Friday, 20 January 2012

Direct Mail Still Top with Personalisation

If you’re looking for a revenue-generating powerhouse for your business, you’re looking for direct mail. Direct mail campaigns are the Old Faithful of marketing—businesses count on them because they’re dependable and promise a consistent Return on Investment (ROI).
You can push direct mail’s ROI from consistent to record-breaking with a focus on personalization. Some online marketers mistakenly think their methods are more personal than direct mail. But thanks to Internet cookies, over-sent emails and Google Ad Words, consumers are turned off and tuning out. Direct mail bests digital marketing tactics in the area of personalisation because, to the consumer, it feels more human.

The simplest way to personalise direct mail is using variable printing to address your business’s leads by name. But you can go even further than that.

The key to effective personalised direct mail is to get as much useful information as you can from your customers and prospects. Use sales records, surveys and social media to collect good data about your mail leads.

Now it’s time to personalise your direct mail piece. To craft a message that’s relevant to the prospect without being creepy, you’ve got to use your data carefully. Let’s say, for example, that your jewelry store wants to market diamond engagement rings. You’re working form a list of young people who you assume—or hope, for your business’s sake—are single (and you should know that from your data).

It makes sense to write copy that speaks to a buying audience in the mail piece you will send to males. On the other hand, the mail piece sent to females should feature different photos and copy. Although who will buy and who will receive such a gift varies, catering the message of the direct mail according to gender is a subtle method of personalisation

The best marketers have to interpret the data and use it in a way that tactfully shows consumers that your business is just what they need. But you don’t have to be selling jewellery to personalise direct mail skillfully and in a non-intrusive way. Think about your audience and how their demographic information may affect their buying habits or business needs.

Work from your recipient data to go beyond names in personalizsing your business’s direct mail. When you personalise your direct mail piece with a name, you’re working to catch your prospects’ attention.

At Minuteman Press Bath with the latest in variable data software XMPie we can really bring your direct mail to life. Call Dave Dixon on 01225 442000 for a chat about how we might be able to help.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Greeting Cards from Minuteman

The Minuteman Press Bath 2011 
Personalised Greeting Card Brochure is out now
 

Why use a standard "off the shelf" greeting card this Christmas?
Send personalised cards to your clients, friends or family.


Make Christmas special with Personalised Greeting Cards from
Minuteman Press.


Your company logo, a favourite picture or traditional greeting cards, wall planners or desk diaries.

Stuck for ideas?

Download our brochure and choose from our range of images or send us your own, and have a personal greeting, we can even scan your signatures.

  • Your company logo added
  • Your company colours used
  • Your personalised greeting Your signature scanned

You name it, we'll do it

Prices start from just £45+VAT
Have your own design?
We can print that too!

Order the full brochure to be posted to you or download it as a pdf here.

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Proud to Support Oxjam

Again this year we were proud to have supported Oxjam.

A lovely email from our contact to say,
"Just a little note to say thank you so much for your donation of posters and flyers for Jam and Jokes for OXJAM.

With your help we managed to raise nearly £800 for OXFAM!!"
Always happy to help...

Thursday, 22 September 2011

Hug a Tree


Recycled Business Stationery

Twice as many for one times the price

Order from our range of recycled business cards, letterheads or compliment slips this autumn and we will double the quantity of your order at no extra costs.

Pricing examples below:

Full colour Business Cards
on 350gsm 9lives 80 Recycled Silk Card
order 500 at £50
you receive 1000!
 
Full colour A4 Letterheads
on 120gsm 9lives uncoated
order 500 at £125
you receive 1000!

Full colour DL Compliment Slips
on 120gsm 9lives uncoated
order 500 at £95
you receive 1000!

For a copy of our full range of recycled stationery price list, or for a quote on any printing need...

Thursday, 11 August 2011

Leporello

Now I have seen these before but never produced them. However I think we have a super result.
Litho printed on 350gsm Silk.

This is a row of five postcards with a perforation in between each so that they can be teared off. We currently have a small box in production to put these in. We will post that next week!

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Tips for Productivity

If it seems like more and more is added to your plate and you struggle to get everything done, you may be struggling from productivity paralysis. Don’t worry; some of the world’s top leaders face a similar problem. Inc. Magazine recently asked them how they stayed productive. Here are some of their secrets.

