Beyond B&C

It's not the Steak...It's the Sizzle

When it comes to good direct-marketing tips, you never know where you're going to find good lessons and creative ideas.  For example, when I lived in Connecticut, every Sunday in my local paper, they would have a spreadsheet comparing the cost of a basket of groceries at a few different supermarkets.

So one week, Stop & Shop might be the cheapest...and another week it was Waldbaum's and sometimes even the A&P got in there. I don't know, I really didn't pay too much attention to the winner as much as I did the concept. The thing is -- and these are the little kinds of pearls of wisdom I'm always looking for -- it's very easy to get shopped around for prices when you're selling the same thing as everyone else is.

When you're a commodity, you can only charge "so much." After all, a gallon of milk is a gallon of milk, regardless of where you buy it, right? Same thing with oranges, Oreo cookies, and Windex, for the most part. I mean, if you're a price shopper, it's kind of hard to justify spending twice the price on Windex when you can walk across the street and get it at half price, right?

But if you look at this from the outside in, this whole concept is very revealing. Because what this tells you is that if you want to charge and collect more money than your competition, then you have to be selling something different. This completely removes any ability to "compare" prices.

So for instance, if you're a music teacher, while most people are offering Music Lessons, you can create a "Professional Guitar School," or a blues-guitar school, or a heavy metal guitar school where you "Make your students into metal Gods" or something like that. If you're a financial planner, and you're mired in mutual funds and insurance products, you can sell a "Baby Boomer Freedom Plan."The point is, if you want to remove the price factor, the easiest way of doing this is by offering something different than what everyone else is offering.

After all, no matter how you cook 'em... eggs... will always be eggs, regardless of what kind of direct marketing you're using.

Now go sell something!

Corporate Clothing Helps Brand Building

Your staff is the first point of contact for your customers. They are literally the face of the company. Much time and effort goes in to staff training, product knowledge and researching the market. However, considering the impression of somebody is made within the first 3 seconds are we putting enough time and consideration in to the appearance of our staff? It is a fact that due the appearance of somebody, without us even knowing it, we automatically form an opinion about somebody.

Many companies get around this by enforcing a strict dress code, maybe for their staff to wear a certain color or have formal dress code. However, there is a big brand  opportunity on the clothing of the staff. A logo on an upper pocket quickly gets attention as it stands out from the rest of the clothing. This not only promotes brand awareness but also gives a completely professional and polished image to the company. Having every member of your staff wear branded clothing gives a long lasting image to the clients. A popular choice by many companies is to simply provide staff with a shirt embroidered with the company's logo.

For a more informal, practical option polo shirts could be used. Imagine the difference if your plumber came to the door in a t-shirt covered in dirt or a polo shirt with the company's logo on the front. Just small details presenting a professional image of the company can build customer loyalty and increase trust. It is not just at work that the logo will get noticed. People are mobile so any other place your staff will be will be a possible advertisement for your company; on the bus to work, the supermarket after work and in the local and surrounding area. So the importance of staff clothing is of vital importance that should not be overlooked. Corporate clothing provides professionalism and neatness at the same time as brand building and recognition.

Pocket Folders fit any Budget

Printed pocket folders, feature many great qualities, including unique styles, designs and vibrant colors. Different organizations have different needs and different budgets but most companies will find these folders are a economical way to make an impressive presentation.

Printed folders can be produced to virtually any size and shape. Some of them have large capacity or have different shaped pockets and are highly practical for holding larger amounts of documents or booklets. These folders with your logo can be used at trade shows, client presentations or for direct mail pieces. There are some with symmetrical design and pockets on both sides. Printed folders provide enough space for your company logo and business name. This can be printed in multiple colors or embossed giving a rich raised effect. Increasing popularity and high demand of these folders will boost your sales and grow your profits. They are a great way of attracting new customers and will leave a great impression on any prospect.

Providing our customers a complete printing facility along with in-house finishing is the cornerstone of our business. Custom pocket folders that include your company information can be the cornerstone of your successful marketing plan.  

So You Want to be a Coach?

There are many people out there who call themselves coaches. Throughout my career I have crossed paths with several of these so called experts and have mixed feelings about the profession in general.  I have always left the program or the seminar with the same feelings. If the coach I just listened to was so successful in their past endeavors, why are they doing this now?  In my opinion if you want people to respect your program,  you need to ask yourself these questions before calling yourself a coach.

Do you have any specialized knowledge, experience, or expertise? Most coach training organizations will tell you that you don't need to be an expert on anything, and that having coaching skills will be enough to be successful. The reality is that every successful coach is also an expert on something else in addition to coaching. Whatever you are currently doing at your job, as part of your other business, or in any area of your life experience, you can turn that knowledge into a specialty that people will follow and believe. Coaching skills is not expertise - it's a tool you can use to deliver your expertise, and you must specialize in a niche.

