MI Printing Special: Indoor Banner with Aluminum Retractable Stand

Today:  indoor banner with aluminum retractable stand 33 x 80 inches $165.00. 

Our Aluminum Retractable Banner Stands are available with 10 mil indoor premium vinyl banners and are just as versatile as our "X-style" banner stands. The retractable stands are conveniently packed in a small bag and set up in a few easy steps.

For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork. Please mention this ad when calling to order.  Offer expires July 15, 2013

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your business printing needs.  Learn about the many printing services we offer.   Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
http://printinginaz.com
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Summer Marketing Ideas

We are into summer by just a few days and the metro area is wilting under 114 degree temperatures. When this excessive heat is past we will get back to celebrating summer in the Valley of the Sun.

What are you planning as summer business promotions?  Here are some ideas that may help you find new customers and bring back your previous buyers.

Take part in a community event. Summer in most towns is packed with fun runs, street fairs, music festivals, outdoor movie nights, concerts in the park…you get the idea. Contact your chamber of commerce and your city’s parks and recreation department to find out what events are planned for the upcoming few months. Decide which events are likely to attract your target customers, whether that’s health-minded seniors, parents with toddlers in tow or Millennial music fans. Once you’ve chosen some events with potential, you could:

Sponsor the event in return for your name on flyers, programs or banners at the event

Host a booth at the event and give out free samples or sell your product. (Be sure to collect contact information with a signup sheet or fishbowl to collect business cards).

Donate product to the event (a health food store could donate healthy snacks for refreshments at a fun run, for example)

Host an event for your customers. Get creative with a barbecue or beach party for your best clients and prospects. Or consider springing for something more adventurous like a Duffy boat rental or a wine tasting afternoon at a local winery. This can be a way to reward your best customers, learn more about their needs and provide them with networking opportunities that will lead to more referrals and more business. You don’t have to be a B2B business to make this work. If you own a retail store or restaurant, host a summer-themed event for your most loyal customers, like a special shopping night where they get to shop after the store is closed, or a special five-course dinner and wine tasting on a night your restaurant is usually not open.

Join with other business owners. If your business is in an area with lots of foot traffic, consider joining with the other business owners to hold a sidewalk sale or other outdoor event. Get with your chamber of commerce and plan how local businesses can attract foot traffic to your area.

Your printed materials are your businesses’ public face.  Your choice of colors, font types and sizes have somewhat the same affect on the viewer.  Make sure your message is a match to the buyer you expect.  Call MI Printing and let us help you make those choices.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Made In The USA – Tillamook Cheese

Just over a hundred years ago, several small creameries teamed up to form the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) to ensure the quality and reputation of cheese made in the Tillamook Valley.

The creameries that created TCCA knew that together, working cooperatively toward that goal, they could make even better products. Maybe even make a better life for themselves. They were right.

Today, they are made up of over 100 dairy farm families who own TCCA (many of whom are kin to the early pioneers), and the Tillamook brand can be found in stores from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine.

As much as they have grown, they haven’t lost sight of their past. They still use the same cheddar cheese recipe, now over 100 years old. And they are still true to the values that brought them together in the first place. They treat every day as an opportunity to follow the founders’ example, by working hard to make the highest quality, best-tasting dairy products. Dairy farming is what they love to do, and we’re proud of our products. They know you’ll enjoy their cheese as much as they do.

Making great cheddar begins at the farm, with the highest quality milk. Their farmer-owners are proud of the milk their cows produce.

We invite you to join the nearly one million fans who visit our Cheese Factory in Tillamook, Oregon, each year. Find out how Tillamook Cheese is made and get answers to your cheesiest questions, like how did they get these curds so darn squeaky?

Ever wonder what makes cheddar sharp versus extra sharp? Or how much milk a cow produces? What about how ice cream is made? You'll find answers to these questions and more on your self-guided Factory tour, with interactive kiosks, viewing windows, videos and lots of fun stops along the way.

