2BUSINESS BUSINESS

UPDATEAPRIL 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Marketing In Real Life— Personalized Direct Mail Cures a Pharmacy’s Ailing Campaign

Mobile Marketing— Does Your Business Need a Mobile Website?

Biz Tips— 8 Tips for Generating Blog Ideas

Business 2 Business Update is a monthly newsletter published by PIP

Traditional marketers often have a tendency to create campaigns in an offl ine vacuum, with no mention as to how the campaign connects to their website or social media channels. However, bridging that gap can be as simple as asking the question, “What is the online component to this campaign?”

You’ve probably used some of the obvious ways to combine online and offl ine marketing, such as business cards and brochures with your website’s URL on them. But there are other ways to combine the two. For example, many companies create “microsites,” which are an individual web page or a small cluster of pages to complement an offl ine activity. Microsites generally provide in-depth information about a particular product or service, or as editorial support towards a specifi c product.

With the ever-growing use of smart cell phones, QR codes are increasingly being used in offl ine campaigns. In using these codes, prospects found offl ine will be driven to your site, your video, a special offer you are giving out through a survey, and a lot more.

Combining online and offl ine elements can be a very powerful marketing strategy, but it can be tricky. Let the experts at PIP Printing help you bridge the gap between your online and offl ine marketing campaigns for maximum success.

Personally SpeakingTRENDS IN THE MARKETPLACE

PIPQUIZHOW TO...

See how savvy you are with our PIP Quiz.In what year was the microwave oven introduced as a consumer product?

A. 1947

B. 1951

C. 1955

D. 1964

Answer inside!

Break ThroughOftentimes, if you ask a writer for a great idea, you’ll probably get a solution that involves words. Likewise, if you ask a designer for a great idea, you’ll probably get a solution that involves visuals.

Landscape artist Gary Bolyer believes these are self-imposed limitations, brought about by the fact that we’re all products of our experiences. He also believes that knowing what’s holding you back is the fi rst step toward breaking down the barriers of creativity.

When it comes to such activities as problem solving, decision-making and new product development, Bolyer believes it’s necessary to look past what you know and feel comfortable with to come up with the breakthrough ideas you’re looking for. He suggests forcing yourself to step outside your comfort zone and be open to anything. For instance, consider how those in unrelated areas do what they do and apply it to your situation. You never know how it might work unless you consider it—and try it.

633 SE Clay St

Portland, OR 97214

P 503.282.0913

E pippdx@pip.com

pippdx.com

Is your business on Facebook? PIP can generate a fully customized page for your business. See how:

(http://bit.ly/HVVp6X)

E pippdx@pip.comP 503.282.0913

633 SE Clay StPortland, OR 97214

John “Konrad”Owner

www.pippdx.com

The Enduring Power of Traditional MediaDespite all the buzz about the declining revenue of print media, the reality is that traditional channels are not being replaced by social channels. According to Paul Greenberg, author of the best-seller CRM at the Speed of Light, traditional channels aren’t given the importance they deserve because they are harder to measure and don’t scale the same way as online channels.

Greenberg cites a recent study by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, which revealed that 70 percent of all the participants in social channels do it strictly for personal reasons, and only 23 percent interact with a company’s brand. In other words, social customers don’t care about a brand as much as they care about communicating with their friends

Greenberg believes that offl ine, traditional channels still represent a substantial way to infl uence buying decisions and solve problems, and that smart marketers are those who work with both offl ine and online media, and who treat social channels as nothing more or less than a new set of communications options for interacting with social customers.

Traditional and social channels for marketing and customer service in particular are just elements in how you can engage customers. Sometimes you need social channels; other times, they are less important. Either way, Greenberg says, “the solution is never the channel itself but how you use it. What you do in it, how you interact, and what problems you solve in a reasonable time frame far outweigh the channel itself.”

Marketers must maintain a good mix of traditional and contemporary media channels in order to fully enhance consumer interaction with their brands.

MARKETING IN REAL LIFE MOBILE MARKETING

Do you know why Google is changing its entire platform from desktop websites to mobile websites? Because there are currently 4.8 billion Smartphone users compared to 1.7 billion desktop users.