Larry Page: Cofounder and CEO of Google
Page found himself in too many meetings that he had no desire to be in. His solution: dump his assistant. He said that it was easy to ask his assistant to set up a meeting, but people find it harder to ask him directly, hence fewer meetings.

Richard Branson: CEO Virgin Group
When asked how he became more productive, Branson had a simple answer: work out. He said working out gave him four additional hours of productivity a day.

Stephen King: Author
While he may not be one of your typical business people, he has sold over 350 million books. He strives for consistency by trying to write at least 1,000 words a day.

Gary E. McCullough: CEO Career Education Corp.
Former United States Army captain, McCullough gives people half the time they ask for. You want an hour of his time and you will get 30 minutes. He says it forces people to be more clear and concise.

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

Summer Sizzling Offer

Promote Your Business with our SUMMER SIZZLER

We can offer you some scorching prices on longer run brochures and large posters.

5000 Mini Brochures £249 (A4 Leaflets folded once or twice to A5 or DL)
Say it loud and say it big with some nice large posters to capture attention
50 A2 Posters £89 that's less than £2 each!
These prices are so hot that we will be pouring water over them to cool them down by the end of August.

Why wait? Get out there and promote your business this summer.

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Gain New Business Through Effective Communication

If you look at what makes a business successful, you’ll probably notice that the company understands how to communicate. Businesses need to tailor their communications to several audiences, such as employees and vendors. But communicating correctly to potential customers will likely mean an increase in sales.
Prospects need to know that you exist and that you offer unique products and services that can help them. Since June is Effective Communication Month, here are some tips to help improve your communications with your potential and existing customers.

Choose a channel please.
The technology of recent years has literally given you access to dozens of ways to reach your target audience—a website, Facebook, Twitter, direct mail, e-mail, signage and billboards, to name a few. You need to understand your target audience to know which of the communications channels will more effectively reach them, and within your budget.

We hear you loud and clear.
You will most likely choose more than one medium to reach your audience. It is now important to make sure you message is consistent across all of them. If a person looks at one of your direct mail pieces, then they should feel a similar tone and design on your website. This helps people remember your company and build your brand.

You have two ears and one mouth.
So often in conversation we focus on the speaking part. But we all know that listening is the number one rule of effective communication. Ask current customers how you’re doing, what they like about your business and how you can improve. Through this you will improve your customer relationships and find ways to better reach new customers.

Thursday, 19 May 2011

Take Care of the Employees that Take Care of Your Brand

When starting a company, many small business owners expend much energy to come up with the right name and logo. But to have an effective brand, you have to get the entire staff to make that logo mean something. Building a brand takes good, committed employees that are living what your marketing promises. In order to hire and retain employees that you want representing your brand, it takes a good corporate culture. Here are some ideas for creating a good work environment.

Get Flexible
The society of yesterday created the social norm that you must clock-in at 8 and stay until 5. In today’s world of connectivity, we can work virtually anytime from anywhere. If your business model can support flexible hours, that can be attractive to many employees. For instance, parents may have to bus children based on their schedule of activities. Or if you have creative people working for you, their creative ideas may spark in the evening. The point is to focus on the quality of work employees produce rather than when it’s produced.

Hang Out
Employees that work with people they enjoy can make employees more accountable because they don’t want to let down a friend. Create an environment conducive to a little fun outside the work day. Plan a company bowling tournament, go to a baseball game or grab some appetizers on the way home. Even a quick outing in the middle of the day is a welcome retreat. Take your team out to grab a cookie, a cup of coffee or walk around the block.

Perk Up
Sometimes it’s the little things that count. Think about a budget for some amenities in the office. Bring in lunch on occasion or have a potluck for employees to share their favorite recipes.

Dress Up
Some companies require a specific dress code because customers expect a certain look. A banker is going to wear a suit and tie to be taken seriously. But if you have employees that don’t have a lot of face time with customers, consider a more relaxed dress code. This gives employees a chance to show their personality through their wardrobe. Maybe one of these hot, summer days you can spring a surprise shorts day on your employees.

Monday, 2 May 2011

Knock, Knock. Who’s there?

Most of us like a good laugh. We want to be entertained. While there are several approaches to create advertising, humor often gets people talking. Adding humour to your marketing can increase brand awareness. Here are a few ways you can leave your customers laughing.