Location: 4175 Highway 101 North Google Mapsend curve,  Tillamook, OR 97141

Hours
8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Labor Day through mid-June)
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Mid-June through Labor Day)
Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

Website: http://www.tillamook.com/

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us about your printing needs.  We are ready to listen and help your business reach the next level..

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Are Customers Tuning Out TV Ads?

Did you know that in the 1960s the average Television program had fifty-one minutes of content verses nine minutes of commercial time?  Today the content is more like forty two minutes and commercial time has doubled to eighteen minutes.

That means during your average hour of network programming thirty percent of the time is commercials.  That doesn’t count the commercials or product placement that occur during the programming content.

If you haven’t noticed the increase in product placement don’t feel bad, if just means they are doing their job effectively.  They don’t want you to realize the attempt to sneak in the product.  They are really going for a subliminal effect.  The technique, also called brand integration, wants to avoid or combat the affect called “Tune Out”.  More and more viewers are ignoring or tuning out the advertisers messages.

Technology and clutter tend to blunt the effectiveness and reach of the commercial spots that have underpinned the television business for nearly 50 years, the various players are scrambling to adapt.

That can of soda setting on the counter with the logo or branding showing is a product placement.  The car that the actor drives is provided as an incentive from the manufacturer.  In some cases ads that run during the programming will refer to the tie in.  On the show Defiance they feature a Dodge that is touted during both the show and accompanying ads.  During Warehouse 13 they show a Toyota Prius and then run matching ads during the advertising breaks.

Anytime an actor raves about a product or displays a logo you can bet that wasn’t included by accident.  At the end of a sports event the athlete doesn’t mention going to Disneyland as a spontaneous comment.

On Friday Night Lights the Gatorade containers seemed like they belonged on the side lines.  But the company paid to have their name and product displayed.  American Idol used the Coke brand and X Factor featured Pepsi to keep the cola wars going.

US product placement spending rose 10.2% to $4.26 billion in 2011 and is striding toward a third consecutive year of faster growth in 2012 on the strength of paid placements in television, internet, mobile and music content.

You can count on MI Printing when you need business printing done at a fair price and with great turn-around.  Give us a call at 623.582.1302 and see how we can help you with your business printing needs.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

How Big Can You Grow Using Free Ice Water?

Have you ever heard of Wall Drug?  Where are they located?  What was their marketing hook?  Well, from the title you might guess it has something to do with Free Ice Water.  What is your simple marketing idea?

Wall Drug Store, often referred to simply as "Wall Drug," is a tourist attraction located in the town of Wall, South Dakota. It is a shopping mall consisting of a drug store, gift shop, restaurants and various other stores. Unlike a traditional shopping mall, all the stores at Wall Drug operate under a single entity instead of being individually run stores. The New York Times has described Wall Drug as "a sprawling tourist attraction of international renown that takes in more than $10 million a year and draws some two million annual visitors to a very remote town."

In December 1931. Ted and Dorothy Hustead purchased the only drugstore in a town called Wall on the edge of the South Dakota Badlands. At first business was less than they expected.

Wall South Dakota was a little prairie town with only 326 people, make that 326 poor people. Most of them were farmers who'd been wiped out either by the Depression or drought.

To say business was bad would be an understatement.  On a hot July day Dorothy was trying to nap but the nearby traffic kept her awake.  From that noise a marketing campaign was born and the first road sign followed.  "Get a soda . . . Get a root beer . . . turn next corner . . . Just as near . . . To Highway 16 & 14. . . Free Ice Water. . . Wall Drug."

The signs were modeled after the old Burma Shave highway signs. Each phrase of Dorothy's little poem went on a 12 by 36 inch board. They spaced the boards out so the people could read them as they drove.  They had no ice machine.  They hand chipped blocks of ice.  People began stopping by the hundreds.  In addition to free ice water they bought ice cream cones and more.

The next summer Wall Drug had to hire eight girls to help them, and now that the store is in the the good hands of the original owners son Bill. Wall Drug now draws up to twenty thousand people on a good summer day.

