Statement Printing

The holidays are the busiest season for the print and mail industry. Businesses know consumers are always looking for valuable deals during the holidays. People eat out more often; they make more purchases. In 2008, it was estimated that about 48.5 million Americans shopped on Black Friday businesses want to take advantage of the biggest shopping day of the year.

So, how can you business take advantage of this holiday season? Send a direct mail piece to your customers with a call to action that will prompt them to choose your business when making a holiday purchase and, in turn, increase your company’s sales. The best way to get their attention is to send a card mailer. If you send your customer an offer in the form of a gift card to your location for a certain amount, they will notice and pay attention that that piece.

There will be a lot of clutter in the mail over the holiday season, so the most important factor to keep in mind is that you want your offer to be unique and stand out from the rest. The holidays are a joyful time of year, so add some joy to your holidays by increasing your company’s sales through direct mail!

Printing Services and Print on Demand
Get more when you outsource for printing services
Statement Printing Blog

With the amount of the direct mail consumers receive, it is often assumed that print and mail providers are not environmentally friendly. According to the EPA, direct mail is 2.1% of the solid waste discarded by Americans. At the top of the list was food scraps at 18.2%.

So, what questions can you ask your print and mail vendor to ensure they are doing their part in being environmentally friendly?

-Ask if your vendor is FSC certified. FSC is the Forest Stewards Council and carrying the the FSC-certification logo on your print products tells the world that you support the highest social and environmental standards in the market where you use paper. You can learn more at their website.

-Ask if your vendor prints with soy ink. Printing with soy ink is a key way to reduce the environmental burden of printing. Soybean oil comes from a renewable source: soybeans. Soybeans beans are widely available at low cost. Soybean agriculture uses only 0.5% of the total energy needed to produce soy ink. Almost half of all soybeans produced in America need no irrigation. As soybeans are growing they temporarily remove damaging carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.

-If you’re vendor does not currently have FSC certification or print with soy ink, ask if they plan to do so soon.

Many of your customers are likely to be concerned about your environmental footprint and having the knowledge about the environmental friendliness of your print and mail vendor is important for when these questions come up.

Printing Services and Print on Demand
Get more when you outsource for printing services
Statement Printing Blog

Mailing checks out in a snap pack mailer is not a new concept, but it has been getting more attention lately as a less expensive option for mailing out checks and other mail pieces. A snap pack mailer is perforated on 3 sides or has a fast tab (or zip strip) on the top and inside you can mail checks, buckslips, inserts, or other notices. This option has many advantages.

The first advantage is that this piece is all-in-one and less expensive. There is no need to purchase outer mailing envelopes with this piece, so your material costs decrease. Also, this piece is secure because there is less of a chance of it accidentally opening during the mailing process.

This option has been sort of a forgotten way to decrease costs and is starting to get more attention from companies as they look to save on costs. A print and mail outsourcer should have this option as part of their offerings and if you contact an outsourcing vendor, it is a good idea to ask about the feasibility of this type or mailer for your company.

Printing Services and Print on Demand
Get more when you outsource for printing services
Statement Printing Blog

A national restaurant chain with a “sports bar” type atmosphere recently got an over 9% redemption rate on their direct mailing. The piece that this restaurant used is a all-in-one “plastic” card mailer with a detachable credit card sized card. While the piece is high quality and durable, it is actually made of laminated cover stock which helps to keep the costs down.

If a typical direct mail piece, like say a paper postcard, gets ¼% to ½% redemption, what is it about this all-in-one plastic card mailer that allows companies to see 9% (or higher) redemption? First and foremost, the piece stands out. The recipient notices that this direct mail piece is different. It’s high quality. Its graphics are photo quality. It’s thicker and more durable than other mail pieces. These features add up to make this piece a great option for a direct mail piece.

There is another factor worth mentioning regarding any direct mail piece. Your offer to your potential customers has to be one that motivates them to respond. For example, $5 off a $20 purchase is likely to catch someone’s attention. 5% off a $20 purchase might not perform as well. It is important to know your customer base and know what will get them to follow through with your call to action.

With the holidays right around the corner, now is a great time to consider a direct mail piece like this restaurant chain uses for a marketing campaign for your business.

Printing Services and Print on Demand
Get more when you outsource for printing services
Statement Printing Blog