5-Point Checklist for Top-Notch Folds

First impressions matter. When a recipient reaches into his or her mailbox or picks up a piece of marketing collateral, what impression are they getting from your company? The quality of the folds you use is one of those details that matters more than you might think.  Here is a five-point checklist to make sure your piece looks its best.

1. Create a mock-up.

Before finalizing the design, create a mock-up to make sure everything looks right. For example, check that folds don't run awkwardly through visual elements and that everything lines up correctly. You don't want to be making last-minute corrections because something got missed.  

2. Double-check the folding sequence. 

When the piece is run through the folding machine, the folding sequence is often different from how the panels appear on the printed sheet. Make sure that the panels are in the correct order even after the piece gets folded.

3. Allow for creep.

If you are doing multiple folds, adjust for creep. Especially with thicker paper, every time the sheet is folded, it moves over a little each time. If you are doing roll folds, each consecutive panel must be slightly narrower.

4. Don't assume it's machine foldable.

Don't assume that every piece is machine foldable. With more complex constructions, pieces may need to be hand folded.  You don't want to be redesigning the piece right before the deadline to avoid an unexpected expense. 

5. Consider the paper grain.

Ensure that the folds go with the grain of the paper, not against it. This will minimize the potential for cracking across those fold lines. If you have heavy ink coverage, you may want to pre-score the folds to keep them crisp.

These are five simple steps that can make for a piece that stands out in its professionalism and stays within the budget. Before creating any complex folds, talk to us first!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.



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Showcasing Print in an Omnichannel World

Print remains the bedrock of great marketing. However, marketing still needs to be multi-channel. As put so well by Lazar Dzamic of Kitcatt Nohr Digitas, a London-based creative agency, “People don’t think ‘offline’ and ‘online.’ They just see a brand in all its touch points.” In other words, there isn’t print marketing and digital marketing. It’s all just marketing. So how does print fit into this larger, omnichannel world?

Regardless of channel, marketing success starts with data. You want to gather as much data about your target audience as possible to make the message richer and more effective. You also want to present a consistent brand and marketing message across channels.

Here are some best practices to get you started:

•    Verify and correct existing customer data.

•    Update and expand on that data to learn as much as possible about each customer.

•    Segment messages based on full customer profiles.

•    Layer on personalization.

•    Be consistent in your branding and messaging across all touch points.

When you develop the print portion of your campaigns, focus on those aspects that are unique to print or that are particularly suited for it:

•    Invest in exceptional design that leaps off the page. 

•    Capture the richness and depth of printed color to create a lasting impression that digital cannot match.

•    Add special effects such as coating, die-cuts, or embossing.

•    Integrate tactile media such as textured surfaces, unusual coatings, or memorable stocks.

•    Use dimension, folds, pulls, and other interactive elements to create a physical 3D experience.

Print offers unique benefits that cannot be replicated on a screen. Take advantage of them!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.


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Does Your Multichannel Strategy Need an Update?

When was the last time your print marketing strategy was freshened up? When was the last time you looked at your creative approach, value proposition, and media mix with fresh eyes? If it’s been a while, maybe now is the time.  Here are three areas to consider.

1. Does each tactic prove its worth?

Technology is cool, but don't throw new things into the mix just for the sake of doing it. Test, evaluate, and incorporate new components in ways that create results.

Say you make your first contact with a customized postcard, direct mail letter, or self-mailer that drives the reader to a personalized URL.  Offer the option of connecting to the site by either entering a web address or scanning a QR Code.  Track your metrics to see which channel recipients do and do not respond to.

No matter which response mechanisms you use, be sure to look at more than top-line numbers. You might think that a response rate is “low” until you discover that it gets the most responses from a segment of your target audience that is particularly important to you.

2. Demographics are important — go further.  It may be tempting to base your marketing efforts on the most readily available information, such as gender, age, and income. For the best results, however, take it a step further. Seek to understand what your prospects care about.  Today’s consumer wants to be an individual, not a segment. 

3. Track and measure your results. Which elements of the campaign do you track? How do you determine a “response rate”? Is it a click or a scan? Is it the completion of a form or a purchase? Connect your marketing goals with clear metrics, so you know which of your marketing efforts are working and which are not.

Marketing is about results, and consumers often respond to different tools and tactics at different times. Track, test, and measure so you can keep up.

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.



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Is Social Media Print’s New Best Friend?

While print and social media may compete for your marketing dollars, they don’t have to compete for your customers. In fact, using them together can make your marketing more effective.  Let’s look at five ways print and social media can work together.

1. Print drives traffic to social media.  

How do you drive traffic to your social media sites? Often, it’s with print. Whether it is through direct mail, store signage, or company invoices, print is often your customer’s first exposure to your social media presence.

2. More channels help you reach more people.

Even in today’s tech-driven world, not everyone uses social media or uses it on a regular basis. Use print to ensure that you are reaching the largest swath of your audience as possible. As the old adage goes, “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.”

3. Say it again . . . and again.  

Consistently, studies show that reinforcing your message through multiple channels increases brand awareness, heightens engagement, and boosts response rates. The combination of print and social media, along with other traditional and digital media, is more effective than any single channel alone.