Wall Drug earns much of its fame from its self-promotion. Billboards advertising the establishment can be seen for hundreds of miles throughout South Dakota and the neighboring states. In addition, many visitors of Wall Drug have erected signs throughout the world announcing the miles to Wall Drug from famous locations, treating it as a geodesic datum. By 1981 Wall Drug was claiming it was giving away 20,000 cups of ice water per day during the peak tourist season, lasting from Memorial Day until Labor Day, and during the hottest days of the summer.

Wall Drug has over 500 miles (800 km) of billboards on Interstate 90, stretching from Minnesota to Billings, Montana. Wall Drug spends an estimated $400,000 on billboards every year.

Need to have a creative twist to your next commercial printing job?  Let MI Printing work with you on your next handout, flyer or brochure to make your message stand-out and be remembered. Give MI Printing a call at 623.582.1302.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
printinginaz.com

MI Printing Special: 15% Off Roll Labels

15% off roll labels: Full color Roll labels are great for packaging and promotions, us them on bottles, as warning labels or for branding. Sizes are as small as a 1 x 1 as large as a 6 x 6

For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork. Please mention this ad when calling to order.  Offer expires July 15, 2013

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your business printing needs.  Learn about the many printing services we offer.   Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
http://printinginaz.com
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Made In The USA - Bumble Bee Tuna

Bumble Bee Foods was founded by a handful of dedicated fishermen in 1899. Today, privately held and headquartered in the United States, Bumble Bee Foods, LLC is North America’s largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, offering a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardines, and specialty seafood products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands including Bumble Bee®, Brunswick®, Snow’s® and Beach Cliff®, and in Canada under the Clover Leaf® brand. The Bumble Bee brand has established significant consumer awareness and loyalty based on the quality, nutritional value and affordability of its products.

Bumble Bee is fully committed to promoting the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and also preserving precious resources. Through its signature BeeWell For Life Program, Bumble Bee provides simple, creative ways to eat well and get active. The Company is also a founding member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation-a first-of-kind initiative in the U.S. involving a coalition of retailers, non-profit organizations and food and beverage manufacturers with a mission to help reduce obesity, particularly childhood obesity by 2015.

As North America’s leading supplier of shelf-stable seafood, sustainable fisheries and the preservation of aquatic resources is at the core of the our company’s sustainability programs and initiatives. Bumble Bee actively promotes the responsible stewardship of global fisheries resources and is a founding participant of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)-a global partnership of scientists, tuna processors and WWF, the global conservation organization. In addition, Bumble Bee’s corporate social responsibility program reaches beyond fisheries and across all aspects of its business encompassing operations, packaging, supply chain, consumers, communities and employees. 

They take pride in what they do – and they do it responsibly. Through sustainable fishing and innovative production practices, they strive to improve the way they do business every day at Bumble Bee.

Contact: P.O. Box 85362 San Diego, CA 92186

Website: http://www.bumblebee.com

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us your printing needs.  Call 623.582.1302

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

What is True Target Marketing?

Did you know that the ultimate goal of marketing is to make selling unnecessary.  You need to understand (also think target) your customer so closely that your product or service fits their needs so well the product sells itself.

In some business they think that the product offer will be accepted if the timing is right.  If you are driving and you are running out of gas the very next gas station finds your needs.  Depending on how critical your need for fuel, the brand and price no longer enter into to the purchase question.

Most people try to avoid the “out of gas” scenario when making their purchases.  Consumers want the timing, cost and brand to be part of every purchase situation.  A business needs to fulfill the customers needs, wants and demands.

Needs are plentiful  Basics human needs include food, clothing, comfort, safety and belonging.

Wants are the needs shaped by culture and the purchaser.

Demands are simply the wants of the consumer when they backed by the ability to pay for the “thing” they want.

Can you describe your product or service clearly and succinctly? What qualities differentiate your offerings from others in the industry? How will customers benefit? If you can't reply to these questions without hesitation, focus on developing clear explanations.

Keep in mind that marketing and clear communications are the key to reach your target market.  Clear words and messages have the ability to paint word pictures. Vivid images leave impressions in customers' minds, giving them a sense of your business and the people behind your operation. 

