Friday
Can't wait for the next 30 years!
Integraphx is 30 years old this year and its' been quite a journey. From our humble beginnings in the basement of the Parkview building to our current 24,000 sq. ft. production facility, we've always enjoyed meeting the needs of our customers. Nothing gets our blood pumping like the challenge of meeting an impossible deadline or creating a new system to change the way business is done.
We've transitioned from a retail copy shop with locations throughout the city to a fully capable commercial printing and marketing services firm all while maintaining customer relationships that go back to the day we opened our doors. We've enjoyed boom times and we've endured more challenging times like we see today but we always wake up in the morning looking forward to our next adventure.
What will the next 30 years bring? Hopefully more of the same. Happy customers that allow us to be a part of their next adventure!
Thank you.
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors
and doing new things, because we're curious
and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
- Walt Disney
.
We've transitioned from a retail copy shop with locations throughout the city to a fully capable commercial printing and marketing services firm all while maintaining customer relationships that go back to the day we opened our doors. We've enjoyed boom times and we've endured more challenging times like we see today but we always wake up in the morning looking forward to our next adventure.
What will the next 30 years bring? Hopefully more of the same. Happy customers that allow us to be a part of their next adventure!
Thank you.
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors
and doing new things, because we're curious
and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
- Walt Disney
.
Thinking of cutting your ad budget?
In a famous study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results showed that firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years than those that eliminated or decreased advertising.
By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising.
By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising.
Monday
Socially responsible printing with Integraphx.
Did you know you may already be supporting the highest social and environmental standards when using Integraphx for your printing projects?
Why not tell the world you support these standards of excellence and that you are taking a proactive approach to environmental responsibility?
· It won’t cost extra.
· You can do it now.
· Integraphx will help guide you through the process.
As an FSC certified printer, Integraphx is proud to display the FSC logo as a symbol of our commitment to responsible forest management. The FSC logo identifies products which contain wood from well managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council. Many of our most commonly used papers are FSC certified.
To learn more please visit: http://app.beanstalkdata.com/clickstats.aspx?ID=612&Tracking=a695911c9b3042d1bc619c670a571da0&StepId=486 or call us at 704-529-5044.
Why not tell the world you support these standards of excellence and that you are taking a proactive approach to environmental responsibility?
· It won’t cost extra.
· You can do it now.
· Integraphx will help guide you through the process.
As an FSC certified printer, Integraphx is proud to display the FSC logo as a symbol of our commitment to responsible forest management. The FSC logo identifies products which contain wood from well managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council. Many of our most commonly used papers are FSC certified.
To learn more please visit: http://app.beanstalkdata.com/clickstats.aspx?ID=612&Tracking=a695911c9b3042d1bc619c670a571da0&StepId=486 or call us at 704-529-5044.
Wednesday
Understanding the USPS Changes for May 11, 2009
The USPS has introduced some additional changes that will become effective on May 11th, 2009, which will affect postage rates. The rates with the lowest increase are for those projects that are presorted and automated. In an effort to become more effective, the USPS is continuing its effort to make the mail stream as workable as possible for its equipment.
Here is a list of some of the more commonly used rates and how they will be affected:
- Single piece postcard rate increases 1 cent from .27 to .28.
- Single piece 1 ounce letter rate increases 2 cents from .42 to .44.
- Single piece 1 ounce flat rate increases 5 cents from .83 to .88.
- Presorted standard letters under 3.3 oz will average less than a 1 cent per piece increase.
- Non profit letters under 3.3 oz will average less than a .5 cent per piece increase and will even see a decrease for some categories.
- Presorted standard and Non-Profit Flats will have a minimal increase of .6 to .7 cents per piece.
What does this mean to you?
It will be more important than ever to understand mailing regulations so you comply with all automation requirements, or trust your direct mail project to a designer, printer, and mail house that understand the regulations. In addition to the format, size, weight, shape, and color, don’t forget about the move update introduced by the USPS in November 2008.
The good news?
Integraphx can help your mailing comply with all regulations from design through distribution!
The better news?
With the mailstream down considerably, your direct mailer has less competition for attention! Now is the time to get your message out there and make it stick!