Get a sense of humor
When you use humor in advertising, you’re typically creating brand awareness and buzz for your business. So you need to understand your brand essence. This is the heart and soul of your brand. It’s what makes you think of Disney as “family fun entertainment,” or Hallmark as “caring shared.” Your advertising efforts—and your humour—should reflect the emotional connection you want your customers to have with your business.

Ruffle some feathers
You’ve figured out your personality, now you need to know your audience. Comedy is a risky business. There’s a fine line between humorous and offensive. But you can’t play it safe if you want the buzz. Understanding your audience will help you determine how close to the line you can go. Humor in advertising usually provokes attention so expect the phone to ring. If you’ve done your job, the majority of calls will be for more sales.

Make me laugh
Ask any comedian. Comedy is no easy business. You can leave them laughing or completely tank. You may want to turn to a professional copywriter to help you set the right tone for your business. Consider testing your marketing with some of your current customers before sending it out into the world.

Humor in advertising can be employed in any medium, whether it is direct mail or radio. Social media is a great platform to test out your humor. Most people visit social media sites to be entertained so get out there and knock ‘em dead.

Thursday, 21 April 2011

Can now also shop online with Shop Minuteman

You can now use our online design and ordering service at Minuteman Press for our most popular of products.

Business Cards
Postcards
and
Letterheads

Design, proof and pay online prices and get a local service from a local printer. Something rather unique in the industry!

Visit Shop Minuteman today and find out how great our online service is.

Wednesday, 20 April 2011

It Can Be Taxing Keeping Up With Facebook

Seems like just when you understand how to use Facebook to market your business, they change something. Here are some helpful tips to keep up with recent changes on Facebook.

Page Upgrade
If you’ve been to your Facebook Page for your business within the last month, you’ve probably noticed the changes to the layout. The most obvious are the five photos across the top of your page. If you don’t have interesting photos showing, you’ll want to load some now. It’s the first impression visitors have of your company. Also, check to make sure all of the tabs that were across the top of your page are in working order, now down the side of the page.

Question
There’s a new way to share on your Facebook Page through asking questions of those that like your page. What a great way to get valuable information about your customers. Consider asking a question a week. Make sure it’s engaging so people will want to participate.

Check-in Deals
Deals is the latest addition to Facebook Places, which allows customers to share that they visited your business. Now you can reward those loyal customers with deals to help boost in-store traffic and build customer loyalty. You’re probably used to the loyalty punch card concept for frequent customers. Now you can run a similar program through Facebook, and all of your customers’ friends will know they stopped by and got a deal. Make sure you’ve claimed your place and linked it to your page so you don’t confuse your customers.

Don’t forget to remind customers of your Facebook presence through all of your printed marketing materials.

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

Go Beyond Celebrating Earth Hour With Green Business Practices

This Saturday, March 26 marks the fifth year of celebrating Earth Hour. At 8:30pm local time you are encouraged to turn off your lights for an hour. The goal of Earth Hour is to raise awareness against climate change. This year’s campaign aims to get you to think beyond the hour and encourage you to take actions to make the world a better place throughout the year. Here are some ideas to take your business beyond the hour.

Print green
When it’s time to print your marketing materials work with a printer that employs green printing practices. Look for local printers that use recycled paper and a sustainable supply chain, and does everything possible to minimise their impact on the environment. Consider printing reports double sided.
Give green
If your company uses branded, advertising specialty items, choose products that show environmental stewardship. Reusable coffee mugs and water bottles reduce the amount of plastic and Styrofoam in our landfills.

Go green
This may sound obvious but recycle at your office. Just about everything from paper to computers can be recycled these days and many recycling services make it so you don’t even have to sort. Find a company and encourage your staff to participate.
Green speak
While your efforts to go beyond the hour will be appreciated, don’t miss out on an opportunity to capitalise on your efforts. Several people search for businesses that take actions towards helping the environment.

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

You and I Contacts Day Update...

The You and I Contacts Day looks like it’s going to be a roaring success!

http://www.youandibath.co.uk/events/contacts-day

We have over 25 guests confirmed with 25 members already round the table, that’s 50 people taking advantage of the free breakfast at Bailbrook House.

