Are You Ready?

As I got ready for a run this morning, I was reminded how prepared you have to be each time you head out the door. Since I was getting up early, I even laid out my running gear last night, so I could quickly get ready and be on my way without delay. Shoes: check. Running attire: check. Hat: check. Windbreaker: check. iPhone case for arm: check. Water: check. Running buddy: check. Even though I use the same type of gear every time I run, there have been improvements in gear, shoes, and even technology with all the super-cool running apps out there to track your run with maps, time, calories, etc.

As a marketer, are you ready to help your company grow its sales? BPI Media Group has the "gear" to help you get out the door and capture those sales. If you need the help of a "buddy," BPI would gladly help. We can help you choose the gear that you need whether it's deciding if print on demand with digital printing could help you save cost and provide an efficient solution for your distribution channels or aid in creating design or even just templates for personalized options. Our technology with Kodak Insite proofing system can help you shave time off your production schedule, and our cross media campaigns (including purls, sms text, email, direct mail and QR codes) can help you track the results of your campaign in real time.

So as you plan your next marketing campaign, let us help you with get prepared. Working together, we can help you have a better campaign or project to execute and assist your company in boosting sales.

Until next time...Elizabeth

Pick up the Phone!

Have you found it EXTREMELY difficult to get customers and prospects on the phone recently? If you're like me, dialing and leaving voice mails is part of my daily routine, so if you actually get a live person on the phone, it catches you off guard.

We at BPI Media Group have found that having a reason to call is helpful to get a response or a live person on the other end of the line. Try sending out a postcard or lumpy mailer then follow up in a few days by phone. Even if you have to leave a voice mail, your prospect will more than likely correlate the mailer with your phone call and maybe even pick up the phone next time. You can also try email marketing as part of your communications mix. Nothing new, but I know many prospects of mine reply much more promptly to an email than to a voice mail. You could even mix all three channels together and use mail, phone and email. For the "cream of the crop" prospects, you may even consider an integrated campaign using Purls (personalized urls or landing pages) to engage them in the conversation.

Whatever your marketing mix, I know I sound like my boss here, but don't stop picking up the phone. I was reminded of this twice recently when a customer's momentary anxiety was put to rest by a simple phone call to assure them their project was in good hands and would be completed on time. The other instance was when they had a project and had been "meaning to call me" but had not had the time to do so yet. Sometimes, clients and prospects actually want to hear from you and hear your voice. So, keep your messaging brief, relevant and most importantly friendly!

Until next time...Elizabeth

Train Hard for Big Rewards

Training. We all go through training in different areas of our life. There's potty training as a child, college prep training as a high schooler, on-the-job training as an adult and athletic training for those of us who push ourselves physically and run, cycle, swim, etc. We even print a ton of training materials for our customers. What are you training for right now?

BPI Media Group offers training for our customers on a variety of our solutions through BPI University. These trainings are a great resource, but our most important training is that which we do every day, and I bet the same is true for you too.

I was reminded recently that the best training I can get is to work hard and keep doing my job EVERY SINGLE DAY. BY exercising the same activities every day, our skills get sharper, just like our muscles. When I run, I can run farther and faster the next time. When I'm working, I can focus on the projects at hand and work toward gaining new prospects and customers. How are you gaining new prospects?

Here are a few tools I utilize from BPI that help me stay in contact with customers and prospects:

• Direct mail with 1:1 personalization
• Personalized landing pages with dashboard management
• Web portal for ordering campaign pieces to target prospects
• Email marketing to communicate in multiple channels

How can we help you in your training to keep your marketing messages fresh?

Until next time...Elizabeth

Strength in Numbers

I was reminded today of an old saying that there's strength in numbers. That got me thinking about facts, figures, statistics and how I can never seem to get numbers out of my head. We at BPI Media Group are accustomed to to numbers, but these days, our numbers are more about your numbers. Here's what I'm talking about...

We're interested in these numbers:

• How can we help you grow the number of qualified leads?
• How can we help you communicate with those leads (and loyal customers) through the multi-channels?
• How can we help you grow your sales?
• How can we help you have a greater ROI?
• How can we help you manage inventory numbers of your collateral?

So, what are the answers to these questions? Simple:

• Lead nurturing through data analytics.
• Personalized, integrated campaigns through landing pages, text messaging, social media, email and direct mail.
• 1:1 communications and segmented marketing.
• Increasing the volume of traffic on your website through SEO.
• Online storefront for ordering collateral, stationery, and sales materials with order tracking and history.

Sound like our numbers could help improve yours? Let's talk...you'll love how we can help your numbers improve.

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!)

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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.