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I run a business in Eastern Ontario and have had several inquiries from local food manufacturers in my area with a need for a supplier (Manufacturer preferred) for food grade bags in their manufacturing facilities.
They have asked me to source a supplier for them in Ontario as they want to support local businesses in our area.
If you can help with these types of products or know a company that may be a good fit for this type of business can you please send contact information to sales@anythingprinting.ca and include the best time to reach you.
I do have measurements, samples, application and quantities to get this project started.
Thank you,
We own a small on-line distribution business are we are expanding expanding our resources. We have partnered with several local retail establishments to start stocking and selling our products with-in their establishments.
We are looking to implement a Cloud based inventory system to allow us access to inventory, sales, and possibly use a POS system. We will be purchasing RFID wands for the locations to scan our barcode system. We are also in need of a solid barcoding and inventory system.
We currently use Quickbooks as our accounting software so a platform that is either able to be easily integrated or that will work well along side of Quickbooks is best.
We appreciate any suggestions and advice.
We are looking at getting some boxes made for some of our product lines and we need pricing on smaller die cut boxes. We will need these boxes to be printed in full color and smaller personalized runs.
We would preferably like to find a company local to Quinte or Quinte West if possible. Please contact paul.mccaughen@gmail.com for more information.
We run a small business in the Quinte area and we have totally revamped our marketing campaign. A piece of our new marketing campaign is to distribute a monthly e-mail newsletter and we are using MailChimp.
We currently have our e-mail newsletter designed, e-mail list added and sign-up form created. We have also added the sign-up form link to most of our other on-line and social media platforms.
We would like to find a seasoned e-mailed marketing professional to help us structure our e-mail marketing campaign for best results and ensure we are utilizing all the tools available to us.
Please contact me directly if you think you can help with this project paul.mccaughen@gmail.com.
Q: What do you think is a better advertising plan: $2,000 in direct postcards reaching roughly 3,500 people, or $2,000 in a newspaper ad reaching 750,000 readers?
A: It depends entirely on what you say in your ad. If your impact quotient is high enough, your best bet will be the newspaper. If the direct postcards are delivered precisely to “the perfect target” (which is not very likely), then the direct-mail route is preferable.
Based on the fact that I don’t know the answers to either of these questions, my guess is that neither the direct postcards nor the newspaper will work for you. My advice is that you keep your $2,000 in your pocket until you come up with an actual plan. These are the hard questions you need to answer:
1. What do you have to say that matters to your customer? I’m your prospective customer. I know you want my business, but why should I care? What’s in it for me? Most ads are written under the assumption that the reader, listener or viewer has a basic level of interest and is paying close attention to the ad. But customers tend to ignore all ads that do not speak directly to them. Your first task is not media selection; it’s message selection.
2. Can you say it persuasively? Most ads are ineffective because the writer was trying to say too much, include too much and be too much. Fearful of leaving someone out, these writers write vague, all-encompassing ads that speak specifically to no one. “We Fix Cars” is a terrible headline for an ad.
3. Are you speaking to a felt need? Let’s say the “We Fix Cars” auto mechanic has a great deal of affection for older BMW 2002s. He knows that 2002 owners love their cars like few drivers on the road and that the only weakness of the 2002 is its evil Solex carburetor. Every 2002 owner knows this, too. So he writes the headline, “BMW 2002 Owners: Aren’t You Tired of Fooling With That Solex by Now?” In the body of the ad, he talks about the fabulous new Weber two-barrel carburetor now available for BMW 2002s, raves about how it dramatically increases performance and reliability, explains that he keeps these new Weber carburetors in stock at his shop, then names the price at which he will install and adjust that carburetor for you. He closes the ad by saying, “You’ll rocket out of here in a completely different BMW than the one you drove in.” If a list of BMW owners in your area is available for a direct-mail card (such as the list from the local BMW club), then a direct-mail card or flier would be the way to go. But if no such list is available, the newspaper might be a second choice. In either case, you’d want to include a large picture of a BMW 2002 to serve as a recall cue and help gain the attention of your target customer.
4. How long is your time horizon? Some ads build traffic, some build relationships and others build your reputation. If you don’t have the financial resources to launch a true branding campaign focused on building relationships and reputation among potential customers, you’re going to have to settle for traffic-building ads until you can afford to begin developing your brand. To what degree do you have financial staying power?
5. What is the urgency of your message? If you need an ad to produce immediate results, your offer must have a time limit. This technique will simultaneously work for and against you. On one hand, customers tend to delay what can be delayed, so limited-time offers generate traffic more quickly since the threat of “losing the opportunity” is real. On the other hand, customers have no memory of messages that have expired; short-term messages are erased from our brains immediately. Therefore, it’s extremely difficult to create long-term awareness with a series of limited-time-offer, short-term ads.
6. What is the impact quotient of your ad? How good your ad must be depends on the quality of your competitors’ ads. A .22-caliber pistol is a weapon against an opponent with a peashooter. But aim that pathetic pistol at an opponent holding a machine gun, and you can kiss your silly butt goodbye. How powerful is the message of the opposition? If your competitor carries a machine gun, don’t go where he goes. In other words, don’t use the media he uses.
7. How long is the purchase cycle? How long it will take your advertising to pay off is tied to the purchase cycle of your product. Ads for restaurants work more quickly than ads for sewing machines, because a larger percentage of people are looking for a good meal today than are looking for a machine that will let them make their own clothes. Likewise, an ad for a product we buy twice per year will produce results faster than an ad for a product we buy only once a year. Remember, a customer first has to be exposed to your ad often enough to remember it, then you have to wait for that customer to need what you sell. How soon will he or she likely need it?
