you need to do several mail drops, but this should help you send out several drops in a drip campaign. Check it out!

What makes a drip campaign successful?

• Repetition.
• Relevance.
• Building relationships.
• Creating conversation.
• Consistent branding.

Staying top of mind (aka, TOMA or top of mind awareness) is what it takes to nudge out your competition. It is said that customers can only keep three to five brands in their head at one time, and the more visible you are, the better chance you have of being one of those they remember.

Drip marketing doesn't have to be just postcards. Here are some other forms to consider:

• Postcards
• Newsletters
• Marketing Letters
• Email

No matter which forms of drip marketing you choose or combine, the goal is to engage your customers. By continuing the conversation, you establish trust & credibility with your brand. Keep these three best practices in mind, and you'll be on your way to a successful campaign:

1. Focus on content.

2. Be consistent.

3. Follow up. (calls to action!)

To receive more helpful tips and articles from BPI Media Group, sign up here to receive our quarterly newsletters and be added to our email list for news and webinars.

Until next time...Elizabeth

I'm new to twitter, so please check it out & follow along if you'd like.

The Magic Number Nine

While working out at 9 Rounds this morning, it occurred to me that this circuit workout is very much like sales and marketing. Just like a single exercise only works one part of the body (such as arms or legs), a single marketing message doesn't work on all customers and prospects. Staying in shape is hard work, but with a smart plan, reaching customers and prospects doesn't have to make you break a sweat.

Some say it takes 9 touches to get an action from a customer or prospect. Here are a few touches you may want to consider adding to your marketing mix. I know we at BPI Media Group are including these:

1. Personalizing your direct mail (Click here for stats on the growth of this trend.)

2. Including a landing page to track and gather more data from respondents.

3. Pairing an email with direct mail.

4. Versioning your message based on segments of your market or list.

5. Sending out a "lumpy" mailer instead of a flat.

6. Adding a QR code to your mailer, catalog or in-store display.

7. Highlighting your call to action (donate, register, purchase, etc).

8. Updating your website or improving your SEO, so when customers or prospects visit your site, it is an easily-navigated and pleasant experience.

9. Trying augmented reality or NFC if it makes sense with your product or service.

Just like mixing up my workout each time with nine different exercises (jumping rope, crunches, punches, kicks, push ups, etc), I am working on getting in better shape. Now, I'll apply these nine suggestions above when reaching out to prospects and existing customers to see if I can get in a more "fit" sales condition. Let me know how this works for you!

Until next time...Elizabeth

I'm new to twitter, so please check it out & follow along if you'd like.