Do you understand that coaching is a business? Some people believe that coaching is a profession, a calling, or a career. The fact is, coaching is a business. Just like in any business you will need to reach and become desirable to your audience. This means investing in your marketing materials, such as books, a web site, and a newsletter. This also means establishing your credibility and building your platform through meetings and workshops. Taking a trip down memory lane is not going to help your cause.

Do you have good communications skills? Regardless of your specialty or expertise, you must be able to communicate clearly in writing and speaking. You'll be using your communication skills when coaching, negotiating with a potential client, speaking to a group of interested prospects, and in many other situations. The ability to clearly express your ideas and the value you bring to the table can become your best friend in building credibility.

Do you understand that credibility is not guaranteed? Coaches are not guaranteed instant credibility. No audience will buy your pitch just because they know who you are or just because you claim to know what is best for them . You need to position yourself as an expert in your field and establish trust and a relationship, only then will they give you a chance. If your audience walks away feeling you are disingenuous in any way you have lost them.

Do you understand marketing?  Do you understand enough about the business to put together an effective plan? Most people believe they can spend a few hours a month marketing their business and they'll be successful. The reality is that truly successful programs revolve around marketing. 90% coaching and 10% marketing is a slippery slope. Without a strong marketing program, no coaching program will survive.

I offer this up because in days past I had the unfortunate experience of being involved in a program that obviously did not ask themselves any of these questions. The sad truth is neither did the people who paid for it.

 

 

Advantages of Postcard Marketing

Postcard marketing is becoming increasingly popular as businesses find that this method of maintaining presence with customers is more effective than using email as the primary contact for marketing to customers. As most people have come to be inundated with emails from advertisers, marketers, businesses, and spammers it has become a habit to delete unsolicited emails without opening them. Whether the subject line of the email is interesting or not, if it is not from someone they know they are not likely to open the email. The average person today receives over one hundred emails a day. If the address is attached to a website, that number is tripled. These people do not have the time, and will not bother to open each email they receive to see an advertisement or sales promotion.

Postcard mailing is more personal. When a person goes to their mail box on a daily basis, they read their postcards. Many will not open an envelope from a business, but they will read a postcard on the way into their home. This is an opportunity for you to give a short message that compels the individual to respond by visiting your business, calling for service, or putting the postcard in a prominent place as a reminder of a coming event. A strategically worded postcard with a bright design and company logo is an excellent way to increase your customer base and expand the targeted audience for your product or service.

As part of the postcard marketing strategy, you will want to include an incentive for the customer to make a purchase. This can be a discount or rebate for bringing the card to the store. An excellent expansion strategy is to give the customer a double discount for having a friend shop at the regular discount that is offered. For instance, you may offer a ten percent discount on a product. If the card is shared with a friend the recipient automatically receives a twenty percent discount, while their friend receives the ten percent discount.

The postcard that is mailed to households is still the most effective way to touch customers. The postcard shows that the customer is more important than an auto-responder email or a mass mailing. When the card has been designed, created, and sent by a company like emediagroup coastal, the customer does not know that. All they know is that the company cares enough to send a postcard. When the postcard is signed by you it provides the customer with the subliminal message that they are important to you.

Using Wide Format for Your Advertising Needs

Most people are aware of consumer grade inkjet printers for home and office use. However, many folks don't realize that inkjet technology can also produce professional photographic prints and posters. These professional prints can be produced in a large format by an inkjet printer. These commercial inkjet printers can produce a much higher quality print in large sizes and on many different types of media. Your business can benefit from using a company with large format printing capabilities for all your commercial, promotional and advertising needs. Large format inkjet printers can produce poster prints as big as 52” x 100 feet. Most consumer desktop inkjets can only handle a standard size piece of paper up to 8.5 x 13 inches. A large format printer can provide for any size your business may need at almost any height and width.

Commercial grade large format printers use special UV-resistant inks. That means your high quality prints are protected from harmful UV rays that can fade and discolor consumer printed material quickly. Colors are vibrant and maintain their richness longer, even when positioned in direct sunlight. These inks maintain their sustainability even when printed on non-traditional materials like canvas or cloth.

With large format printers, a quick turnaround is key in getting the job done and your materials distributed. Today's inkjet technology provides for quicker, more precise printing with inks that are specially designed to dry fast without sacrificing color vibrancy. In most cases, a professional printing business can produce a high volume of comprehensive color posters and prints within one business day. The simplicity and convenience of modern inkjet printers can keep your office running smoothly and efficiently, all while producing top-notch printed materials.

