Your Email Marketing…. Tips To Beefing It Up!

While print definitely isn’t dead, digital isn’t necessarily going anywhere either—and with that, email marketing. You don’t want to focus on one or the other, so while you may have a strong print campaign in your prospects’ hands, now is a good time to put some effort into beefing up your email marketing.

Here are a few tips to get your email marketing into fighting-fit shape.

Don’t Let Gender Render You Useless
If you run gender-specific campaigns, this can seem like a no-brainer, but this happens. When you schedule a mailing that’s set to target, say, women—make sure that your sending your email to women. This can be as simple as list maintenance and cleaning up your contacts. Also be aware that some names don’t always scream a certain gender. Sending to Kelly Doe? May want to double-check what list they belong in.

Graphics Aren’t Always an Email’s Best Friend
Having graphic-heavy email marketing campaigns can weigh you down. We tend to assume that your recipients are using an email client that will allow them to see all the graphics in your message—and that’s your first mistake. When you’re building out your email marketing campaign, it’s important to make sure your audience will still be able to understand your message without seeing the images. To play it safe, don’t send out emails that are one big image. Include text and you’ll have a better chance at avoiding the spam folder.

Spam Without the Can
A spam folder is to email what a trash can is to direct mail. The benefit of direct mail? That recipient is still physically holding that piece of mail and looking at it while they throw it away. Emails get sent to your spam folder without you even realizing it. How can you avoid the cyber trashcan? Don’t include attachments in your campaigns—email programs will assume they include viruses. Be sure to watch your copy too. Including too many spamy words like “free,” “bonus or “prize” can send you into the unseen. Don’t let your time and money go to waste by sending it right where waste belongs.

You’re not far off from a stellar email marketing campaign. Put these three tips into action to ensure this tool generates revenue for your business.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Taboo to use the term “Super Bowl” in Your Marketing and Promotions!

As the Big Game approaches on February 3, marketers everywhere are getting excited about the sales and hype surrounding the Super Bowl. The mass media coverage of the Super Bowl and the consumerism that surrounds it is a recipe for success in many industries.

But be warned: as much as you might want to, it’s actually taboo to use the term “Super Bowl” in any of your marketing. That means that any commercials, contests, giveaways or events that you throw have to avoid the term “Super Bowl.” Let us explain.

Protecting a Trademark
Basically, the NFL owns the “Super Bowl” trademark, and is aggressive about protecting it. The reason they’re so aggressive is that their advertisers pay billions of dollars for the privilege of being able to officially associate with the Super Bowl. Locking down the Superbowl brand means that there’s less chance of being associated with unscrupulous advertisers. But more importantly, it allows the NFL to maintain a premium price for advertising. If Super Bowl-branded advertisements are a highly exclusive privilege, they’re worth far more.

Other Things You Should Avoid
But it’s not enough to trademark “Super Bowl.” You can’t market yourself using “NFL,” “National Football League,” “Super Sunday,” or even the names of the two competing teams. The NFL and Super Bowl logos are also forbidden, as well as any team logos. Mentioning the competing teams’ cities is fine. It’s not enough to restrict name-dropping, however: establishments cannot charge their patrons to watch the game, nor can you publically show the game if you’re displaying it on a screen larger than 55 inches diagonally. Them’s the bricks.

The Good News
The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get around these restrictions, if you’re creative. First of all, it’s understood that what game you’re talking about when you reference “The Big Game”–which despite the NFL’s best efforts, is not a trademarked term. Plus, it’s ok to imply the idea of the Super Bowl in your advertisements: you can promote “Super Chicken Wings for a Super Party” without getting a cease-and-desist letter. Finally, if you don’t mention any of the above verboten terms, you can say things like “the professional football championship game on February 3.”

Some even better news is that you will probably benefit from the Super Bowl even if you don’t explicitly reference the Super Bowl in your promotions. The Super Bowl is a big enough cultural event that you can bet your bar will be full of people wanting to watch the game, even if you don’t make an attempt to promote it at all. Just make sure the Big Game is playing on a screen or two.

Provided those screens are less than 55” diagonally, of course.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

3 Marketing Trends To Make Your Business More Competitive

While individuals brainstorm their New Year’s Resolutions, we’re dreaming up how to make businesses better in 2013. Perhaps your company has a great product line but little marketing to spread the word. Or maybe you need to work on your relationships with customers.

Whatever changes you sense are due for your business in 2013, the projected marketing trends for the New Year can make you more competitive. Keep reading for a few suggestions on 2013’s top marketing trends and how to make them work for your business.

