When you plan for your postcard printing for the holidays this year, you may want to look into the the trends. They are there to set the tone of the season and send cheer despite the downturns in the economy.

1. Colors and Sparkle

The holiday colors of reds, greens, silver and gold can uplift the spirit of the receiver. You can add glitter to the images and choose bright colors for the font or the paper. Remember that envelopes can be customized so dress them up as well.

2. Heartwarming Winter Scenery

Holiday card printing services are turning to photos with idyllic winter landscapes that will spark some kind of recall in the mind of the receiver of happier times. The mood will be significant in this economy when everyone would need to look forward to change and a promising year ahead.

3. Special Promotions

One inclusion in holiday direct mail that never runs out of style regardless of the state of the economy are the special offers and discounts. Business owners use this to thank their customers for a year that had been and keep their patronage in the coming year.

Source: Stationersguild.org

Before you avail of the printing services for the holidays, you may want to assess your internal direct mail list to know what your customers want and how you can thank them. This process can help you craft the sale offer to give them and apply the same to the rest of your target market. Here are the usual hints that customers give when they are satisfied with your product or service:

1.  They give out email or physical address.

Make it customary for your staff to request addresses at the point of purchase. If they share this information, you can then include it in your direct mail list for future postcard printing campaigns you may be planning.

2.  They are repeat customers.

When customers keep coming back, they are the ones who bring in the profits for your business. You can hand out loyalty cards that can be redeemed for items from your store so they will have an incentive to purchase more.

3.  They use your coupons.

Customer interest can also be measured by their response to your campaign. The use of discounts and coupon codes with their purchase will let you know if your campaign is effective.

Source: Marketingprofs.com

Business card printing is known to be inexpensive and convenient to hand out. Entrepreneurs will have them printed first before going into brochures or flyers to promote their products. The more people hurry to printing mills to secure their cards, the less thought goes into its design. In the end, these cards will only collect into a generic pile along with the other boring ones.

Death of the Four Corners

An entrepreneur ought to invest more on the printing services in order for the business card to stand out. Inquire from your printer what die-cut options they have to punch out interesting shapes within the rectangle or along its edges. Folded cards are also unique, so if you have the budget, go for the extra mile to add oomph to your design. Plain white or cream card stock and some dark ink is a typical combination of the majority of cards.

Breaking out of this rut means going for bold oranges and reds, golds and other metallic colors. To make your business card memorable, you need to take risks and try what is new out there. As long as it is consistent with your brand and image, the decision would certainly reap benefits for your business.

Source: Carltaylor.com.au

The travel industry uses brochure printing extensively to lure its customers and for good reason. Brochures are handy, and if you fill them with certain must-have elements, they are sure to promote your agency.

1. Enticing Landscapes

Indeed, a picture will paint a thousand words if your travel agency will take the time to pick the most scenic harbors, idyllic sunsets and lush rainforests. Your lack in photography skills should not stop you from hiring the professionals to capture these dreamy locations and have your reader imagine themselves in them.

2. Tempting Descriptions

To accompany the inviting images of beaches and quaint towns, your copy should be as intriguing as the pictures. If copywriting is part of the printing services offered, grab that chance to have an expert draft the suitable content.

3. Affordable Packages

A travel brochure is still useless without the numbers. The potential customer may be considering a vacation the instant they open your brochure, but they have to know if they could afford it or if they can get a price reduction if they go by your travel agency to book. If you are unable to include the prices, then stick in a discount coupon instead. Write down your contact information as well so they will know where to go next.

Source: Knol.google.com

Once you have completed your flyer printing task, you may want to send a few copies through the mail. Jump right into the envelope-stuffing part with the following guidelines:

1.  Will a window make a difference?

No. While a window can cut a step in addressing your direct mail, its presence has no bearing whatsoever on whether your envelope will be opened or whether it will move the reader into action. Thus, feel free to go either way on this.

2.  Is a white envelope better?

When you speak of printing services costs, there is always the impression that a plain envelope in white will cost less. If you are on a tight budget, then you may have no other choice. Know, however, that opting for a colored envelope or one that has  an eye-catching graphic or art on it will generate more response. Even a witty catchphrase can lure a reader to read its contents. While you are at it, do something creative with the back part. Readers tend to pay attention to that as well.

3.  Will a thick envelope be a disadvantage?

If you have quite a bulk to pack, never fear. Many recipients are curious about the thicker-than-most envelopes they get in the mail. Thus, your advertisement will likely be opened in this case.

