5 Tips to Market to Current Clients: On a Budget

By Rachel Kuhn, Sales and Marketing Assistant

In a smaller business, it’s easy to put off marketing because you will “get to it later.” Marketing is a must; even if it’s in a money-saving point of the year, you can concentrate on marketing to your current clients on a budget. There are many ways to market to current or potential clients where the sky is the limit when it comes to the investment of the campaign or project. What most don’t realize is that marketing to your current clients can be very inexpensive and extremely effective.

There are a number of ways to effectively receive feedback and provide solutions to the clients in which you already do business, and I will touch on what I believe are the 5 most important ways of doing so.

1. Talk to them. Communication with your customers is essential. Whether it’s picking up the phone for a short conversation to see how things are going or sending a newsletter each quarter and following up for feedback, it is the fact that you communicate that is important, not how. Keeping the line of communication open is going to do nothing but help your relationship with that client.

2. Get personal. It is important to build personal relationships with your clients if you want that loyalty factor to remain. Once that relationship is built, they will feel they can come to you in any situation and resolve it if there is an issue instead of just finding another company as a solution. Not to mention, “getting personal” with your current clients costs you nothing but your time and I think it’s fair to say it would be time well spent.

3. Manage your reputation. Just as quickly as an unhappy customer can bring down the reputation of a company, good customer service can boost the reputation. Keep your customers coming back by always putting them first and provide excellent customer service, always.

4. Show your appreciation. Letting your clients know how much you appreciate their business is an extremely effective way of keeping them loyal to your company/brand. If you show genuine appreciation, they will always remember the thoughtfulness. You can do this a number of ways; you can send your current clients a “thank you” card or e-mail (which you may think to be a no-brainer, but you would be shocked at how many businesses do not take the time to write them). You could also meet up with them for coffee or lunch to tell them how grateful you are for their business or even send them a small gift card for somewhere they enjoy. It can be as simple as a $5 gift card for coffee at their favorite coffeehouse. It’s the little, thoughtful gestures that are going to make them remember you.

5. Get involved. It is important to demonstrate your dedication to your community. If one of your clients is involved with a particular charity or event, consider donating your time, money or goods to the cause! A little effort here could go a long way.

The Deciding Factor

By Don Eger, Sales Representative

Everyone is looking for the “silver bullet” these days; the one factor that separates a “win” from a “loss”. Management in every business segment is asking themselves, “What can we possibly do to close the sale faster? We have the best technology, resource integration, great people and a proven track record.”

Like it or not, there is no single factor that makes any company really stand out in the crowd these days. Technology has become the great equalizer… and without it you’re doomed. While having it, there is the constant struggle of staying in the forefront every single day. Rating the competition on the proverbial 1-10 scale only reinforces the harsh reality that there is a great deal of parity in these challenging economic times.

So what is the key differentiating factor? What causes a company to choose one prospect over another? Quality? Price? Performance? Sure, they all impact the final decision, but ultimately, the real deciding factor is CHEMISTRY. That’s right; the reality of it all is that people like to do business with people they like, people they can identify with. You certainly wouldn’t want to do business with someone you didn’t think you could get along with, regardless of the strengths of their respective organization.

It’s not always easy to quantify, but chemistry is a key determining factor in who gets the business. And it is an even more important factor in retaining the business once it is landed. The customer/client must be able to identify with the team that has been assembled to service the account. Trust, proactive behavior, problem-solving abilities, dependability and a sense of urgency are the attributes that are so difficult to identify in the courting phase, but are key components in developing and maintaining the best of relationships.

So, when your next prospect is in the decision-making process, never discount the impact of good chemistry. More often than not, it IS the deciding factor.

QR (Quick Response) Codes - Connecting consumers to real time offers in an easy-to-use "mobile" environment

By Joe Leist, Sales Director

Have you seen the new QR Codes lately? If not, fasten your seat belt, as more and more companies are seeking ways to reach out to their customers and prospects like never before. The main benefit for marketers using direct mail is that QR codes can turn a printed direct mail piece into an interactive mobile call-to-action, allowing static messages to become a quick-scan hyperlink to just about anything online.

