Tag Archives: Marketing Campaigns

Commercial Printing and Direct Mail New York

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Intelligent, Efficient, Your Go To Guys!

For over 40 years East Coast Graphics has been providing premium quality commercial printing services for our clients in a host of industries, from manufacturing to healthcare. And because printing is a part of East Coast Graphics integrated approach, our clients reap the benefits of that full supply line service. For example: East Coast Graphics can design and print the product guide, that fits in the customized free-standing retail display; and to drive customers to the aisle, we can also design and print the window clings and posters that promote the new product in store; backing up one more step, we can design and print the packaging for these new product kits that we store in our warehouse and distribute to retail outlets nationwide.

East Coast Graphics is your one-stop-shopping resource for all of your commercial printing needs—and so much more.

  • Prepress and bindery services
  • Stationery products, corporate brochures and identity systems
  • Marketing and promotional material
  • Newsletters and annual reports
  • Pocket folders and binders
  • Posters, flyers, banners, signage
  • Magazines/catalogs, manuals
  • Packaging and POP

To learn more about how we can help you with your Commercial Printing needs please contact us.

East Coast Graphics, Inc.
Thomas Glenn
Vice President Business Development
tom@ecoastgraphics.com
631.231.9300 xt.11

www.ECoastGraphics.com

Recent Studies Show Direct Mail Is Still Effective But That We Need To Be Creative (Creativity Counts!)

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In an annual survey conducted by Exact Target on effective media channels, the results came back rather surprising to most, but not to all. This survey is probably one of the most un- biased reports completed in recent years, especially considering that it was written by an email marketing provider. Here’s a direct quote from this report:

“Still wondering about the best channels through which to deliver your messages when you’re trying to boost your bottom line? Consumers are more likely to purchase based on messages they receive through traditional media. In this year’s study, we included direct mail, television commercials and infomercials as channels through which consumers may have been directly influenced to make a purchase.

The research shows: Direct mail has directly influenced more consumers to purchase than any other channel. “76% of consumers have been directly influenced to purchase products through direct mail.”

Some of the findings from this report were the statement that email is obviously very popular, but only 15% of people like to receive marketing messages via this channel! This confirms our view that email is more of a communication medium and not ideal for ‘push marketing’ purposes.

So you ask yourself this question? I have been sending out direct mail (postcards, catalogs, flyers, brochures) pieces for years only to see a decline in response rates. Yes, you are right! Response rates have hit all time lows in direct mail, but “why” we ask? The all holy answer is: We are too set in our “old school” ways declares Thomas Glenn, VP of Business Development for East Coast Graphics (www.EcoastGraphics.com) of New York. The idea that the more we send out, the more we will reap in rewards is not true anymore!

The truth, as stated earlier in this article, is that “direct mail” is still the MOST effective marketing channel today! But direct mail and print is changing, just like everything else we have grown accustomed to in this world. “It is more important today than ever that direct mail campaigns be integrated with multichannel online campaigns,” declares Thomas Glenn.

Two Tips to Increase Direct Mail Response Rates
1: Targeting a specific audience: Targeting is the forgotten secret to really high response rates. Look to send out different messages to different audience sectors. It’s just TOO hard to create one compelling copy that suits everybody. You are better off sending out four different pieces than one “one size fits all” printed mailing piece.

2: Be creative and different: Send out pieces that catch your audience’s attention. Way too often I come home to open my mailbox only to find a sea of white #10 envelopes says Glenn. Be different think “out of the box.” Think of a good commercial you saw on TV during the Super Bowl or a great radio commercial you heard on the way to work. You would probably agree with me, that 9 times out of 10 those advertisements were imbedded in your head because they were different but clever in their own little way. This is how you and your company should be approaching your direct mail. Don’t be afraid to be creative or different in your direct mail. Use oversized postcards, catalogs with catchy images on the cover or an envelope with a lot of bright color to help grab people’s eyes. Make your logo and website address easily visible. Remember you want your direct mail piece to stand out from that “sea of white #10 envelopes!” Even if the intended audience does not act on that offer at that time, make your brand be remembered just like that Super Bowl commercial!

To learn more about how we can help you or your company with your direct mail needs.