At Your Service
Your consumers are finally coming into their own. The ability to voice complaints about major brands on social media or price shop online, demonstrates that consumers now have more power than ever. Instead of dealing with minor or major annoyances about the brands they do business with, consumers can simply move on to another provider.

Make sure that customers never abandon you for something your business can control. Customer service is your chance to develop long-term relationships with loyal customers.

Provide extraordinary customer service and your customers will be far less likely to leave you. Treat customer care as an afterthought, however, and you’ll soon be one too.

Pleased and Pandering
You don’t have to pander to your prospects to persuade them with your marketing. But in 2013 developing technologies makes personalized marketing a must instead of a bonus. Set your company apart with marketing materials that show prospects they’re worth the extra investment.

Develop direct mail pieces that take advantage of customer data. Subtly show that your business and your prospects are perfect for one another by using their personalized information and copy that emphasizes what you have in common.

For example, a baker might mail a piece about a “wedding cake” as an anniversary gift. Save money by only sending the piece to households with married couples.

Upward Mobility
Social media drives sales—mostly it gives happy customers a mouthpiece to recommend their favorite brands to friends. We saw that trend play out this past year.

But 2013 will be the year of mobile commerce. The amount of money consumers spend via their smartphones will absolutely skyrocket in 2013. Take advantage with an upwardly mobile marketing plan.

Create marketing materials that reach prospects at multiple points, then drive them to your mobile website. Print QR codes on your mail pieces, any signs where pedestrians will have access to them and even your business cards.

You don’t have to be a trendy business to develop marketing that’s on-trend in 2013. Prep now—before your competitors do—so that 2013 will be as profitable as December is merry.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

The Movie Theater Marketing Plan…….Making Your Business The Newest Blockbuster

Summer blockbusters and the sweltering heat are enough to draw us into a cool, dark movie theater. It’s hard to resist, really. The very thought of fresh popcorn alone persuades us to pay $10 for a movie we could rent for home viewing in a few months anyway. But that’s not the point. Going to the movies is all about the experience. You can add some magic to your marketing plan with inspiration from the movie theater.

Experience
Dimming your lights in front of a widescreen TV is a paltry excuse for a home theater. And watching a movie at home just doesn’t compare to the excitement of going to the movies. That’s why people pay a premium for the movie theater experience.

Your business can charge a premium for the experience of being your customer, too. To be successful in selling an experience, make sure it relates to your company’s products or services. For example, at the movies a dark theater and plush seating add drama. You can sell hospitality or a celebratory mood if you’re a restaurant. Higher education institutions can sell opportunity or a fulfilling challenge.  Nonprofits can sell the joy of helping an important cause.

Brainstorm the experiential value of being your customer then find ways to market extras relating to it.

Customer Service
Count on it. Expect a cheery send-off whenever an usher tears your ticket: “enjoy the show!” Movie theaters manage to deliver exceptional customer service despite a typically young staff with high turnover.

Be honest with yourself about the level of customer service you offer. How quick is your turnaround, and how friendly is your staff? Your office or store ought to be as clean as your home just before a highly anticipated guest arrives. Make sure your customers feel like a highly anticipated guest every time they visit.

Delicious Extras
Movie theaters don’t make much money at the box office—ticket sales go almost entirely to the movie studios. But your favorite movie house has a backup plan to compensate for the loss. Their bread and butter (er, popcorn and butter) is the concession stand.

You need to determine your bread and butter. Don’t claim tires if you own a tire store, because tires are also your competitors’ bread and butter. To beat them, you need a little something extra to stand apart.  Make sure that your extras are actually adding value, too. Perhaps it’s packaging that surprises and delights them—or a birthday card with a discount code.

Going to the theater can be an inspiring experience, and it’s not just the movies that get your creative juices flowing. Infuse your business’s marketing plan with elements of the movie theater experience so that your summer sales numbers are bona fide blockbusters.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Summer Specials… and BIG DEALS!!!

Corporate gifts or promotional products are a tradition for many companies. Having your logo imprinted or embroidered, or personalized on a unique corporate gift is a fantastic marketing or promotional tool for your business. It offers you inexpensive and unique advertising and places your logo or message in front of mind for your best customers, employees or potential customers. There are thousands of different uses for promotional products, but there’s one thing they have in common! They’re memorable! 75% of recipients who received promotional/gift items could remember the advertiser. And over 70% of recipients kept their promotional/gift item because it was useful. So if you’re looking for a long lasting advertising impression that’s cost effective and memorable, promotional products are the way to go.

Click here to download the Promotional Products Summer Specials  or go to our website and find your next promotional/gift item for your business.