For those new to QR Codes, a QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URLs, web links, or other data. The QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the acronym for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

I recently downloaded my free QR scanner application titled LifeScan from the Blackberry App Store for my Storm II and it works perfectly as advertised! My first QR Code test was for a "Win A Free Camera" contest that was presented on the cover of the Printing Industry Association of the South's (PIAS) monthly newsletter / magazine. The QR Code image on the front cover was simply scanned by my Storm II. Approximately 5 seconds after the scan, the app took me to an online survey whereby PIAS asked me questions about my membership, the technology we use here at FCi to support our clients marketing efforts, a few sales-related questions, and of course they requested my email address prior to submittion, which I am certain they will use for various emails campaigns in the future. Interestingly enough, I still haven't logged on to to my computer at work...hence the "mobile" power of the QR Code!

QR codes mass acceptance is soon to follow as smartphones are quickly becoming the phone of choice for all consumers, including adults. According to a Forrester Research report conducted in October and November 2009, 17 percent of US adults used smartphones, up from 11 percent in 2008 and 7 percent in 2007 and that smartphones are one of the hottest growth sectors in the economy right now. Usage continues to grow, even after significant growth over the past two years. Forrester notes that nearly one in every three US adult mobile phone subscribers now has either a smartphone or a quick message device (QMD), up from one in five less than a year earlier. In another report, according to comScore's MobiLens, 234 million Americans 13 and older used mobile devices between March and May 2010, with smartphone usage increasing 8.1% during the three month period.

Additionally, faster mobile web connectivity is growing, and mobile web search is becoming one of the most common uses for these devices. Imagine receiving a direct mailer with a QR code. Embedded within the code is a Personalized URL that takes you to a website offering a 25% off coupon for the exact pizza you ordered the last three times at your favorite restaurant. Later that week, you drive to the restaurant, show the waitress your coupon on your smartphone, and proceed to order your pizza along with the cheesesticks since you just saved 25% off of your favorite pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pie. For marketers, the possibilities are endless. Just as important, this technology is measurable, which has been lacking in the industry longer than any CMO wants to admit.

As Smartphones explode as the mainstream media / communication device, it stands to reason that QR Codes will be one of the hottest applications in the marketing world. They are easy to track and provide an immediate response mechanism that catches consumers at the very moment of interest - when the consumers are intrigued. QR codes will help them take the next step and will make the new generation of direct mail more powerful than ever. For all you marketers using direct mail today, QR code technology is one that you cannot ignore.

...But I don't like SPAM!

By Bryan Robison, Senior Data Specialist

Email is one of the most effective & cost-efficient ways to market your company’s products & services. It’s also a great way to reach out to new customers and to stay in contact with current ones. However, before hitting the “send” button on your next email marketing campaign, you need to ensure that it won’t be flagged as spam and that it complies with the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act.

What exactly is ‘spam’? According to Spamhaus.com, an electronic message is "spam" if (A) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (B) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent. In other words, it’s all about consent and not content.

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 was enacted to help control the proliferation of unsolicited bulk email; to give recipients a way to opt out of receiving unsolicited messages; and to lay out penalties for violations. Some of the major requirements of this law include:

1) Use accurate headers, such as your “From,” “To,” & “Reply-To” names

2) Subject line must correlate to the content of email message

3) The message must include a valid physical postal address

4) Plainly give your recipients the choice to opt-out of receiving any future emails

5) Handle any & all opt-out requests promptly

And, CAN-SPAM is enforced. Just ask Kodak & ICE.com. Kodak Imaging Network sent over 2 million messages that didn't have an unsubscribe link or a physical address included in their emails. They were fined $26,000; not a pretty picture. ICE.com sent an email marketing campaign to 6,000 recipients who had previously unsubscribed. Their penalty: $6,500 in cold, hard cash.

Designing beautiful, catchy, interesting and/or whimsical email messages is the easy part; the hard part is ensuring that your recipients have opted-in and that you are CAN-SPAM compliant. Because your email messages are all about consent, not necessarily content.

When Personalization Gets TOO Personal

By Rachel Hardin, Sales and Marketing Assistant

These days, the amount of information that is easily gathered about a consumer by researchers can be frightening. Technology is aiding the process of gathering Internet usage / consumer profile information down to the second, and that information is used by sales and marketing executives for personalized direct mail and other sales tools allowing them to connect with the customer on a personal level… or at least that is the goal.

Recent accusations of information misuse and even racial profiling by the Center for Digital Democracy and the US Public Interest Research Group have marketers and sales executives on pins and needles. Everyone wants to hit that fine line between personalization that amazes the consumer and personalization that frightens the consumer (and makes them wonder how they even got that information in the first place).

