For the record, we are not morphing into:

• A social media company
• A marketing strategy consultant
• An advertising agency

What we are transitioning into is a marketing communication service provider who helps companies plan, produce, execute, and analyze all kinds of conversation starters, from print to  email to mobile to social media.

Yes, printing is still a big part of what we do, but  we acknowledge printing is only one way to communicate a company’s message and branding.

As our customer’s customers and prospects migrate to non-print digital media, we’re incorporating those forms of communication into print, and sometimes even eliminating print altogether.

For example, we’re creating and adding 2D barcodes onto signage, direct mail and business cards so recipients can respond via smartphones.

We’re creating customized web portals for   ordering marketing collateral and as often as     not, these portals contain non-print marketing communications such as emails and PDFs.

Instead of just printing and addressing static postcards, we’re adding personalized URLs with interactive landing pages to help companies engage in conversations with their customers.

And in addition to printing event collateral, we’re creating customized event sites where attendees can register and access hotel and venue information from a cell phone or tablet computer.

If today’s new world of marketing communications has changed the way you converse with your customers, we can help you start, sustain, continue and enhance the conversation.

Just as this conversation started with print, it can continue in many different forms. So for more information, call us, email us, scan us, friend us, share us, or tweet us. Regardless of your communication medium preference, we’ll be there!

Let’s see…there are a whole variety of terms that were bantered around in the past few days, which include: Marketing Services Provider, Marketing Communications Organization, Cross-Media Communications Channel Partner, and so on and so on. From time to time, as you gathered in the back of meeting rooms folks began to really talk about the true challenges they face. We all come from some form of the print industry. And our industry has been in a rapid state of change over the last couple years. The world of print remains a very important channel in the communication process, but the true thought leaders in our industry have begun to focus on the actual content itself. Well managed content can be integrated into personalized communications which deliver targeted, personalized content in a timely and relevant manner across a variety of channels which include print, email, web, and even video.  Organizations who have delivered stellar quality products and services for several generations are being forced to reinvent themselves and their go-to-market strategies. 

I, for one am excited to watch the future of marketing communications unfold. Although we hear the term “cross- media” used quite often, what we are really talking about is multi-channel interactive communications. The ability to deliver content across a variety of channels and then engage and expand distribution based on the recipient’s preferences is nothing short of awesome. 

Industry experts project a continued growth and sophistication in the ability to centralize, manage and personalize and respond to these targeted messages. And, based on recent studies which indicate consumers are responding well to shared media, we can count on continued investment into the social media channel. 

The future of our market segment offers a great deal of opportunity for those of us who are willing to hang on, or even better for those of us who choose to lead.

Each of his points, when taken into consideration while planning a campaign can make a huge difference.  We have to remember that we want quality vs. quantity when it comes to targeting our audience.  The purpose of the code is to provide a shortcut to a more enhanced dialogue between two parties.

I can’t tell you how many codes I have clicked on which simply dropped me off onto a website with no planned path for me to take.  As the use of 2D bar codes become more common place, and more sophisticated, I think we will begin to see some very interesting trends in how we can automate and nurture the lead acquisition process.  Stay tuned folks…this should get fun…

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

So what does this mean when using color in design?

Effective use of color is all about relationships and communicating your brand’s message. Without spinning the color wheel to hard, there are some simple theories at work. Color has relationship values to other colors on the wheel. But the color wheel can be used or ignored and you could use color meaning instead. Just as design is subjective, color meaning and theory aren’t an exact science either. And if you ask several people, you get different answers as to what a particular color means, but one needs a starting point, so I’ve listed some accepted color meanings (source www.aboutlogodesign):

• Red evokes aggressiveness, passion, strength and vitality
• Pink evokes femininity, innocence, softness and health
• Orange evokes fun, cheeriness and warm exuberance
• Yellow evokes positivity, sunshine and cowardice
• Green evokes tranquility, health and freshness
• Blue evokes authority, dignity, security and faithfulness
• Purple evokes sophistication, spirituality, costliness, royalty and mystery
• Brown evokes utility, earthiness, woodsy-ness and subtle richness
• White evokes purity, truthfulness, being contemporary and refined
• Gray evokes somberness, authority, practicality and a corporate mentality
• Black evokes seriousness, distinctiveness, boldness and being classic

Remember, colors can have different meanings for different people – it’s all about context and your brand as a whole. As a designer considering and understanding the power of color and how to use it effectively for your brand’s goals are key to an overall good brand message. Discover the reason for color and use it your maximum advantage.

Kathi Woolsey, VP of Marketing and Sales at ImageSet is proud to be part of the speaking roster chosen to share expertise and knowledge at PODi’s AppForum, the longest running independent digital print conference in the industry. She will be featured as part of a panel discussion focused on  “Successfully Selling Digital Solutions”, an exploration of “Transitioning to a Marketing Services Provider.”

Learn about what’s best and what’s next in direct marketing, cross media, QR codes, digital packaging, personalized video, augmented reality, web-to-print, social media, and more. Get unbiased straight talk and make lasting connections that will help you make better decisions in your targeted marketing efforts.

We’re happy to be able to offer you an exclusive Speaker discount on your AppForum ticket. Use this code when you register: SPK2012DIS, and enjoy a special $100 “ImageSet” Discount. Click here for more information: http://www.appforum.org/?red_attempt=1&sessionId=4A7yFd4kunCJHqZMYwTJDJR9KCZyAKec

Sales growth is at the top of the agenda in the boardroom. Buyers are not buying the same way they did in the “pre-recession” era. For those of us responsible for growing sales, we’ve got to develop new strategies and processes.

Whether you are selling to a prospective business partner or targeting the consumer, you must be able to address three key items in order to get the sale: Timing, offer  and relevancy.