A mobile website is built just like any other website and is hosted on a web server. The difference is that a mobile website is optimized for a small screen. According to the Small Business Authority, if your business already has a “regular” web site, you already have a mobile website, too. On most next-generation Smartphones, the included web browser can render a website in nearly the same fashion and quality as the web browser on a PC. The main difference between a Smartphone and a computer screen, of course, is the screen size.

Mobile website programming requirements vary depending on the functionality and complexity of the primary website. Highly complex sites with hundreds of pages or e-commerce, such as Amazon, require a greater degree of design and programming than a typical website, which is a more straightforward translation from one format to the other.

A mobile website is generally a good idea, since even a very simple “regular” website can appear too small to read or navigate for smartphone users who are increasingly “spoiled” by the predominance of mobile adaptations. This can lead to frustration and cause the user to abandon your site for one that is easier to use. Building a mobile website doesn’t have to be expensive—when allocating your budget dollars, remember that your web presence is increasingly the face of your company.

Does Your Business Need a Mobile Web Site?

BIZ TIPS

Fictional names were used. Based on actual case study.

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8 Tips for Generating Blog Ideas

Are you out of ideas for blog posts? Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media, offers these ideas for fi nding inspiration.

1. Use Google alerts to set an alert with a few industry key words, and ask it to deliver at least 20 stories a day. Read the headlines and throw interesting links into a fi le for future use. When you get several related stories, you’ve got an instant roundup piece.

2. Skim national newspapers and magazine stories and consider how national news affects your readers.

3. Ask yourself, “What’s missing?” or “What will happen next?” Answer the questions the national publications didn’t address.

4. Read trade publications. Trade pubs cover every imaginable industry and they’re a great source of trend ideas.

5. Riff on a popular post. Grab yourself some high-powered linkage by posting your reaction to a big-time blogger’s thoughts.

6. Tackle a controversy. Weigh in on your industry’s hot topic. This can be especially effective if you have a contrasting viewpoint.

7. Scan industry conference schedules. The list of session topics offers a quick guide to your audience’s hot-button issues.

8. Create a regular feature. For instance, if you do a monthly news wrap-up, that’s one post you know you have covered.

Personalized Direct Mail Cures a Pharmacy’s Ailing CampaignCHALLENGECompanion Care Rx is a full-service veterinary pharmacy. Working with veterinarians, the company mails reminders to pet owners whose pet medications need refi lling. They also provide easy reordering and home delivery service. For years, staff members had been spending up to 14 hours per week printing, folding and inserting plain-looking form letters that were then mailed with fi rst class postage. It was an ineffi cient, dreaded task, postage costs ran high, and response rates were stuck in the low single digits. They needed a solution that reduced labor and postage costs and achieved a higher response rate. They also wanted to improve the look and quality of this marketing vehicle.

SOLUTIONWe knew right away that Companion Care Rx was a perfect candidate for a personalized direct mail campaign. Their data was good, but not being optimized. After consulting with their manager, we agreed to design a full-color, variable data postcard that would also reduce postage costs. The postcard contained variable elements for the veterinary clinic’s name, owner’s name, pet’s name, prescription, and prescription discount. In addition to variable text, the images changed depending on whether the reminder was for a cat or a dog.

Once a week, Companion Care Rx exports and emails a list to us from its customer database, which provides all of the variable data. We print and mail the personalized postcards within 24 hours.

RESULTSCompanion Care Rx was thrilled with the new direct mail program. A task that previously took them up to 14 hours per week now takes only 15 minutes, greatly increasing staff productivity. The switch from mailing fi rst class envelopes to postcards put them on course to save $9,000 annually, and response rates climbed from low single digits to 14%. The manager believes that their letters used to be thrown away as junk mail. Now, veterinarians tell her that their customers put the postcards on their refrigerators. Companion Care Rx plans to use this variable data marketing strategy and direct mail program indefi nitely.

MARKETING IN REAL LIFE MOBILE MARKETING

Do you know why Google is changing its entire platform from desktop websites to mobile websites? Because there are currently 4.8 billion Smartphone users compared to 1.7 billion desktop users.