Source: Presentation-pointers.com

Availing of printing services means the bulk of the work is taken out of your hands. Printing companies have efficient digital printers to roll out thousands of postcards, flyers and other marketing materials per second. While this will make the work faster for them, the mass production feel is often imprinted into the copy. A reader will most likely have a perception that he or she is not the only one being sent the sales offer letter or holiday card.

The Personalized Approach

With the advent of realistic handwriting fonts, you can bring the charm back into your brochure printing. Many companies can attest of an increase in the response when they incorporate this style into their direct mail. This can only mean that customers still have a soft spot for the personalized approach and that this is not mere junk mail that they would rather toss into the trash. If you plan to go by this strategy, just remember two things: one, the handwriting you use must be presentable enough and easy enough to read, and two, you may have to spend extra for this. When you think of the higher response rate, however, this extra step would be worth it.

Source: Dmnews.com

Before you extol the merits of email marketing over postcard printing, acknowledge first that every strategy has its own downsides. True, if you write and design your own copy, you will not be spending more than a chunk of your time. You will not also be paying for stamps. The trade-off for these, however, would have you thinking twice about going for this strategy to promote your products.

1. Spam Risk

The web equivalent of the trash bin for flyer printing is the spam folder. These are created by email hosts precisely to prevent newsletters like yours from cluttering the inbox folder. Since this is almost always automatic, the chance is high for your target customer to not even see a word of your advertisement.

2. Customer Behavior

Even if your ad will make it to the inbox, there is also that little factor you have to consider. Not all people would bother to check their email everyday so these would pile up over time. When your customer gets around to reading your email, your special, internet-only limited offer would have long expired.

3. Unreliable Addresses

Some people switch emails faster than they change clothes. Since they are not likely to change residences as quickly, it would be better for you to send the ad to a physical address.

Source: Businessmarketingplan.net

Whether you are writing for a catalog or a brochure printing project, the task is never that easy or smooth-sailing. Even the most experienced of copywriters will need to run through their work just to make sure that the content will be able to generate the response that the business is expecting from the campaign.

Costly Errors

Catalog printing falls on the more expensive bracket in the printing services arena. Any misspelling, wrong use of word or lack of key information in the product description or pricing could influence the potential buyer in their purchase. A thorough review and a rewrite, if the situation calls for it, are mandatory.

Finding that persuasive tone

Writing copies for catalogs is not a mere play of words, although that would not hurt either. The true skill of the copywriter lies in being able to entice the reader to consider purchasing the product. You are supposed to create a pressing need for them to have that product in their hands or you can highlight the benefits they can get out of the product in such a way that would awaken their desire for it. Otherwise, a rewrite is in order.

Source: Yudkin.com

A flyer printing job will get any message out there to your customers. However, to make changes in your logo and brand, your campaign must be accompanied by your company’s shift of perspective towards a more defined direction. This will signify a rebirth and not a mere artistic tweaking of your logo design.

ñ  Fresh viewpoints

More than switching their logo in all the printing services they availed of, Long John Silver (LJS) went back to their roots: the ocean. Whatever business you may have, a change in the logo must include the reasons why you wish to present your company in another way.

ñ  Upcoming projects or goals

LJS emphasized their sustainable resource for seafood through certifications. Your logo change can also serve as the banner for certain goals you plan to undertake that can benefit not just your company but the community you belong to.

ñ  Better things to come

Whether you promise better service or better product quality, there is no better way to announce your intent than by redesigning your logo. Your customers would be more accepting to your brand if they can expect concrete changes along with it.

Source: Underconsideration.com

How often one avails of printing services intended for direct mailing may be vague for many business owners. If you send them often enough, the discount offer may not be that valuable to the customer anymore. Finding the right interval that works for you can depend on several factors:

1. Direct mail companies you contracted with Handing over your company’s flyer printing job to a third party would mean that you are bound to the time intervals that you have agreed on the contract. Because the decision is taken out of your hands, you can focus on studying the response that the direct mail has generated and request for an adjustment, if necessary, upon the renewal of your contract.

2. Competitor’s campaign intervals If you are sending out the promotional materials yourself, you can copy how your competitors time their campaigns. Whether they send at the start of every season or on the third week of the month, your goal is to not be left in the behind when it comes to fighting for your customer’s attention.

3. Response of previous campaign When there are no direct competitors to pattern your marketing intervals from, you can take a cue from your own marketing history. If you notice your target demographic to be more responsive after the holidays than before them, then time your campaigns accordingly.

Source: Levison.com