Large format inkjet printers can handle a wide variety of printing media, such as canvas, vinyl and textured paper.Canvas prints are great for an artistic and classic feel. You can mount a printed canvas in a frame for added appeal and visual effect. Vinyl signs are printed with ease with a large format inkjet printer. These signs are waterproof and durable, and can be fed through the printer from a large spool. Vinyl banners are ideal for outdoor use because they are tough and resistant to harsh weather. Vinyl can also be adhesive or made with static cling, which is ideal for printing decals and other window signs.

Commercial inkjet printers are able to handle a wide array of materials and give you the flexibility to be stylish and create your own unique signs, posters and banners. You can experiment with different textures and media to produce truly original designs and effects.

Leverage Your Time and Opportunities

Network marketing has gone through some drastic changes over the last few years and this can be attributed to one thing. The internet. More and more network marketers are experiencing actual success because they have tossed the conventional business building methods and brought their business to the information highway of our modern age.

The online global marketplace alone consists of over 1 billion users! If that statement doesn't shock you I don't know what will. Why waste time cold calling and facing constant rejection, when you can position you and your business to be found by people looking for what you have to offer. That is exactly what thousands of network marketers are doing on a monthly basis to fill their teams with qualified and serious prospects.

Traditionally, before the leverage of the internet you would create your warm list of everyone you know, buy leads, cold call leads and prospect strangers all with the hopes of selling your product or service. This, no matter how long it has been used, is not your most efficient nor effective business building approach. You want to use leverage.

The top earners know the power of leverage, whether it be from using people or technology. Network marketing today is filled with leaders who use this leverage in order to grow massive organization. Sure, when you first get started you will be alone, but once you get some momentum going it would be wise to use this leverage concept. So if you are serious about building a profitable business in network marketing today it would be wise to use technology and the resources it offers. Stay tuned!

Offset Printing. Is it facing becoming Obsolete

In the printing industry specifically, we all know that offset printing is still extensively used when it comes to large quantities of printing. It is a printing technique where the inked image is transferred from a plate first to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface.

There are many kinds of offset printing that can be used to obtain the best results, these are: * the printing that dries quickly the ink * the printing permitting to stamp on low absorption materials like metal and plastic * the offset printing that doesn't use water to print so that colors will be more brilliant.

When offset printing combine with the modern lithographic process, which is based on the repulsion of oil and water, the offset technique employs a flat image also known as planographic carrier on which the image to be printed obtains ink from ink rollers, while the non-printing area attracts a film of water, keeping the nonprinting areas ink-free. Offset printing has made today's printing easily and impressive, with only the coming out of digital technology as the only threat to its long reign.

Despite of the facts that digital printing is faster than offset printing because it can print directly from computer and it is possible to print documents, like catalogs and brochures, with variable data. However, the quality of digital and offset printing is the same. Offset printing is not indicated to print low runs because of the elevated costs; in this case is recommended the digital printing.

Yes many of us even I myself admit that digital printing has more advancement than offset printing. But we cannot deny the fact that offset printing has also its advantages, these includes; * Consistent high image quality -- sharper and cleaner than letterpress printing because the rubber blanket conforms to the texture of the printing surface * Usability on a wide range of printing surfaces in addition to smooth paper (e.g., wood, cloth, metal, leather, rough paper) * Quick and easy production of printing plates * Longer plate life than on direct litho presses -- because there is no direct contact between the plate and the printing surface.

With these benefits offset printing is by far one of the most leading forms of commercial printing due to its quality in respect of volume and paper costs.

Offset printing is still the most common kind of commercial printing that can perhaps satisfy you with its high quality print outs, which is truly significant especially for books with photographs or fine art. In addition, offset printing also offers the lowest cost per copy. Aside from press setup is a time-consuming and expensive process, offset is still economical for both large and small quantities of printing projects.

Digital Output Magazine on Wide Format Printing

From Digital Output Magazine-Aug2006 

Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc., a successful Myrtle Beach, SC real estate development firm, owns numerous properties in the area. It entered the advertising industry in 2000 in order to accommodate the marketing needs of its shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The company understands the need for increased marketing and point of purchase displays on their properties and therefore created BC Graphic Services, their own in-house print shop.

BC Graphic Services has five areas— design and development, pre-press, digital offset printing, digital wide format, and a fabrication shop. And although it now produces cutting edge signage for the majority of the Myrtle Beach area and more, it began as a very small, inexperienced operation.

According to Jim Bruno, general manager, BC Graphic Services, the need for advertisement signage is what fueled the idea for an internal graphics department to service the properties Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc. owns.