Too slick of a description can send clients running to your competitor, whereas sincerity can build your reputation and inspire long-term loyalty. Phrases like "family owned and operated" or "dedicated to giving back to the community" will help clients connect with your humanity and commitment. Then, make sure your business practices back up your marketing words and show that your business is genuine.

After drafting your marketing content, review the wording with objectivity. Process the information as if you were a customer just learning about your business. replace every word that is confusing or unnecessary. Simplify and polish your message to help the real meaning of your company, you’re your identity and message can rise to the top.

Let MI Printing help you get you message across in one of many styles of printed brochures.  We can get started with a simple phone cal to 623.582.1302.  Ask about our current specials.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

It’s A Good Business Day If…

Just one component to a business is the growth of the customer base.  It is a good day if you maintain your customer base and add one new customer.  If you can consistently do that day-to-day you will have a very successful business.

So it is a good day if you add one new customer during that day.  So here is your question for the day.  What are you going to do “today” to grow your business by that target goal of one new customer.

Many businesses think advertising when they are considering how to grow their business.  You can surely bring in new customers with great low prices.  But, you must consider staying profitable while bringing in those new customers.  You can’t give away your products or services for very long before you are no longer in business.

Consider that what you need to do is to tell a certain number of people each day the story of your business products and services.  How many people do you need to tell about your business to attract one new customer?  That number is the key to your business growth.

Not everyone you tell is truly a potential customer.  They may not need your product or service, or at least not now.  What you sell is the key to understanding the ratio of knowledge versus need or want. Many restaurants operate with the thought that “everyone eats.”  But your product may or may not appeal to everyone’s taste.  Depending on the target market you will face more or less competition.  As you know there are a large number of pizza and burger places.  As you move away from very popular foods you will have less “numbers” of competition but you are also fishing in a much smaller pond.  As a restaurant’s prices climb their potential customer base shrinks.

Year after year and survey after survey “word-of-mouth” communication is shown to be the most effective in getting new customers through your door.  As social media has grown it has become a most effective channel to spread the word about businesses.

Once a potential customer has heard of your business you still need to stay top of mind.  They need to be reminded of your business.  You want them to think of “you” when the need for your product or service arises.

You can have a simple effective story printed on a great flyer and make sure they get handed out every day.  You don’t want to hand them to your existing customers but to “new” potential customers.  If that sounds a bit like advertising you are right.

Do your existing customers have an incentive to bring you new customers?  If not why not!

If you need help with your business printing needs make sure MI Printing is the printer to consider for your next printing job.  We can start with a quick phone call to 623.582.1302.  We want to say “Thanks In Advance”!

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

MI Printing Special: Notepads

15% Off  Custom printed notepads: 4:25 x 5.5  padded in 50 sheets.  All of our notepads come with a very sturdy chipboard backing, and the pages are compiled of 60LB uncoated text. 

 Please mention this ad when calling to order.  Offer expires June 30, 2013

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your business printing needs.  Learn about the many printing services we offer.   Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
http://printinginaz.com
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Marketing, Selling and Story Telling

A good story can make or break a presentation, article, or conversation. But why is that? When marketers started to market products through stories instead of benefits and bullet points, sales can go through the roof. Learn the science of why storytelling is so uniquely powerful.

Would you like a quick example?

In 1748, the British politician and aristocrat John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, spent a lot of his free time playing cards. He greatly enjoyed eating a snack while still keeping one hand free for the cards. So he came up with the idea to eat beef between slices of toast, which would allow him to finally eat and play cards at the same time. Eating his newly invented "sandwich," the name for two slices of bread with meat in between, became one of the most popular meal inventions in the western world.

What's interesting about this is that you are very likely to never forget the story of who invented the sandwich ever again. Or at least, much less likely to do so, if it would have been presented to us in bullet points or other purely information-based form.

We all enjoy a good story, whether it's a novel, a movie, or simply something one of our friends is explaining to us. But why do we feel so much more engaged when we hear a narrative about events?

It's in fact quite simple. If we listen to a Power-point presentation with boring bullet points, a certain part in the brain gets activated. Scientists call this Broca's area and Wernicke's area. Overall, it hits our language processing parts in the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that's it, nothing else happens.