A mobile website is built just like any other website and is hosted on a web server. The difference is that a mobile website is optimized for a small screen. According to the Small Business Authority, if your business already has a “regular” web site, you already have a mobile website, too. On most next-generation Smartphones, the included web browser can render a website in nearly the same fashion and quality as the web browser on a PC. The main difference between a Smartphone and a computer screen, of course, is the screen size.

Mobile website programming requirements vary depending on the functionality and complexity of the primary website. Highly complex sites with hundreds of pages or e-commerce, such as Amazon, require a greater degree of design and programming than a typical website, which is a more straightforward translation from one format to the other.

A mobile website is generally a good idea, since even a very simple “regular” website can appear too small to read or navigate for smartphone users who are increasingly “spoiled” by the predominance of mobile adaptations. This can lead to frustration and cause the user to abandon your site for one that is easier to use. Building a mobile website doesn’t have to be expensive—when allocating your budget dollars, remember that your web presence is increasingly the face of your company.

Does Your Business Need a Mobile Web Site?

BIZ TIPS

Fictional names were used. Based on actual case study.

PIP

Qui

z: C

. The

fi rs

t hom

e-us

e m

icro

wav

e ov

en w

as fi

rst i

ntro

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d 19

55, b

ut th

ese

units

wer

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o la

rge

and

expe

nsiv

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r gen

eral

hom

e us

e. T

he c

ount

erto

p m

icro

wav

e ov

en w

as in

trodu

ced

in 1

967.

8 Tips for Generating Blog Ideas

Are you out of ideas for blog posts? Rich Brooks, president of Flyte New Media, offers these ideas for fi nding inspiration.

1. Use Google alerts to set an alert with a few industry key words, and ask it to deliver at least 20 stories a day. Read the headlines and throw interesting links into a fi le for future use. When you get several related stories, you’ve got an instant roundup piece.

2. Skim national newspapers and magazine stories and consider how national news affects your readers.

3. Ask yourself, “What’s missing?” or “What will happen next?” Answer the questions the national publications didn’t address.

4. Read trade publications. Trade pubs cover every imaginable industry and they’re a great source of trend ideas.

5. Riff on a popular post. Grab yourself some high-powered linkage by posting your reaction to a big-time blogger’s thoughts.

6. Tackle a controversy. Weigh in on your industry’s hot topic. This can be especially effective if you have a contrasting viewpoint.

7. Scan industry conference schedules. The list of session topics offers a quick guide to your audience’s hot-button issues.

8. Create a regular feature. For instance, if you do a monthly news wrap-up, that’s one post you know you have covered.

Personalized Direct Mail Cures a Pharmacy’s Ailing CampaignCHALLENGECompanion Care Rx is a full-service veterinary pharmacy. Working with veterinarians, the company mails reminders to pet owners whose pet medications need refi lling. They also provide easy reordering and home delivery service. For years, staff members had been spending up to 14 hours per week printing, folding and inserting plain-looking form letters that were then mailed with fi rst class postage. It was an ineffi cient, dreaded task, postage costs ran high, and response rates were stuck in the low single digits. They needed a solution that reduced labor and postage costs and achieved a higher response rate. They also wanted to improve the look and quality of this marketing vehicle.

SOLUTIONWe knew right away that Companion Care Rx was a perfect candidate for a personalized direct mail campaign. Their data was good, but not being optimized. After consulting with their manager, we agreed to design a full-color, variable data postcard that would also reduce postage costs. The postcard contained variable elements for the veterinary clinic’s name, owner’s name, pet’s name, prescription, and prescription discount. In addition to variable text, the images changed depending on whether the reminder was for a cat or a dog.

Once a week, Companion Care Rx exports and emails a list to us from its customer database, which provides all of the variable data. We print and mail the personalized postcards within 24 hours.

RESULTSCompanion Care Rx was thrilled with the new direct mail program. A task that previously took them up to 14 hours per week now takes only 15 minutes, greatly increasing staff productivity. The switch from mailing fi rst class envelopes to postcards put them on course to save $9,000 annually, and response rates climbed from low single digits to 14%. The manager believes that their letters used to be thrown away as junk mail. Now, veterinarians tell her that their customers put the postcards on their refrigerators. Companion Care Rx plans to use this variable data marketing strategy and direct mail program indefi nitely.

