Every effective presentation needs a “Wow Factor” to get attention. Postcards, business cards, flyers, brochures, sell sheet, catalogs, posters or any other printed advertising sales and marketing literature should be designed with the intent to get the most attention possible.
Direct marketing promotions are one of the most effective ways to increase sales quickly. The most important elements are spectacular design and exciting copy. You only have a brief second get someone’s attention and create an impact. The key is to separate yours from all the other stuff in the mailbox.
With new state of the art printing technology, it is now possible to create “Wow Factor” effects without breaking the bank. Using gang run printing, your job is combined with similar jobs and each person shares the cost. You only pay for the space you need and everybody shares the cost of the make ready on the press. This is not an uncommon practice and many online printers offer this service. So what's the big deal? The big deal is the “Wow Factor”. The problem with gang run printing is you are limited to printing on the paper stock the chosen printer uses. You may also be limited on coatings and finishes, if available. Coatings are important since they give more richness to your job.This is as far as most online printers go. Now you can have more options with the Wow Factor.
What is the “Wow Factor”? The “Wow Factor” is hard to define but you know it when you see it. It’s that something extra that grabs your eye and attention. Going beyond good design and copy, it can be extra heavy printing stock, spot UV coating, silver metallic ink or colored metallic effects that are not commonly used by everyone. By using these techniques you can create a card has a much better chance of getting noticed.
If you want to separate yourself and your image from your competition, you need to find a vendor that can offer you added value services. You need more than just plain old vanilla gang run printing. There are so many printers offering gang runs, it may take a bit of searching to find a printer that can provide the “Wow Factor”.
I can’t stress enough that printed sales and marketing literature are tools to create sales. Finding the cheapest price online is not always the best way to find a printing service. You need to find the best value. Look for free paper upgrades. Free file check is important. If something is wrong with the way you’ve created your files, will the printer you pick call or email you that they have found a problem? You would hope so but most gang run printers will just print the files you send them and when you are not satisfied they will say “we just printed what you sent us”. Unfortunately that’s more common than it should be. Find a company that really cares about your job as much as you do.
You can’t judge a printers’ quality and service by their page ranking. For example, you can go to One Man’s Blog and find an article on one of the highest ranking and largest printers. There you will read about past customer nightmares in dealing with them. Of course, that is not to say that this is the norm. But it does illustrate the point that some printers with the highest page ranking are not always good printers. What I am saying is, if page ranking and price are the only two factors you consider in your selection, you are throwing dice hoping for a good outcome.
A good way to find a great resource is to plan ahead with enough time to check them out. Do they offer free samples? They should and you should order them. See how long their response time is. Check out their quality. Pay attention to the paper weights and finishes. Do they offer free coating on all their printing? Do they charge extra for overs (some do)? It’s also a good idea to call them to check out their customer service. Were you put on hold for a long time?. Did you connect to a person that was actually able to answer questions about their service and specifically the job you have in mind? Make sure they have free file check and use it before confirming your order? What kind of response did you get? How fast did they get back to you? Do they have free online proofs of your job? By doing good due diligence before you choose a printer, you will have a good idea of the kind of quality and service you can expect.
“Wow Factor” techniques are new and not available from most online printers. If you want to separate yourself from the crowd, you should take advantage of this. The first impression is the most important one and you only get one chance. By using these new techniques, you can achieve your goal by raising the bar of your presentation with the “Wow Factor”. Remember, presentation is everything.
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