BPI Wants to Help Your Message Stick!

We at BPI Media Group are over-the-moon excited about all the new possibilities in the world of print. Large format printing adds more opportunities to help your messages "stick." Here are a few photos and examples of ways YOUR messages are making a statement. Let us know if we can help your message stand out with any of our unique services such as dimensional coating on our digital press, custom-shaped direct mail pieces and all the possibilities with wide format.

3M wall graphics for retail

Block wall graphics for school spirit

Velcro adhesive barrier poles for restaurants

Custom-shaped cut out for banking

Visual Magnetics change-out graphics for retail

Custom-shaped mailers for your messaging

Until next time...Elizabeth

What Can a Storefront Do for Me?

A prospective customer asked me this question yesterday during a meeting, and instead of giving a canned response of all the features and benefits, I told him it could help him have more time to spend with his kids (after observing numerous photos on his desk and wall of his family). He kind of looked at me funny, but after a little explanation, he shook my hand and is taking it under serious consideration.

Let me explain...BPI Media Group's storefront solution's #1 benefit is how much time it can save users. This time saved not only spares employers additional labor expense, but it also takes a degree of stress off the shoulders of marketers because they have a measurable means of managing their collateral, stationery and other print and promotional materials used by their company.

Aside from being a time and stress reducer, BPI's storefront solution also offers a way for marketers to view order history, utilize print on demand, variable data/personalization and even dimensional coating. All of these bonuses wouldn't be cost effective through a standard order, but through an automated storefront, they're simple add-ons that yield big bonuses for collateral.

Whether you're needing more time with your kids and family, more time to exercise, or just more time to focus on other work tasks, a storefront can help free up time for your marketing team to do these things. And as we all know, having more time to do the things you need and want to do, makes for happier people.

Until next time...Elizabeth

Accessorize Your Print!

As we're all busy decorating our homes and adorning our trees for the holidays, it occurred to me that accessorizing is the underrated.

We accessorize with jewelry, handbags and don't forget the SHOES! The accessories are what tie a package together, literally. When you receive a gift, it is carefully wrapped in festive paper and tied neatly with a nice bow. It's all in the presentation (not just the present). The same thought process can and should be applied to your marketing messages. If you're scratching your head wondering what in the world I'm talking about, I'll elaborate and hope you'll turn to BPI Media Group for all your marketing accessories.

Doing a direct mail piece is a perfect example of ways to "dress up" a printed piece. You start off with your typical direct mailer or postcard. Sure, you've got a nice color image on the front, but do you have a call to action? That should be the #1 accessory to your direct mailer. Get the customer or prospect involved. How?

Accessorize with Call to Action (Get them to DO something!)

• A great way to get interaction, feedback, information from your recipient is to include a landing page on your direct mailer. This could be a CURL (campaign url, which is the same landing page for everyone) or a PURL (personalized url). Either way, you're sending the respondent to a microsite where you have the opportunity to ask them a few, short questions and gather their information. By asking relevant questions, you'll be able to market more specifically to each prospect which will result in a higher ROI.
  
  
• Another great way to engage the recipient is to add a QR code to the direct mailer. This allows the respondent to scan the code using their smartphone and learn more information, take a survey, receive a coupon, link to a video, etc. (whatever you decide for your direct mail campaign).
• One more way you can enhance your direct mailer is to drive the traffic to your company's social media pages on facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This is a great way to get feedback and interaction from your customer or prospect. Social media is a great outlet for surveys and contests, so use them!

One key thing to remember when using a call to action is to make sure to make the message relevant and offer some type of incentive. Otherwise, why would the recipient take time to do the survey or scan the QR code? Just make it worth their while.

Accessorize with Variable Data

You've already got a mailing database, so why not use it for more than just addressing? You can add personal messaging to your direct mail piece using BPI's digital press technology. Create 1:1 messaging using variable data and you'll find that this "smart marketing" really pays off with higher ROI. (See the postcard banking example above.)To learn more about variable printing, read more about Which Digital Printing Level is Right for You?

Accessorize with Dimensional Coating

If you're looking to add a unique look and feel to your next direct mailer, consider dimensional coating. I encourage you to try it when you have an amazing image that could use a little extra pop. Add Some Depth to Your Print! You'll see how this small accessory can really take the direct mailer up a notch.

Of course BPI can also do several other coating techniques for a variety of finishes including: varnish, aqueous, uv and laminate.

Accessorize with Design

If you don't have a full-time designer on staff or need a fresh design, BPI's creative team would be happy to assist you with layout and design of your next print project. Our designers know how to design for print and have the tools and experience to create some really fantastic designs. Check out BPI by Design. Of course, if you're needing web design also, BPI's team can handle that too.

No matter how you choose to accessorize your print, give me a call to set up a time to talk more about which of these accessories would work best with your message and for your company and target audience. Too many accessories piled on together are typically overkill, so we can pick and choose the right accessorize to help create the perfect look for your printed materials. My boss, Alan Davis, said his accessories are flies used for fishing, and to me, it's shoes and jewelry. It's all about finding what works best for you and suites your needs best. Either way, BPI would be happy to help.

Merry Christmas and until next time...Elizabeth

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

C'mon...Add Some Depth to Your Print!

Ever notice how once you see or hear about something, it is suddenly everywhere you look? That's the case with QR (two-dimensional or quick-response) codes. While scurrying about for BPI client visits, they seem to pop up on billboards. While flipping through a magazine in a lobby while waiting for a meeting, they dot the pages of print advertising. Check your mailbox, and you'll see them popping up in sale papers too.

Go ahead, scan this QR code. I dare ya! You'll just need a QR code reader on your phone such as ScanLife, BeeTagg or QuickMark.

QR codes made their big US debut last year in Black Friday ads offering promotions, coupons, etc. Look for them to return this year with even more of a presence. This is especially true since we are a mobile society who can't part with our blackberries, iPhones or Androids, but this is the beauty of it--we don't have to. 37% of U.S. smartphone users have made a purchase on their phones in the last 6 months (Source: Compete, Inc.). This has caused a boost in the number of mobile sites created where a site can be easily navigated on a smartphone rather than on their image-heavy counterpart viewed on a desk or laptop.
We've had customers incorporate QR codes on their actual products to show product details, on a flyer to promote or register for an event, on posters linking to a video, and even one customer who is planning to do a walking tour of a cemetery by including QR codes on markers to give a new meaning to a virtual tour. Way cool stuff!
So, why add a QR code to your direct mail piece or catalog? You can track it and know where sales are generated! For a quick view of how that works, check out BPI Media Group's Sales Tool. This type of integrated campaign can easily be used to track your ROI and meshed with social media outlets. Think about it: communicate with your customers the way you communicate--mobily & socially.

Two-dimensional codes aren't the only dimension to print. Check your mailbox for BPI's latest postcard featuring this cool lizard.

Check it out, the postcard is printed on our digital press, a Kodak Nexpress, using dimensional coating. Try incorporating this effect on your next direct mail piece. I've got really simple instructions for you graphic designers-just ask me for that. This coating will be sure to gain attention because everyone wants to "feel" it. After all, isn't response what we're all after?

So, the next time you think dimensionally, you don't necessary need the goofy 3-D glasses, you just need to think outside the box and include these cool aspects of print in your marketing campaign. Both of these dimensional options are budget friendly and do one thing: get your company noticed. Give me a buzz or drop me an email, and I'll be glad to chat with you more about ways to incorporate dimension into your printing.