On the other hand if you craft a story with lasting images the listener remembers the whole of the message.

The simple answer is this: We are wired that way. A story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect. And that is exactly how we think. We think in narratives all day long, no matter if it is about buying groceries, whether we think about work or our spouse at home. We make up (short) stories in our heads for every action and conversation. In fact, Jeremy Hsu found [that] "personal stories and gossip make up 65% of our conversations."

The next time you struggle with getting people to make a purchase or choice within your business or project, simply tell them a story, where the outcome is that doing what you had in mind is the best thing to do.

If you are looking for a great business printer for your business. Please give us a call at 623.582.1302 and see how we can help you solve your other business needs.  Thanks!

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Promote With Postcards

Current First Class Postcard Postage is 33 cents (4 x 6 inches)

Postcards convey a sense of urgency to the customer. They may not read your letter but they will turn your postcard over. Include a QR code. (You have 3 seconds to get your message across. The average time people look at any type of advertising)

Postcards will keep your mailing list clean (Address Correction Requested), First class returned and corrected free of charge by the Post Office.

With a postcard, your message is out in the open. Other potential customers will see it too, not just the person it's addressed to.

Send a Birthday Card

Mail greeting cards to your customers to help them celebrate any type of anniversary. 

Include a coupon or special offer or tell them about your product that they should give themselves as a gift.

Update Your Promotional Materials

Make sure business cards, letterheads, brochures and packaging materials are first class. This is not the area to spare expenses.

What types of materials is your competition using?

If you can't afford 4 color brochures use 2 or 3 color. Remember that the use of color increases response by 26%.

Always Offer a Great Thank You

Thank customers with a special offer.

Thank anyone who refers business to you with a personalized thank you card, phone call, discounts, flowers, dinner or even a commission.

Thank your reliable suppliers with a letter and increased orders.  People will remember your kindness.

If you need help with your business printing needs make sure MI Printing is the printer to consider for your next printing job.  We can start with a quick phone call to 623.582.1302.  We want to say “Thanks In Advance”!

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Should Your Dog Be Running Your Business or Marketing?

Dogs tend to be happy, active and well rested -- things we could all stand to learn. Read on for those and other marketing lessons you can learn from your k-nine.  Keep you mental images going as you read the list.

Dogs always give a warm thorough greeting to everyone they meet.

Always be ready to play.

Nap Often.

Share your toys with those you trust.

Give a special greeting to those who you haven’t seen in a long time.

Bark at those you don’t trust.

Tilt your head to show you don’t understand the other person.

Hydrate frequently.

You can get along with nearly everyone, even some cats.

Sniff it Out - don't jump into any commitments without first sniffing out the situation. If it smells fine, it's OK to play

Find Something You Love and do It Over and Over and Over

Shake it off and move forward.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Dirty – Jump In!

Play up your cuteness-factor -- it can get you out of difficult situations!

If all else fails blame it on the cat.

You can work with MI Printing to work on your business printing needs.  We look forward to working with your business.  Give us a call at 623.582.1302 and let’s talk.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com 

Made In The USA – Lucas Oil

Lucas Oil Products was started by Forrest Lucas in July 1989. He opened a plant in Corona, Calif., that made the Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer. Nobody wants to be the first one to try a new product, and Forrest had to figure out what to charge and how to sell it. He sold to truck stops, running cheap ads with a picture of the counter guy so that prospective clients would see people they knew using it.

The company is a sponsor of several NASCAR, H1 Unlimited, NHRA and Indy Racing League events. In 2005, Lucas Oil founded the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

On February 28, 2006 that Lucas Oil purchased the naming rights to the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana for $120 million over 20 years.

In 2009, Lucas Oil founded the short course off-road racing series Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. In September 2011, the company bought specialty television channel MavTV to promote their motorsport championships. In March 2012, Lucas Oil extended their title sponsorship of the AMA Motocross series.

Forrest Lucas’ Advice

Be honest to a fault. We get lots of deals when a sponsor falls out for a race at the last minute, and people come to us. We don't need to draw up a contract because they know if we give them our word, it's a done deal.

