Direct Mail Part 4:

Last week we discussed how to successfully design your mailshot so this week we will make the natural progression onto production and despatch.

There are a few things you have to decide when producing your mailshot mainly whether it will be a standard letter or a fully designed mailer. PrintMatters can do both for you.

The important thing is that you maintain your database to assist mailshot production. Accuracy of information is key as an up-to-date database;

•  Increases response rates
• Reduces production and postage costs
• Helps ensure compliance with data protection regulations

So what about responses?

You really need to sort out your response method before you send out your direct mail. If you have not planned your response then a warm prospect can quickly turn to a cold shoulder.

Don’t fall into the trap of swamping yourself in responses.

Start off with smaller mailshots initially to gain an idea of the feedback you will receive, and then slowly increase the volume until you are comfortable.

There is no point in performing a large mailshot then not being able to handle the responses. This would not only result in a lost order, it will be a lost prospect that will be reluctant to do business with you again.

Next week I will give you the final part in our Direct Mail series.

Local company local prices

At PrintMatters we are constantly keeping an eye on our competitors.

Our regular customers know our prices and our service and return to us. However you will often bump into someone at an event or just in passing who will always enquire as to your price.

We often hear from this person who does not have all the information in front of them “that’s quite expensive” and “you are competing with the internet so you will never be as cheap as online”

The one that is often cast up to us is printing.com. Mass printing, mass customers, mass marketing. One thing is for sure the marketing works. Everyone has the perception that they are dirt cheap and we could never compete with them.

Here are some top line prices for you;

Stationery pack consisting of 500 letterheads, business cards and compliment slips;

printing.com with 20% off is £167 or £209 normally

PrintMatters standard price is £129

Roll up banner;

Printing.com is £128

PrintMatters is £99

So why are printing.com so expensive, we can only guess that you are paying for all the adverts. 

They confuse you with the pricing strategy as well, by pricing banners separate from banner stands you think you are getting a deal. At PrintMatters if you want a banner you get the stand anyway, its common sense.

PrintMatters; local pricing from a local company, and you can even speak to us on the phone.

Online shop coming soon!

Bright Ideas

Imagine the frustration. You receive a new set of corporate stationery from your printer You open the box to see your new corporate image which is going to convey all manner of professionalism to your customers and propel you to that next level.

Then you spot a mistake.

Surely its not like that on everything?! But it is. All 2000 invoices, all 2000 compliment slips and everyone of your 3000 letterheads. You check the signed proof. The mistake was on the design all along but you missed it.

Darn it.

Your printer says “Sorry but you proofed it” but surely after all the business you have given them over the years they will be able to help you out somehow?! Discount on the reprint or sell the stock or something.

Nope. “Sorry your fault your problem.”

You are fuming. So you start thinking how can I fix this? Labels, its not a big mistake if I just get labels printed up and stick one on every time we send things. Great.

So you phone a few printers and they give you the price for the labels its just as much as the bleedin’ stationery.

You phone and ask the local printer in Yellow Pages and are met with a similar response. “They will not save you much; it will look tacky to send that out with your new logo.” Your heart sinks.

Then you hear the question “Have you got all your letterheads?”

You spark up thinking, glimmer of hope. “Yes”

“Tell you what bring them in. We could chop the top and bottom off the letterheads to make your compliment slips that way your not paying for more paper than you need.

“Brilliant, what will it cost to do it all?”

“About 1/3^rd of what you paid originally”

Relief washes over you. A very bad day turned brighter.

PrintMatters. We do more.

01356 625033 enquiries@printmatters.info