Thursday
Our Latest Adventure
Wow. What a year. Life certainly got complicated for a lot of people in a short amount of time. Things are changing and changing fast. Tighter budgets are forcing everyone to think about doing business differently.
If you’ve kept up with Integraphx you probably already know that change is nothing new for us. Over the past few years we’ve changed our name, switched our focus from black and white copies to digital and commercial printing and added wide format printing to the mix.
Well now it’s time for our latest adventure – Beanstalk Data. (www.BeanstalkData.com)
In May of 2007 we sat in a strategic planning session and decided we were going to truly commit to variable data printing. We’ve always toyed with VDP (remember the tattoo or pepperoni postcards?) and have helped many customers with successful VDP campaigns over the years. But we never really committed to the process – it was always something we played around with.
So we decided to commit. Not really sure what we committed to becoming (software company? Marketing company?) we decided we wanted to develop a marketing automation company and Beanstalk data was born. We hired programmers, network administrators and website designers and programmed like the wind. Over a year later and through much testing and re-testing we have Beanstalk Data.
What is Beanstalk Data? Beanstalk Data is a software Integraphx developed that integrates with your current data (CRM, POS, Website, Microsoft Outlook etc…) and based on the activity within that database we are going to send out a pre-determined sequence of marketing events that may include direct mail, email, fulfillment, surveys or even a scheduled phone call. We even tie into your website to track the activity during a campaign. Everything is trackable and measureable. No more wondering if that last campaign was worth all the trouble.
Thanks for listening and we hope you have a wonderful new year.
If you’ve kept up with Integraphx you probably already know that change is nothing new for us. Over the past few years we’ve changed our name, switched our focus from black and white copies to digital and commercial printing and added wide format printing to the mix.
Well now it’s time for our latest adventure – Beanstalk Data. (www.BeanstalkData.com)
In May of 2007 we sat in a strategic planning session and decided we were going to truly commit to variable data printing. We’ve always toyed with VDP (remember the tattoo or pepperoni postcards?) and have helped many customers with successful VDP campaigns over the years. But we never really committed to the process – it was always something we played around with.
So we decided to commit. Not really sure what we committed to becoming (software company? Marketing company?) we decided we wanted to develop a marketing automation company and Beanstalk data was born. We hired programmers, network administrators and website designers and programmed like the wind. Over a year later and through much testing and re-testing we have Beanstalk Data.
What is Beanstalk Data? Beanstalk Data is a software Integraphx developed that integrates with your current data (CRM, POS, Website, Microsoft Outlook etc…) and based on the activity within that database we are going to send out a pre-determined sequence of marketing events that may include direct mail, email, fulfillment, surveys or even a scheduled phone call. We even tie into your website to track the activity during a campaign. Everything is trackable and measureable. No more wondering if that last campaign was worth all the trouble.
Thanks for listening and we hope you have a wonderful new year.
NCOA Move Update will be required for Standard Mail
What is Move Update?
Move Update is the term the USPS uses to refer to the process of updating mailing addresses with National Change of Address (NCOA) information. Basically, Move Update is verifying the person to whom you are sending mail still resides at the address you have on record.
The USPS is making this change to reduce the amount of undeliverable mail. In 2006 alone, over 9.7 billion pieces were sent out with addresses that could not be delivered. This cost the USPS $1.9 billion to process, forward, return or destroy.
How does NCOA work?
Whenever a person fills out a USPS Change of Address card, or goes to the USPS Change of Address website, a record is generated in the NCOA master database. By electronically comparing the address of those who have filed a change of address with your database, we can determine which addresses are no longer valid. Once we’ve identified those who have recently moved, we can update your mailing list with the new information.
On November 23, Move Update will be required for Standard Mail. Your mailing list must have been processed through a USPS approved NCOA update process within 95 days of the mailing date.
How will Integraphx help?
We will automatically run your mailing list against the NCOA database for every mailing.
What will be required from you?
We will need your signature on a one page postal form stating that we have your permission to use NCOA. Then sit back, relax and we’ll take care of the rest.
Move Update is the term the USPS uses to refer to the process of updating mailing addresses with National Change of Address (NCOA) information. Basically, Move Update is verifying the person to whom you are sending mail still resides at the address you have on record.