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We have recently started to use Facebook to promote our business and could use some advice please.
When we get new customers that have a FB Page we like to tag them in a post to thank them for their business as well give their business some recognition.
We have liked our customers pages through our BUSINESS PAGE not our personal accounts.
When we put up a post to thank our customers, FB will only allow us to take their business using our personal account. When tagging with our personal account the posts do NOT display on our homepage. They are listed in “Recent posts by others”.
We are wondering if we are doing something wrong or if there is a way around this?
While it seems like both technology and business publications are constantly writing about the latest social media trends, direct mail isn’t a topic that’s known for making headlines. However, just because the press isn’t infatuated with direct mail doesn’t mean it’s not a valid marketing option. On the contrary, it’s a tried-and-true marketing tool that still works quite well.
Just how well does direct mail work? According to Direct Mail News, the average response rate for direct mail in 2012 was 4.4 percent. That number applied to both B2B and B2C mailings. To put it in perspective, email has a standard response rate of just 0.12 percent. If you’re wondering how it’s possible for direct mail to engage so many prospects, it’s because contrary to popular belief, people do still like receiving things in the mail. In fact, 73 percent of U.S. consumers said they prefer direct mail for brand communications because it’s more convenient.
As if the high response rate and receptiveness of consumers wasn’t enough, the icing on the cake is that direct mail is very cost-effective. According to statistics from the post referenced above, U.S. advertisers spend $167 per person on direct mail to earn $2,095 worth of goods sold. That translates to an ROI of 1,300 percent!
Since direct mail is engaging, well received and cost-effective, it’s a practice all businesses should try for themselves. But even once they get past all the common misconceptions and find out that this marketing channel actually does work, many businesses are at a loss for where to start. If that’s the position you’re in, the good news is we’re going to cover exactly what you need to do to get started:
Buy or Build a List
Before you can send anything out, you need to have a list of recipients. There are two basic options for obtaining a list. The first is to buy it from a broker. The main advantage of buying a list is you can get a targeted set of recipients fairly quickly. The main downside is it’s often challenging to find a reputable broker that can actually deliver the quality you expect.
Your other option is to build a list yourself. Although you may not think you have many people to reach out to, once you start compiling current and potential customers, friends, social media contacts and other possibly interested parties, you may have more than you expected. And once you make building a list a priority, you’ll likely find that you have lots of opportunities to add targeted contacts to it.
Come Up with the Right Message
When it comes to making your message as effective as possible, the most important thing to remember is to be clear. Avoid using overly complicated language or feeling the need to compose the equivalent of an essay. In fact, the more you can edit for clarity and conciseness, the better results you will generate.
Other tips for crafting a great message include speaking directly to the recipients, giving them an incentive to take action and telling them more than once exactly what you want them to do. Taking that approach will give you the best chance of grabbing their attention, raising their interest and, ultimately, getting them to take action.
Choose the Right Mailing Option
After you have your message, you need to decide on what you’re going to print it. If you want to save money on postage, avoid spending time folding and stuffing envelopes; utilize an attractive design and even help the environment by using less paper with postcards. What’s great about choosing postcards is not only will you reap all those benefits, but it’s quite easy to place an order online through a postcard printing company for exactly what you want.
Send, Measure, and Adjust
Once you have your postcards, it’s time to send them out. Based on the response you receive, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to accurately pinpoint what worked great and what didn’t go as well as expected. Based on that information, you can make the necessary targeting and messaging adjustments for your next mailing.
Now that you know why your business should try direct mail, as well as the steps you need to take to make that happen, all that’s left is to add the steps to your to-do list and start completing them!
The offer. It’s the backbone of a good direct mail campaign, and it’s what your recipients are looking for in the direct mail you’re sending them. That being said, creating that “great offer” may be easier said than done.
We decided that we’d pull back the direct mail marketing curtain and reveal some of our insider knowledge about what will make consumers redeem your offer over the competition’s. Implement these secret tips-of-the-trade for dynamite direct mailers that are sure to grow your business.
Make your offer appropriate
When deciding on your offer, keep your audience in mind. Make sure that your offer is appropriate for your target demographic by featuring your primary, or most popular, product or service. It should also only require a purchase amount that is at or below the typical ticket average for your customers.
Beyond your audience, your offer needs to be a fit for your business, as well, which means aligning with your industry. For example, some business offers work better as a % discount, like restaurants, while others have better redemption with a $ amount reduced, like comedy clubs or other entertainment venues.
Clearly state the value
What will your offer do for your customers? Approach your value proposition with a goal of telling a story. Think about how customers will benefit from saving money on your product, and what effect that could have on their life. When you tell the story, steer clear of clever, cute or corny, and instead, use persuasive language that portrays the value in a crystal clear manner. Also, make sure you put those savings into context of the original price. You can’t assume the recipient knows the regular listed price.
Place the offer in a prominent position
No matter how good the offer is, you want to make sure it is the feature of your direct mail piece. Give your special offers the front row seat. Typically, this position is located on the front side in the top section of your layout or even the top right hand corner. A prominent position means your offer will stand out starting at the moment the recipient looks at the direct mailer.
Include supporting offers to encourage repeat visits
When you craft your direct mail campaign, consider adding multiple offers to one mailer. After featuring your primary offer in the prominent position, add a supporting offer or two that encourages repeat visits after your customer redeems the main offer. This becomes even more important if your main offer is for a free product or service.
Always make sure you’re pouring time and effort into crafting that great offer. After all, the type of offer you use, and how it’s presented, helps create consumer acceptance and trust. That means new and loyal customers coming to your business over the competition.
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