"I joined the print shop six years ago, and digital printing was very new to us," says Bruno. "We started with basic posters, small indoor signs, and point of sale pieces, mostly used indoors and created on vinyl. At the beginning, all we had was a single vinyl cutter and one Roland Hi-Fi printer."

Six years later, BC Graphic Services still uses a Roland printer for their print jobs. However, "We now use the 54-inch Roland SolJet. That machine is our workhorse. You can’t beat the dependability as far as I am concerned," says Bruno. "For media, we mostly use calendared vinyl and MACtac is one of our major suppliers."

"We have become involved in a whole mix of stuff because of all the businesses Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc. is involved in. For instance, they have a time-share division, and we do a lot of direct-mail pieces and VDP for that. We also produce signage for the NASCAR SpeedParks in NC, TN, MO, and Canada," states Bruno.

In fact, BC Graphic Services produces signage for five NASCAR SpeedParks, two of which are Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc. properties. The shop is the supplier of decals on every go-kart and show car on location at the parks, in addition to traditional promotional signage. "We do not do wraps on these cars. They are individual decals that we print and cut from vinyl. We also produce all of the graphics for point of sale, cash wraps, banners, and large scale wall graphics in each of these parks," says Bruno.

Most of the signage at the tracks is produced with Avery Graphics vinyl. However, the vehicle decals use 3M ContolTac. "And with all five SpeedParks using a standard sign and decal package, we can produce replacements quickly and efficiently," adds Jim Kluge, print shop supervisor, BC Graphic Services.

The company also produces stadium signage for various minor league baseball teams. According to Bruno, they mostly use adhesive vinyl for these jobs.

Once jobs are designed and printed, BC Graphic Services is faced with installation. "Depending on the job, we either do the installation ourselves or assign it to contract installers," says Bruno. The company has two contract installers who do general sign work and two who perform vehicle wraps. It also has four in-house employees who install.

Ball Park Decor
One of BC Graphic Services’ most recent jobs involves producing signage for The Ripken Experience, Myrtle Beach project. Bruno explains, "The entertainment division of Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc. hosted the AAU National Championships, 13 and under, here in Myrtle Beach for the last three years. The Ripkin folks were looking to expand and do another venture." The two companies got together and decided to re-create seven old time ball parks, having BC Graphic Services do all the printing and installing of signage.

The Ripken team was heavily involved in the layout of the complex. However, BC Graphic Services’ design department developed all the graphics for the signage, in addition to the program’s logo with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. "The Ripken folks were very receptive to our designs and approved most of the signage with only minor tweaks," says David Coates, director of creative development, BC Graphic Services.

MACtac sponsored the Ripken project, and donated all the media used for the directional signage at the parks. "BC Graphic Services approached its MACtac sales representative and asked if we would want to partner with them and use MACtac’s new bubble-free product," explains Jennifer Payne, product manager, MACtac Graphic Products. The JT5929BFD bubble-free vinyl used in the project is a white gloss 2.7-mil polymeric vinyl with permanent air-egress adhesive technology. The directional signage also had a MACtac LF3650 overlaminate, which is a 2-mil cast laminate with a permanent acrylic adhesive.

"MACtac’s willingness to work with us on this project helped develop our relationship. They were a tremendous help," adds Bruno. "The directional pieces will be out in the elements and the durability is key, and we have confidence that MACtac’s bubble-free product will hold up just fine."

The largest sign produced with the MACtac product is 6x4 feet. In addition to the directional signage at the parks, there are numerous large format banners hanging on-site. BC Graphic Services used Sonnet Mesh windscreen banner for these. The welcome banner at the entrance was printed on a 13-ounce GMI scrim.

With almost every large format print project, comes its share of challenges. "From the beginning of this project, we had severe weather issues. We had a lot of rain, and with the signage being the finishing touches to the project, we were the very last folks to go in there and we were just pressed for time. The whole project was pressed for time," says Bruno. "Baseball players and their families were actually arriving to the park and we were still putting signage up."

Future plans for The Ripken Experience, Myrtle Beach project include adding housing and dorms on the facilities. Bruno says that any signage for those additions will certainly be done by BC Graphic Services.

Centralizing Success
"BC Graphic Services was created to bring everything in-house for Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc. and centralize all of our print and graphics operations," says Bruno. "Prior to this, everyone at each individual property was buying and doing their own thing, which meant there was no consistency to anything as far as quality and pricing."

As for the future of the company, any capital project that Burroughs & Chapin Co., Inc. is involved in, BC Graphic Services will provide the print work. Bruno adds that digital printing has had a huge affect on the company.

"A lot of the longer run pieces that we used to do, the runs have gotten shorter and we do that in-house. It seems like large format digital print keeps evolving daily so there will always be something new to do."

Aug2006, Digital Output