The USPS is making this change to reduce the amount of undeliverable mail. In 2006 alone, over 9.7 billion pieces were sent out with addresses that could not be delivered. This cost the USPS $1.9 billion to process, forward, return or destroy.
How does NCOA work?
Whenever a person fills out a USPS Change of Address card, or goes to the USPS Change of Address website, a record is generated in the NCOA master database. By electronically comparing the address of those who have filed a change of address with your database, we can determine which addresses are no longer valid. Once we’ve identified those who have recently moved, we can update your mailing list with the new information.
On November 23, Move Update will be required for Standard Mail. Your mailing list must have been processed through a USPS approved NCOA update process within 95 days of the mailing date.
How will Integraphx help?
We will automatically run your mailing list against the NCOA database for every mailing.
What will be required from you?
We will need your signature on a one page postal form stating that we have your permission to use NCOA. Then sit back, relax and we’ll take care of the rest.
Wednesday
Immediacy Is Key to Marketing Automation
The technological innovations which most affect small businesses’ marketing automation are those which enhance and aid immediacy and relevance. In today’s marketplace, your product is relevant to your customer base now, not two months beforehand or afterwards. In order to successfully implement marketing automation within your business, you need to consider relevance and immediacy when developing a marketing and delivery plan. Keep the following tips in mind when you do so.
Keep Your Database Active.
In order to deliver immediate products, updates, and best practices to your clientele, you need to maintain an active customer information database. By integrating your marketing strategy with an such a database, you can deliver marketing materials that speak to customer needs of the moment. Being able to meet your customers’ immediate needs as well as their long-term needs makes you relevant in a way that helps to ensure loyalty and future sales.
Strike While the Iron is Hot
Now that your customer information database is an active, living part of your marketing strategy, you need to make sure that immediate needs are met immediately. The longer you wait to reach a prospect – or even a regular customer – the more likely it is that they will find an alternative. After all, if you’re a loyal Jack-in-the-Box patron but your local restaurant isn’t serving food right now, you’ll probably find another fast food option. You’re hungry now. So are prospects and customers.
Target and Focus
Today’s email and communications technology allow you to send targeted messages at specific times rather than generic mass-mailings on a periodic basis. With the proper database automation, you can pick and choose which marketing materials to send to which prospects and clients, and at the perfect time. Why send your entire catalog if you know that John Q. Customer wants a specific product within that catalog? Why not just send the item description? New technology makes it cost-effective to send out over a hundred pieces of material on Monday, less than a dozen on Tuesday, and more than 500 on Wednesday. At the same time, use your database research to alter the message based on what you know about each customer or prospect.
Automate and Walk Away
Many businesses make the mistake of continually fiddling with their marketing automation processes if results are not perfect instantaneously. The important thing is that you automate tasks which can be handled by a database solution more efficiently and effectively than by employees. This will free up man-hours, reduce costs and restore productivity. Once you’ve automated your database, walk away. Let it do the job you programmed it to do. Database programs self-update, so allow yours to do so. Modify it on a periodic basis in order to ensure effectiveness, and use your new resources – both temporal and financial – to grow your business.
Keep Your Database Active.
In order to deliver immediate products, updates, and best practices to your clientele, you need to maintain an active customer information database. By integrating your marketing strategy with an such a database, you can deliver marketing materials that speak to customer needs of the moment. Being able to meet your customers’ immediate needs as well as their long-term needs makes you relevant in a way that helps to ensure loyalty and future sales.
Strike While the Iron is Hot
Now that your customer information database is an active, living part of your marketing strategy, you need to make sure that immediate needs are met immediately. The longer you wait to reach a prospect – or even a regular customer – the more likely it is that they will find an alternative. After all, if you’re a loyal Jack-in-the-Box patron but your local restaurant isn’t serving food right now, you’ll probably find another fast food option. You’re hungry now. So are prospects and customers.