4. Boost credibility.

Survey after survey shows that consumers still trust print more than they trust online media. A survey conducted by Ball State University’s Center for Media Design in coordination with ExactTarget found that even Millennials are more likely to be influenced to make purchase decisions based on communications they receive by email and direct mail rather than through social media advertising.

5. Print has staying power.

Your message on social media might stay for a few hours, then gets buried under the avalanche of other messaging. Print has staying power. Your direct mail piece might live on someone’s desk or bulletin board for weeks or months.

Using print and social media isn’t an “either or” proposition. Understanding when and where to use each channel is the key to getting the best results.

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.


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Got Customers? Now Keep Them!

Congratulations! You’ve gotten new customers through the door. But wait—you’re not done. Now you need to retain them. One of the best ways to do this is through personalization. Here are five ideas for engaging customers with personalized communications that will really help you to stand out.

1. Send a surprise discount.

Everyone likes to be appreciated. Send a coupon with a discount on your customer’s next purchase “just because.” It will surprise them and foster goodwill.

2. Help them remember.

Many companies recognize their customers’ birthdays, but how many help them remember the birthdays of their loved ones? Offer to collect important dates for special occasions for your customers’ friends and family and send gift ideas with unique insight from your area of expertise.

3. Give them inside access.  

People like to be in the know. Encourage customers to sign up for your newsletter or connect with you on social media, where you can give them sneak peaks of new products or offer them ways to use your products they might not have thought about.

4. Say “thank you” for loyalty and longevity.

If you know when your customer first began working with you, why not send a personalized thank you card and gift commensurate with the value of their business?

5. Ask their opinion.

Use personalized URLs or online surveys to ask customers’ opinions about your company, your offerings, or bounce new product ideas off them. People like to do business with companies who care about what they think.

The more you can engage your customers beyond the sale, the more you earn their goodwill and loyalty. So think beyond the initial purchase. Think about building a relationship for life.

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.


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5 Channels = 5 Ways to Help You Grow

Want to grow your business? Here are five marketing ideas to build your business.

1. Mail it!  Not only is the power of direct mail stronger than ever, but it gets around many of the downsides of electronic marketing. It doesn't require opt-in. It doesn't get caught by spam filters. It doesn't get automatically directed into folders with other marketing emails where it will never be seen.

2. Offer a webinar. Be the expert in your subject area by offering webinars. Be the one your customers trust. If you don't feel qualified, don't worry. As long as you know more about the subject than your attendees, you have something to offer. Even a 30-second webinar will do the trick. 

3. Write a letter.  How many people take the time to write letters anymore? Talk to your customers as you would to a friend. No sales talk! Brag about recent success stories. Talk about your company's community and charitable involvement. Offer ideas that are relevant to them. You don't see this often, and it's one reason you should do it.

4.  Let the sidewalk do the talking. It's easy to focus on broadening your reach through direct mail and email and forget about the power of reaching people right in front of you. If you have a storefront, use sidewalk displays, window clings, banners, and other forms of advertising to reach the people walking right by your door.

5. Host an event. Like webinars, in-house events set you up as a thought leader. Offer an educational seminar. Give a behind-the-scenes tour. Bring in an expert speaker. Attendees will remember you, and if they like you, so much the better. People want to do business with people they like.

These are five different channels, each offering something unique to help you build your business. The more ways you can interact with your target audience, the more engaged your customers will be. So pick a channel and use it - or better yet, use them all.

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.


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Paper 101: What Different Terms Actually Mean

When asked about the details of the paper stock you are choosing for a print project, do your eyes glaze over? Do terms like basis weight, points, and color cast sound like Greek to you? If so, here is a quick list of basic terms to help you better understand the process. 

Basis weight is the weight in pounds of a ream (500 sheets) of a paper at its basic size, or the size of the uncut sheet supplied to the printer. For example, the basic size of book paper is 25 x 38 inches, so a ream weighing 70 pounds would be 70-lb. paper. Sometimes metric is used: 70-lb. book paper is equivalent to 104 g/m².

Cover, card, and other thick stocks are often specified in points, which refers to the thickness of the paper.  This is often abbreviated “pt.”— for example, “8-pt. cover.” One point is 1/1000th of an inch, so an 8-pt. stock is 0.008 inches thick.

Paper grade refers to the end use of the paper. Bond is used for letters and documents, book paper is used for books, offset is used for offset printing, and so on. Digital presses generally have their own grades. Thicker grades include cover, bristol, tag, and index.

C1S and C2S refer to coatings. Paper is often coated during manufacture, which improves the reproduction of fine halftone screens and color fidelity. C1S  means “coated one-side,” which is useful for labels, packaging, and other materials destined for single-sided printing. C2S means “coated two-sides” and is preferred for two-sided commercial printing.

Brightness refers to the percentage of light reflected from the sheet’s surface. Basic white copy paper has a 92 brightness. Brightness by component wavelength (red, green, or blue) is also determined, as paper can reflect different amounts of certain colors, imparting a color cast to a printed piece if you’re not careful.

Paper can bring life, texture, and beauty to your projects. Want to learn more about how different choices complement different projects? Let’s talk!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.


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