Contact: Thomas Glenn Vice President Business Development
East Coast Graphics, Inc.
Telephone: 631.231.9300 xt.11
Hauppauge, NY 11788
www.ECoastGraphics.com
tom@EcoastGraphics.com

Database 101 for Marketers

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Your generic brochure, direct mail piece, e-newsletter or magazine ad campaign doesn’t work as well today.  People are being bombarded with offers and choices. Campaigns will struggle to get a 1% response, most often it’s just 0.1% being one per thousand. Yes, good copywriting, design and a superb offer can make a big difference. But a response rate beyond 3% is extremely rare.

This is because most online as well as traditional advertising or mailing campaigns treat everyone the same. It’s been referred to as the ‘spray and hope’ system. These [often expensive] campaigns are relevant only to a few…

database101 Database 101 for Marketers

The secret to high response marketing lies in your customer database.

  • It tells us WHO we should communicate with,
  • HOW we communicate,
  • And with WHAT offer.

Data mining helps you find a subset of your customers that are most likely to react/respond to your marketing campaigns. By targeting ONLY those likely to respond, you achieve about the same response/sales at a fraction of the cost!

But the problem with databases is that they’re inevitably in a mess. Companies are lucky to have one that has accurate names and postal addresses, let alone other specific details like the customers email address, birth date, product or service preferences and most importantly, previous buying patterns.

CRM to the rescue

Wikipedia describes CRM (Customer relationship management) systems as: “the processes a company uses to track and organize its contacts with its current and prospective customers … Typical CRM goals are to improve services provided to customers, and to use customer contact information for targeted marketing.”

database 101 for marketers Database 101 for Marketers

Traditional CRM systems are expensive. But the rise in affordable online packages means companies big and small can now start to organize their sales and marketing activities in a much more effective manner.

All these new-generation tools help us build up and automatically maintain a powerful marketing database that can drive relevant messages across multiple online and offline media channels, simultaneously. Communication that is wanted and therefore responded to.

Discover how a good database, built and maintained by a CRM package, could easily double your selling effectiveness. And generate an incredible ROI.

If you or you are interested in learning more about our CRM packages please contact us today.

East Coast Graphics, Inc.

125 Wireless Blvd.

Hauppauge, NY 11788

info@ecoastgraphics.com or 631.231.9300

Using 1:1 Marketing to Grow Your Business

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A prime example of 1:1 marketing is that it’s personal, it’s attention-getting, and it’s directed specifically to an address or a particular person in mind.

Currently, many marketing campaigns are still developed around “old school saturation mail techniques.” Printing several thousand of a generic, “one message fits all” piece and applying a mailing label or black ink jet personalization on the front to achieve greater postal discounts and keeping the unit price down.

This impersonal approach is compared to going to a singles bar and winking at all the women in hopes of landing a date. It is also the most expensive because it generates the national average response of a mere .005%, which can cost almost $600.00 to generate a prospect, not a sale.

In order to improve your response rates and sales cycles, you have to set your company apart from your competition. You can do this by using digital, on-demand, personalized mailers. In fact, everything you send out should be so personalized that the receiver wants to actually open and read what’s inside. It’s a form of “Show and Sell.”

Remember, every company needs new business development products, and in today’s competitive arena, they must stand out and generate a positive response in the receiver or they won’t come back for more. Remember, it’s not just business, it’s personal!

Campaign of Few Words Generates Big Buzz

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Can two words sum up what a hospital and its staff are all about? Sure, when they’re backed up by a huge marketing program like the “Hello Life” campaign launched by Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham, AL.

“‘Hello Life” represents the attitude that our caregivers hope to imbue upon our patients,” says Marketing Director Debbie Hollenstein. “When a patient receives care at Brookwood, he or she should leave the hospital able to lead a happier, healthier and more active lifestyle – to have the attitude of living life to the fullest.”

The hospital worked with Sullivan-St. Clair Marketing/PR, who suggested kicking off the program with a teaser campaign. Starting in January, they spread the Hello Life message – without letting on who was behind it – using print ads, billboards and radio spots. Street teams in high-traffic areas handed out thousands of T-shirts and tens of thousands of stickers, window decals and flyers.

Niki Lim, PR coordinator at Sullivan-St. Clair, says that the street team had their best day at a charitable run for cancer research. “Runners after the race want to change T-shirts anyway, and with “Hello Life,” they were like, ‘Oh, it must be a Survive Cancer thing.’”

After three weeks, Brookwood revealed its role in the campaign with TV and radio spots, print ads, direct mail and employees wearing T-shirts and stickers. “Our immediate goal was to generate buzz,” Lim says. “I think we did that effectively, based on feedback from the street team, the article in the Birmingham News and client feedback since the reveal.”–Jen Zorger