Target and Focus
Today’s email and communications technology allow you to send targeted messages at specific times rather than generic mass-mailings on a periodic basis. With the proper database automation, you can pick and choose which marketing materials to send to which prospects and clients, and at the perfect time. Why send your entire catalog if you know that John Q. Customer wants a specific product within that catalog? Why not just send the item description? New technology makes it cost-effective to send out over a hundred pieces of material on Monday, less than a dozen on Tuesday, and more than 500 on Wednesday. At the same time, use your database research to alter the message based on what you know about each customer or prospect.
Automate and Walk Away
Many businesses make the mistake of continually fiddling with their marketing automation processes if results are not perfect instantaneously. The important thing is that you automate tasks which can be handled by a database solution more efficiently and effectively than by employees. This will free up man-hours, reduce costs and restore productivity. Once you’ve automated your database, walk away. Let it do the job you programmed it to do. Database programs self-update, so allow yours to do so. Modify it on a periodic basis in order to ensure effectiveness, and use your new resources – both temporal and financial – to grow your business.
Thursday
Marketing to your current customers boosts sales and builds loyalty
One of your most important business assets is your customer list. You have established a level of trust with current customers, making it easier to secure additional business from them. But notice that I said easier not effortless; you must make the commitment to market to your current customers in order for them to decide to purchase from you again.
Marketing to your current customers has two valuable results: It boosts sales and builds loyalty.
Maintaining meaningful contact with customers is important to your marketing success. It keeps you in the forefront of their minds so that when they are ready to buy, or when their colleagues need a referral, they think of you, your business, your product or your service.
So where do you start?
Know your customers. First you need to know your customers. Names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are obvious pieces of information you must gather. What have they purchased from you in the past and what is the average dollar amount of those purchases? By integrating your marketing systems with other internal systems such as accounting, point-of sale, and customer relationship management systems, you can track what they purchased in the past and project what they may need in the future. Additionally, information regarding individual customer buying preferences, favorite radio stations and magazines, sports team loyalties and other data are extremely helpful in marketing to your current customers. So capture as much information as possible in a system that allows you to access it easily.
Meaningful contact. Use the information you have about current customers to send them relevant messages to keep them coming back. What messages are relevant? The answer may be different for each customer but the key is to use the data that you have gathered to respond to their specific product and service needs. Every customer has a distinctive combination of preferences, interests and demands that make them unique. The closer you come to addressing those needs in your communications, the greater the likelihood that you will get additional business from those customers.
Build loyalty. Another way to market to your current customers is via a rewards-based customer loyalty program. One of the best-known and longest running loyalty programs is the airlines’ frequent flyer program. The theory behind these programs is that customers will want to spend more money with your company in anticipation of earning their rewards. Your business will benefit most from a loyalty program that entices repeat purchases from customers and encourages them to tell others about your product or service. An added benefit to loyalty programs is that they give you the opportunity to gather additional information about your customers’ buying preferences and specific needs, allowing you to further target your marketing efforts.
Marketing to your current customers has two valuable results: It boosts sales and builds loyalty.
Maintaining meaningful contact with customers is important to your marketing success. It keeps you in the forefront of their minds so that when they are ready to buy, or when their colleagues need a referral, they think of you, your business, your product or your service.
So where do you start?
Know your customers. First you need to know your customers. Names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are obvious pieces of information you must gather. What have they purchased from you in the past and what is the average dollar amount of those purchases? By integrating your marketing systems with other internal systems such as accounting, point-of sale, and customer relationship management systems, you can track what they purchased in the past and project what they may need in the future. Additionally, information regarding individual customer buying preferences, favorite radio stations and magazines, sports team loyalties and other data are extremely helpful in marketing to your current customers. So capture as much information as possible in a system that allows you to access it easily.
Meaningful contact. Use the information you have about current customers to send them relevant messages to keep them coming back. What messages are relevant? The answer may be different for each customer but the key is to use the data that you have gathered to respond to their specific product and service needs. Every customer has a distinctive combination of preferences, interests and demands that make them unique. The closer you come to addressing those needs in your communications, the greater the likelihood that you will get additional business from those customers.
Build loyalty. Another way to market to your current customers is via a rewards-based customer loyalty program. One of the best-known and longest running loyalty programs is the airlines’ frequent flyer program. The theory behind these programs is that customers will want to spend more money with your company in anticipation of earning their rewards. Your business will benefit most from a loyalty program that entices repeat purchases from customers and encourages them to tell others about your product or service. An added benefit to loyalty programs is that they give you the opportunity to gather additional information about your customers’ buying preferences and specific needs, allowing you to further target your marketing efforts.