Luck certainly plays a role in the entire effort. To sell my services to you, you must be “in the mood” to buy (timing). I have seen many folks over the years trying to strong arm a prospect into doing business with them. If they aren’t ready to buy…they’re not going to buy. Period.  I must be able to provide you with a compelling reason to buy my products or services and my offer must meet some sort of goal or objective for you. Otherwise, why would you choose to do business with me?

Technology has added a layer of complexity   to the sales process. Customers are able to find what they want online 24/7; they have voice mail to screen calls, and budgets are tight. So, if I want to sell something to you, I’d better have an appealing offer.

Relevancy is the third component in successful sales. To make a sale, I must be able to demonstrate how my products or services relate to YOU. It all sounds so logical and yet often we forget to address one or more of these elements and we lose the sale.

For the last several years marketers have been honing in on better ways to target their audience. If done successfully, it is both cost-effective and delivers results. This same methodology must be applied in sales efforts in order to be able to effectively grow sales.

As we watch the economic rebound, we must keep in mind that we are not simply returning to “normal”.  We are facing a new normal, and if we want to grow our businesses we’ve got to be tuned into those three key elements. Timing, offer and relevancy.

Happy Hunting!

Most databases I receive need a little “help” to ensure maximum deliverability. Typical mistakes  are formatting errors, typos, and roving recipients. Fortunately, I have many valuable technology tools for cleaning up lists. Here’s a few:

• CASS certification (Coding Accuracy Support System). This process will standardize your mailing list, update outdated addresses, and verify that addresses are valid and complete. It also will correct many misspellings and formatting inconsistencies. The list is then sorted according to the carrier route giving you discounted rates and faster delivery.
• NCOA (National Change of Address). Running your mail list through NCOA will replace old addresses with updated ones. Not only is it required for most postage discounts, it means your mail piece is more likely to reach the intended recipient. Although NCOA can correct the majority of obsolete addresses, it doesn’t make your list 100% deliverable, as not all movers file change notices, and many are filed incorrectly.
• Dupe detection. Our de-duping software can remove most duplicate names in your list. While this is not a perfect process (i.e. John Smith and Johnathon Smith at the same address may not be detected), it definitely reduces printing and postage costs.

As your full service mail provider, our goal is to help you increase the number of mail pieces that reach their targets, reduce your mailing services costs, and ultimately boost response rates on your mailing campaign.

Branding can be a powerful driver of growth. It can create preference, build loyalty, and ultimately create market value. A brand is built on effective targeting, effective positioning, effective communication and effective reinforcement. With all the avenues available to build or destroy a company’s brand; your brand is really built with a combination of promotion and experience. Understanding the power and the relationship of your brand to the customer experience is key to building, maintaining and growing it.

ImageSet’s approach to branding is to practice what we preach. My focus is to promote the innovative technologies that we utilize in our marketing efforts. Using variable data, personalized URLs, personalized imaging and 2D barcodes, I create more value, improve the client experience and extend the project interaction.

 “Designers don’t actually solve problems. They work through them.”
Marty Nuemeier

I have always been a believer in approaching any design, marketing or technology challenge with honesty, questions, collaboration and trust. That allows me to work through most problems to a solution that is not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Developing strategies incorporating all of ImageSet’s marketing technologies gives me the ability to clearly position, communicate and reinforce our brand and our client’s brand. Mastering the art of effective branding for our company or yours improves productivity, marketability and profitability.

As technology changed, so did our service offerings. From typesetting to film output to digital printing, we followed the path dictated by our customers’ needs.

And they’re still changing today. For example, while a typical job nowadays might still involve a direct mail piece, more and more often we’re also providing the e-mail and web components to that campaign, as well as list acquisition and database marketing strategy.

Particularly indicative of the changing nature of our business is the growing number of customers who have migrated their print ordering to our e-procurement solution for collateral-on-demand. I find it ironic that an old-standby of offline media, print, is increasingly being procured through an online vehicle, the internet.

Like many of you, we’re wondering what the next 25 years will look like. Will it be a paperless society? Probably not, say the experts. But the paper communications of the next quarter century will definitely take a different format, and be produced with entirely new technology.
But for now, we’re focusing on the next year, and the year after that and the year after that, because we’ve learned over the past 25 years that you can’t control what you don’t know. One thing we do know: just as we’ve observed and responded to technology trends in the past, ImageSet will keep evolving to meet your communication needs in the next year, and the next decade, and hopefully, in the next quarter-century.

The article goes on to state that the value of digital printing is not in the technology itself, but how it can be combined with other technologies (databases, email, wireless, and the Internet) to create more relevant, less wasteful ways to communicate with customers.

As ImageSet Digital’s Vice President of Technology, I’ll leave the arguments to the consultants. I prefer to focus on practical ways we can help our customers utilize new marketing technologies to save time and money on print procurement and improve their marketing results.

For example, a lot of my time lately has been spent on setting up new online collateral management programs. I spend many hours working on the back end of customers’ web portals so that they can save many hours of print ordering time on the front end. Recent enhancements to our collateralon-demand software make image uploading easier and faster, gives expanded administrative controls, better asset management, and improved checkout processes.

But perhaps the most exciting of my latest project endeavors is in learning how to create 2D interactive barcodes. We recently produced our first 2D barcode application for a major apparel manufacturer. This new application is not only
exciting to a techno-geek like me, it’s a “must see” for anyone interested in upcoming marketing trends. For a sample 2D interactive barcode, look on the inside page of this newsletter. And if you need help in making it work, I would be glad to walk you through the process. After all, that’s my job – to help our customers learn about and benefit from new technology.