This is a great opportunity for networking and to meet the members of the You and I group in Bath.
We are not going to try to make you join or sell the group to you. We are all grown-ups here and we know that if it’s a good match for you and your business then the value of the meeting and the group speaks for itself.

We can still squeeze one or two more in, so if you would like to come along this Thursday, drop us a line or contact one of the members directly. Just remember to bring lots of business cards!

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Do you have an A Board In Bath and North East Somerset?

For some time now Bath and North East Somerset Council has been considering how best to regulate obstructions on the highway (which include A Boards on pavements and a host of other obstacles).

They have drafted a policy and guidelines which seek to introduce clear controls by using the Council’s powers under the Highways Act 1980 to balance the legitimate aspirations of local businesses to attract customers, whilst at the same time safeguarding the pavements for their primary purpose.  This is particularly important, for example, to wheelchair users, people with visual impairments, the elderly and those who try to get pushchairs around.

The proposal is that anyone wanting to put an object on the pavement would have to apply for a permit, and this would be advertised if it meets the guidelines (i.e. if it would not be an obstruction according to the policy).  If they receive any legitimate objections to the proposal, we would refer this to the Council’s Licensing Committee for determination.  This is similar to the process they have for authorising Tables and Chairs on the highway and fee would be charged for the application and permit.  Anyone who puts an obstacle on the footway without a permit (or if the object breaches our guidelines in terms of size, position, etc.) may, after due warning, receive a Fixed Penalty Notice (a fine) and could have the object impounded and have to pay for its return.

The Council are therefore carrying out a consultation on the proposed policy and guidelines over the next few weeks (until the end of March) and this will culminate in a report and decision on whether or not to adopt the policy with, or without, any amendments in April.

A copy of the proposed policy can be found at the following web address:

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/business/LicencesStreetTrading/Pages/ObstructionsPolicy.aspx 

Any comment on the proposed policy must be sent to Andrew_Jones@bathnes.gov.uk by Thursday 31 March 2011.

Friday, 4 March 2011

Lifestyle Brands

Your relationship with a company’s brand is like dating. You may try out a few different brand names at first, then over time you become more loyal. Eventually you find out that you become hitched to a particular brand. In essence, you’ve fallen in love. A lifestyle brand becomes a part of you.

When you see a swoosh you instantly know it’s Nike. But lifestyle brands are beyond mere brand recognition. Lifestyle brands, like Nike, have a way of connecting to a person and making the brand a part of a person’s life. Achieving lifestyle brand status requires time, but the effort can pay off in a big way. Through the following examples, you too can become a lifestyle brand that will make your company something to love.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.
A lifestyle brand gives people a chance to be who they want to be. The Ralph Lauren brand allows people to associate themselves with a higher class. When you walk into a Ralph Lauren retail store, you walk into the lifestyle of Ralph Lauren himself. That’s something very few can relate to, but many aspire to be. Take a look at your brand and see what can make people aspire to be more.

Apple
A lifestyle brand becomes ubiquitous in a person’s life. Apple has some of the most loyal customers. A customer starts with the iPod or the iPhone and suddenly they need the iPad and a MacBook. Soon they’re searching Google for someone to leak the next big release from Apple. They tend to seek out others using Apple’s devices just to talk about Apple. This type of loyalty creates early adopter mentality and typically higher financial returns because they’re willing to pay a premium. Take a look at your products and services and think about ways to make them irresistible.

Looking to these enormous lifestyle brands may have you thinking that there’s no way to achieve that status. Remember these brands started small. Nike sold shoes from a trunk of a car. Apple sold computers from a garage. If your goal is to remain local, take a look around your community. There are local lifestyle brands around you. All you have to do is have a vision, share it with your employees and share with the community through advertising. Deliver on the promise of your vision and soon you’ll have suitors lined up at your door.

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Probably the Best Networking Breakfast, ever...

The You and I Business breakfast club in Bath is organising an open networking breakfast on 17th March 2011.

The meeting will be thrown open to any business that wants to come along and enjoy breakfast and networking opportunities at Bailbrook House in Bath.

You and I is a business breakfast club that enjoys a relaxed friendly atmosphere for their members to conduct business without rules and restrictions.

Want to know more? Contact Dave on 01225 442000,

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