Tuesday
Integrate Sales and Marketing for Increased Revenues
We hear a lot about how marketing and sales should work hand-in-hand. But what does it mean to integrate sales and marketing efforts in your business? And is it really worth the effort?
The average business uses several different marketing tools such as participation in trade shows, e-mail, direct mail, company Web sites and so on. Similarly, businesses utilize various sales tools including telephone calls, personal visits and contact management or customer relationship management software. The use of multiple tools often results in valuable information that is useful to both marketing and sales but is separated and not shared efficiently or effectively.
Integration occurs when the data collected through these marketing efforts becomes part of the sales tools being utilized and the data collected through the sales tools is fed back to your marketing machine. This cross-pollination of data enables sales and marketing to work in harmony towards a common goal – increased revenues.
Several studies, including one by the Aberdeen Group (The Convergence of Sales and Marketing, December 2007) show double-digit increases in bid-to-win ratio, lead conversion, average revenue per account and return on marketing investment as a direct result of integration between marketing and sales technologies. The challenge is figuring out how to accomplish integration in a way that is relevant and easy for people in marketing and sales to use.
Meeting the challenge: tips for successful integration
Decide what you want to accomplish. Do you want to increase qualified leads and reduce the time it takes to close a sale? Whatever your objectives, list them and prioritize them so you can eventually measure the success of your integration efforts.
Identify the data to be shared. What marketing information does your sales force need to meet stated objectives. What sales data should be entered into the marketing system to better target your audience?
Automate wherever possible. Automatic communication systems that tie in to your current customer relationship management (CRM) system are designed react to pre-defined triggers by sending appropriate marketing material to the potential customer. This is done by establishing a set of business rules that act on pre-assigned criteria to push out a desired piece of mail, e-mail or telesales call to the prospect, in many cases within days of the trigger. Lead prioritization tools can automate the flow of leads from marketing to sales. The biggest gains from automation are seen in improved return on marketing investment that is driven by better response rates to marketing campaigns. More efficient prospecting is achieved as automated processes provide a vehicle for continuously gathering, testing and refining data increasingly accurate customer information.
The average business uses several different marketing tools such as participation in trade shows, e-mail, direct mail, company Web sites and so on. Similarly, businesses utilize various sales tools including telephone calls, personal visits and contact management or customer relationship management software. The use of multiple tools often results in valuable information that is useful to both marketing and sales but is separated and not shared efficiently or effectively.
Integration occurs when the data collected through these marketing efforts becomes part of the sales tools being utilized and the data collected through the sales tools is fed back to your marketing machine. This cross-pollination of data enables sales and marketing to work in harmony towards a common goal – increased revenues.
Several studies, including one by the Aberdeen Group (The Convergence of Sales and Marketing, December 2007) show double-digit increases in bid-to-win ratio, lead conversion, average revenue per account and return on marketing investment as a direct result of integration between marketing and sales technologies. The challenge is figuring out how to accomplish integration in a way that is relevant and easy for people in marketing and sales to use.
Meeting the challenge: tips for successful integration
Decide what you want to accomplish. Do you want to increase qualified leads and reduce the time it takes to close a sale? Whatever your objectives, list them and prioritize them so you can eventually measure the success of your integration efforts.
Identify the data to be shared. What marketing information does your sales force need to meet stated objectives. What sales data should be entered into the marketing system to better target your audience?
Automate wherever possible. Automatic communication systems that tie in to your current customer relationship management (CRM) system are designed react to pre-defined triggers by sending appropriate marketing material to the potential customer. This is done by establishing a set of business rules that act on pre-assigned criteria to push out a desired piece of mail, e-mail or telesales call to the prospect, in many cases within days of the trigger. Lead prioritization tools can automate the flow of leads from marketing to sales. The biggest gains from automation are seen in improved return on marketing investment that is driven by better response rates to marketing campaigns. More efficient prospecting is achieved as automated processes provide a vehicle for continuously gathering, testing and refining data increasingly accurate customer information.
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