BHP Printing Blog

Have you seen a QR code? A QR code is a special bar code that links printed material to the internet. You have probably seen them on direct mail pieces, in-store ads, and on products. If you have a marketing plan that encompasses all types of media, including mobile marketing, you should be printing QR codes to further market your products and services.

Anyone with a smart phone can scan the QR code and their phone’s browser will take them to a landing page. Most people with a mobile phone carry a smart phone; QR codes have become the perfect way to expand the information from printed marketing material.

Most business use the internet, and using a QR code can drive traffic to that site. Printing marketing material that will integrate with the internet is imperative in today’s day and age.

• Use a QR code on a menu to allow customers to sign up for a newsletter and coupon.
• Use a QR code on direct mail for a particular product with more information about that product on a landing page.
• Use a QR code to drive clients to a YouTube video that has information on your products and services.
• Use a QR code on your business card so your contact information can be auto populated into a smart phone’s contacts.

For more information and ideas on how to use QR codes to further integrate your marketing media, contact Blue Hill Press.

Trish Witkowski is a marketing expert who teaches business owners about the many distinct and creative ways that they can bend, seal, crease and deliver their direct mailer.

“If you can pique someone’s interest with direct mail, you’re one step closer to getting a higher response rate and a bigger return on your investment,” Witkowski explains.

“You want the best chance to get the attention of the recipient and folding is one component that is underutilized. So many creative things can be done with direct mail, and I don’t think we, as an industry, are taking advantage of the opportunity.”

With Direct Mail an intricate fold or creative bend can make your next marketing piece all the more effective.

(click on images to enlarge)

With direct mail you can sell any good or service at any price point. It just needs to be done right. You can reach new customers via direct mail as well. Find new customers with direct mail and appeal to your existing customers as well.

There are many advantages to direct mail:

1. Targeted. Want to reach prospects within a particular radius around your business. You can get a mailing list. There is a list for people whose demographics correlate to the customers you already have.
2. Direct mail lets you target only your potential clientele where mass media does not.  
3. Interactive.  With variable data printing, you can address each potential customer by name and provides a way for them to reply to you.
4. Obvious.  People sort the mail by going through the mail. When you use your direct mail piece correctly, and communicate a strong message,  you’re getting your message across to 100% of the people.
5. People like mail. Most people look forward to receiving and looking through their mail.

Direct mail postcards can help you promote your business easily, effectively, and affordably. But to capitalize on these benefits, you need a reliable and efficient program in place. There are a wide variety of Direct Mail products - flat, folded, or specialty - to help you create a versatile and cost effective direct marketing solution targeted to your business market. But once you have decided on the message and the graphics, don’t get a surprise by the postage. The mailing process should be part of your decision process. Blue Hill Press can help.

Postcards

• Postcards qualify for discounted First-Class postage.
• Maximum size of postcard to qualify for discounted postage is 4 ¼” x 6”.
• Presort First-Class postage for a postcard costs less than Presort Standard postage for a letter.
• USPS offers no Presort Standard postage rate for postcards.
• USPS requires blank space 4” x 2” in lower right corner for address and bar code.

• Folded self-mailers cost less to produce than mailers in envelopes.
• Folded self-mailers get better results than mailers in envelopes, because message is visible on outside.
• Folded self-mailers must be secured with at least one wafer-seal or glue strip.
• Mailers folded with opening at top of mailing panel require only one wafer-seal.
• Mailers folded with opening at bottom of mailing panel require at least two wafer-seals.

Did you know that at Blue Hill Press, our day-to-day business operations are powered in part from wind-generated electricity?  That windmill graphic at the top of our website means that when it comes to being good stewards of the earth, we walk the talk.

To help promote a cleaner and greener world, Blue Hill Press is committed to sound practices. We purchase production supplies that are made of recycled products, we use natural inks (soy and linseed-based), and we produce no silver-bearing waste.  We recycle ink, paper, cartons, pallets and aluminum, and, we use computer-to-plate technology to bypass film processing and eliminate silver-bearing waste, and we’ve been using direct-to-plate technology since 2007.

We are proud to serve our clientele in the most environmentally responsible manner possible. But we also provide opportunities for you to “go green”.  We provide you with environmentally conscious paper and inks.   Due to the increase in awareness of global resources, there are now many earth-friendly options when choosing your paper type and printer inks.  Using paper and inks that are made of alternative materials helps reduce the amount of dangerous and wasteful substances.  Envelopes can now also be printed with a "Please Recycle" logo for no extra charge.    

Catalogs, brochures, newsletters, direct mail, and flyers are prime candidates for recycling.  Being conscious of what it truly means to 'reduce, reuse, and recycle,' can have a big impact on the earth's most vital resources.

Using newsletters for business development improves your sales and marketing efficiency. A newsletter is a regular publication, which provides interesting information to a defined group. The main purpose is to communicate an idea, item or concept through images and compelling content. Your newsletter is an education tool, as well. It explains to your clients what they should know about your area of expertise, and how it relates to them.
 
If your business sends out a regular newsletter, of course you want it to stand out.
 
Several design elements work together to do this:
•   Paper choice determines how the graphics, color and type appear on the page
•   Colors highlight important items by drawing the readers' eyes to a headline or message
•   Graphics and photographs capture the reader's eyes

Obviously, everything on your newsletter page can't be fighting for attention. When you combine these elements to form the layout, you should highlight only the most important promotional items.

Blue Hill Press has full-color printing services to accomplish this plus make sure you have rich, detailed photos, logos and graphics.   All of these items will add interest and catch the eye of your reader. Using full color offset printing can make the good newsletter great.

Blue Hill Press can also mail your newsletters directly to your customers and prospects for you. Contact us for details on how we can save you time, money, and a lot of hassle on your direct mail newsletter project.

Direct mail postcards can help you promote your business easily, effectively and affordably. It is a cost-effective way for businesses to dramatically increase sales and expand their customer base. This approach to marketing delivers high-volume sales results through physically connecting with potential customers.

Direct mail postcards greatly heighten the awareness of your product or service with customers. They have staying power. A customer can hold it in their hands and the direct mail piece is a reminder to them for when your product or services are needed. But to capitalize on these benefits, you need a reliable and efficient program in place. That's where Blue Hill Press direct mail printing services come into the picture.

We offer a wide variety of superior quality postcard products - flat, folded, or specialty - to help you create a versatile and cost effective direct marketing solution targeted to your business market. At our in-house mailing department, we CASS certify your mailing list and apply bar-coded addresses, so you get the lowest postage rate for automated mailing.

People will often try new businesses because they have a coupon or other incentive. Direct mail advertising is a great way for new or small businesses to gain a foothold on the local market. Sending out marketing materials with printed special offers or discounts to a wide, local audience is the perfect way to attract new business and take your place in the market. And, at Blue Hill Press, we can even provide a mailing list for you based on your specific demographic parameters.