So, how exactly do you know how to hit that fine line without crossing it? Here are a few pointers to consider on your next personalized campaign:

-Do not include any customer information that is not directly related to the product/service you are offering.

-Avoid including information related to: medical data, financial information, sexual preference / orientation or personal identifiers (i.e. social security numbers, driver’s license information, telephone numbers and/or physical descriptions).

-Has the majority of your audience heard of your company or organization? If they have not, you should be even more cautious about the customer information you disclose as this could trigger a defensive response, not knowing how you acquired this information.

-It is key to make use of ongoing dialog with customers about data collection. Finding out and complying with their preferred level of privacy can help sales and marketing executives gauge the success and professionalism of their efforts.

Personalized marketing campaigns can be a great way to impress potential clients; however, if the information is not used in a respectful manner, your plans can backfire and your campaign will have the exact opposite effect. Consider who you are targeting, what product / service you are marketing, and what sort of reputation your company has with your target audience, if any. After this has been done and your mailing has been dispersed, communication is key. This will lead to an effective, personalized campaign.

The Lowest Hanging Fruit May Already Be On The Ground!

By Don Eger, Sales Representative

Business development efforts more often than not focus on “low hanging fruit”. Time and time again savvy marketers identify key business segments that are ideally aligned with the goods and services that a respective company has to offer. While it is strategically sound to pursue new business in this manner, all too often companies tend to lose focus on what helped make them successful in the first place…their current customer.

One of the most commonly overlooked sources of increased revenue has already “fallen from the tree”. Just look at your own current client base. Sure, you’re knocking yourself out on a daily basis jumping through hoops and making sure that everything you do contributes to a high customer satisfaction rating. But, when was the last time you sat back, took a deep breath, and asked yourself…”What more can I being doing for my client? How can they additionally benefit from the services in which my company has demonstrated expertise? Have I looked at every possible perceived client need and properly aligned it with each and every capability my company has to offer?”

Here are a three simple ways to grab “ripe fruit” that is just within reach…

1. Proactively strategize about programs that are consistent with ones you are already implementing in your client’s behalf. This doesn’t need to be anything formal. Brainstorm with your current account group, it may be as simple as saying to your contact at the next meeting, ”have you ever considered…?”

2. Meet with primary contacts and ask how you can reach deeper within their organization. In most cases, and particularly if they are a well-satisfied client, they’ll be more than happy to put you in touch with influential decision-makers in other departments.

3. Schedule semi-annual reviews. This can be an effective new business tool for sales personnel, regardless of the industry you represent. Discussion can lead from “how are we doing” to “what else can we be doing”.

Sure, it’s all a common sense approach to building business relationships, but client satisfaction and increased revenues go hand-in-hand. Remember, the first day you acquire an account, you are one day closer to losing it, so make every day count!

Are you mailing JUNK MAIL?

By Joe Leist, Sales Director

Have you ever wondered why so many companies use direct mail marketing for customer acquisition? The answer is quite simple. It works! This week I received over 15 direct mail pieces at my home address here in balmy Louisville, KY. Offers came from local companies such as realtors, auto dealers, and insurance agents. A few mail pieces were received from national retailers such as Dicks Sporting Goods, Macy’s, and Justice (you’d have to have a 10 year old daughter to know that one!). And lastly, I received some very aggressive offers by credit card industry giants, Chase Bank and PNC.

While most of us consumers get somewhat annoyed by the many offers being provided through the direct mail marketing channel, (maybe you’ve heard the term “junk mail?”), some of the offers seem to be right in line with my needs. How is it that some mail is considered junk, while other pieces might be golden? That's the million-dollar question marketers face every day, and one that can be avoided with a simple understanding of direct mail marketing basics.

If you are considering utilizing direct mail for customer acquisition, you might be interested in better understanding the top 5 mistakes marketers make when building direct mail campaigns:

1) The wrong list: Oftentimes marketers use either out-dated house files or have done a poor job in securing a great list. As postage rates continue to increase yearly and as consumers continue to get bombarded with a wide variety of marketing messages on a daily basis, it’s imperative to target an audience that meets your ideal customer profile. Why mail a furnace replacement offer to a new-home buyer if that buyer won’t be replacing a furnace for at least 8 years!