2BUSINESS BUSINESS

UPDATEAPRIL 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Marketing In Real Life— Personalized Direct Mail Cures a Pharmacy’s Ailing Campaign

Mobile Marketing— Does Your Business Need a Mobile Website?

Biz Tips— 8 Tips for Generating Blog Ideas

Business 2 Business Update is a monthly newsletter published by PIP

Traditional marketers often have a tendency to create campaigns in an offl ine vacuum, with no mention as to how the campaign connects to their website or social media channels. However, bridging that gap can be as simple as asking the question, “What is the online component to this campaign?”

You’ve probably used some of the obvious ways to combine online and offl ine marketing, such as business cards and brochures with your website’s URL on them. But there are other ways to combine the two. For example, many companies create “microsites,” which are an individual web page or a small cluster of pages to complement an offl ine activity. Microsites generally provide in-depth information about a particular product or service, or as editorial support towards a specifi c product.

With the ever-growing use of smart cell phones, QR codes are increasingly being used in offl ine campaigns. In using these codes, prospects found offl ine will be driven to your site, your video, a special offer you are giving out through a survey, and a lot more.

Combining online and offl ine elements can be a very powerful marketing strategy, but it can be tricky. Let the experts at PIP Printing help you bridge the gap between your online and offl ine marketing campaigns for maximum success.

Personally SpeakingTRENDS IN THE MARKETPLACE

PIPQUIZHOW TO...

See how savvy you are with our PIP Quiz.In what year was the microwave oven introduced as a consumer product?

A. 1947

B. 1951

C. 1955

D. 1964

Answer inside!

Break ThroughOftentimes, if you ask a writer for a great idea, you’ll probably get a solution that involves words. Likewise, if you ask a designer for a great idea, you’ll probably get a solution that involves visuals.

Landscape artist Gary Bolyer believes these are self-imposed limitations, brought about by the fact that we’re all products of our experiences. He also believes that knowing what’s holding you back is the fi rst step toward breaking down the barriers of creativity.

When it comes to such activities as problem solving, decision-making and new product development, Bolyer believes it’s necessary to look past what you know and feel comfortable with to come up with the breakthrough ideas you’re looking for. He suggests forcing yourself to step outside your comfort zone and be open to anything. For instance, consider how those in unrelated areas do what they do and apply it to your situation. You never know how it might work unless you consider it—and try it.

633 SE Clay St

Portland, OR 97214

P 503.282.0913

E pippdx@pip.com

pippdx.com

Is your business on Facebook? PIP can generate a fully customized page for your business. See how:

(http://bit.ly/HVVp6X)

E pippdx@pip.comP 503.282.0913

633 SE Clay StPortland, OR 97214

John “Konrad”Owner

www.pippdx.com

The Enduring Power of Traditional MediaDespite all the buzz about the declining revenue of print media, the reality is that traditional channels are not being replaced by social channels. According to Paul Greenberg, author of the best-seller CRM at the Speed of Light, traditional channels aren’t given the importance they deserve because they are harder to measure and don’t scale the same way as online channels.

Greenberg cites a recent study by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, which revealed that 70 percent of all the participants in social channels do it strictly for personal reasons, and only 23 percent interact with a company’s brand. In other words, social customers don’t care about a brand as much as they care about communicating with their friends

Greenberg believes that offl ine, traditional channels still represent a substantial way to infl uence buying decisions and solve problems, and that smart marketers are those who work with both offl ine and online media, and who treat social channels as nothing more or less than a new set of communications options for interacting with social customers.

Traditional and social channels for marketing and customer service in particular are just elements in how you can engage customers. Sometimes you need social channels; other times, they are less important. Either way, Greenberg says, “the solution is never the channel itself but how you use it. What you do in it, how you interact, and what problems you solve in a reasonable time frame far outweigh the channel itself.”

Marketers must maintain a good mix of traditional and contemporary media channels in order to fully enhance consumer interaction with their brands.