2) Poor copy: Whether you use self-mailers, or the often-used 9 x 12 with buck slip in a # 10 window envelope, copy sells. To see what others are using in their copy, either start collecting your own direct mail pieces, or consider joining “Who’s Mailing What”, which is simply a direct mail database of thousands of direct mail pieces in PDF, which is searchable by industry. If you’re not interested in subscribing, feel free to call me and I can pull some industry samples for you to review.

3) Not enough testing: It’s imperative to test, test, and then test some more. Rule number one is never to mail just one copy of anything, but instead test multiple pieces in the same mailing. You just might be surprised at which copy is working and often times it is not the piece you thought would garner the higher response rates.

4) No relevancy / No personalization: In the old days, direct mail was created on commercial printing presses and every piece delivered the same message using the same graphics regardless of age, race, income, and other demographics ultimately resulting in poor response rates. Today’s marketing service providers use data-driven technology that allows every direct mail piece to be unique to the recipient. A great example in relevancy can be seen from one of the regional grocers here in the Midwest whom uses their member base house file list for up-sell opportunities. Have you ever wondered why you received a Bonny Bell ice-cream coupon when you purchased another brand’s ice cream just three weeks ago? Data drives the offer and is easy to accomplish with today’s technology being used by marketing service providers.

5) No plan for following up: 10,000 mail pieces delivered, 1.29% response rate (or 129 responders), and no follow up plans. Yikes! It’s true, and we see if every day whereby marketing and sales continue to operate on separate floors with no follow up game plan, especially in the B-to-B marketplace. Do yourself a favor and plan your follow up processes before you launch your next marketing campaign.

Good luck to those embarking on an excellent customer acquisition marketing strategy using direct mail and always remember: build or purchase a targeted list, write copy that is compelling with a good call to action, test, test, and test some more, use personalization and data driven content to more closely communicate with your prospects interest, and always remember to build a follow up strategy prior to launch. Otherwise, you might just be adding more junk mail to the postal stream.

How to Maximize Digital Printing Efforts

By Gary Sublett, Data Processing / Docutech Specialist

Have you read Rachel's article, “The Power of Paper”? This is absolutely true! I hope you are looking at the possibilities of a marketing plan that includes a digital color press produced component as time and time again it has been proven that this is the way to get the most return on your marketing dollar.

You may wonder, why use a digital color press produced component? Below are the economies of a digitally produced color piece:

· Relatively endless personalization possibilities with variable data print (VDP).
· Quick turn around.
· Economical short to medium runs.
· Near linear cost per piece produced.
· Real proofs produced by the exact workflow that generates the final product.
· Print-on-Demand. (POD)
· In-line finishing. (Trim, score, stitch, fold, etc.)

All of this sounds great, but there are even considerations one must make when planning a digital color print component. Attention to a few details at the creative design phase can go a long way to maximize the benefits of digital print. Here are a few key areas that we have found to be critical:

· Get your printer involved early in the design phase. If your ideas involve a mail piece, coordinate with your printer to ensure your design complies with postal standards and regulations.

· Proof early and often. Proofing on a digital press is significantly more economical, quicker, and allows for an interactive creative process.

· Determine the most appropriate color space to use (RGB vs CMYK) during the design phase and when to convert to CMYK.

· ICC profiles used and why.

· Image formats, resolutions, compression. (JPEG, TIFF, EPS, etc)

· Optimizing large areas of solid and gradient tints to avoid mottling and banding.

All things considered, digital printing (especially color printing) can go a long way and still remain cost effective. Use these tips on your next digital printing campaign and save yourself time and money in your marketing strategy. There isn't a more opportune time to do more with less.

The Power of the Paper

By Rachel Hardin, Sales and Marketing Assistant

Marketers are constantly under the microscope to come up with the latest and most innovative ways to attract more customers. From the traditional direct mail postcard to whacky out-of-the-box expensive innovations, just about every possibility seems to have been tested at one point or another. So, what is it that actually WORKS?

The answer is simple; go back to the basics. Time and time again, it is direct mail (postcards in particular) that has proven to be effective in both cost and return on investment. There are particular ways to get the most out of your company’s dollar when it comes to direct mail postcards. The most important of the “musts” include:

• You must invest in your mailing list.
• You must be creative with your postcard headline.
• You must encourage the reader to do something with a call-to-action.
• You must choose postcard images carefully.
• You must narrow your point of focus and be specific. 

 Keeping these pointers in mind, the traditional direct mail postcard can take your company a long way without wearing out your entire marketing budget on a single mailing. Let FCi help you get back to the basics!