Put your employees first. Before you open a business somewhere, see whether it's a nice environment where people will want to live. See what it will cost your employees to live there because that's going to determine what you have to pay.

Use products made in the U.S. If we can get it made here, we use it. Everything in our oil, additives, and bottles is made in America. We can buy things cheaper elsewhere, but we need to buy things from each other to get out of this economic mess.

Be fair. We treat our vendors like family because we're also a vendor. Ask for a good deal, but don't grind anyone into the ground. Let others make a living too.

Location: 302 North Sheridan Street  Corona, CA 92880 - 951-270-0154

Website: http://www.lucasoil.com/

Do you want your business printing made in the U.S.A.?  Then please contact MI Printing and tell us about your printing needs.  We are ready to listen and help.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

http://printinginaz.com

Every Door Direct Mail From USPS

With Every Door Direct Mail from the U.S. Postal Service, you can reach every home, every address, every time. Find the customers that matter most.

Now you can tell the whole neighborhood what your business has to offer.

With Every Door Direct Mail service from the U.S. Postal Service, you can reach the market that matters most to your business: nearby neighborhoods. Postage is as low as 14.5¢ per piece – and you don't even need to know names or street addresses. You simply identify the neighborhoods you want to target, and your printed piece is delivered with the day's mail to every address.

Choose The Option That Is Best For You

Every Door Direct Mail – Retail - Most local businesses choose this service. It's our simplest, most cost-effective option. Every Door Direct Mail – Retail lets you send up to 5,000 mailpieces per day and doesn't require you to purchase a postage permit. What's more, you can take your mailings right to the front counter of the Post Office that serves the neighborhoods you want to reach. You can pay for postage with cash, check, or debit card.

Every Door Direct Mail - This option is designed for businesses that want to send larger mailings. You submit your mailing at a Business Mail Entry Unit .

What Every Door Direct Mail Brings To Your Marketing Efforts

Reaches consumers in their homes. With Every Door Direct Mail, you can saturate an entire neighborhood with your message, and your mailing gets directly into the homes and hands of consumers.

As much or little space as you need. Every Door Direct Mail offers a flexible range of sizes, making it ideal for anything from a quick sales announcement to an in-depth product story.

Helps your messages work harder. With Every Door Direct Mail, you can include coupons, menus, event calendars, store maps, and more — all of which can help bring customers to your door.

Sound like a great way to reach your customers in your area?  Give MI Printing a call at 623.582.1302 to get you started with The U.S. Post Office’s Every Door Direct Mail.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com

Getting Your Message Out

It has been less than a hundred yeas when there was just a few ways to communicate your businesses’ message out to the public.  Newspapers, Magazines, Billboards, Flyers and Display advertising were about it.  Radio soon joined the mix.

We added television in the early nineteen-fifties.  The ways to market a business settled down for many years.  In the mid-nineties saw computers add several new methods.  The internet and automated phone messages arrived at the same time. I guess you could blame both on the spread of relative inexpensive computers.

Sports marketing began to grow as “billboards” began to populated vehicles and sports stars themselves.

Cellular phones added to the reach of telephone marketing.  The internet was a new direct selling tool for many start-up small businesses.  Used properly email became the new “word-of-mouth.

The real diffusion in marketing began when social media began to grow as the “new way “ to reach out and touch someone.  These new channels began to grow and open up hundreds of different polls of customers to target.

As cell phones morphed into the smart phone and each customer began carrying what amounts to a Swiss army knife of computer related tools into that hand sized communications device.  Many customers were now using a single device that allows many channels  for business communications.

You can deliver your sales message, customer service and informational snippets to the smart phone as voice calls, text, emails, social messages (now the newest word-of-mouth), display ads, press releases and many more.   

Marketers discover new ways to use these communication computers to “reach” potential buyers nearly everyday.  We will be looking at true interactive billboards speaking a different message to targeted customers as they move about in there daily lives in the very near future.  Science fiction ideas are beginning to lag behind the real world.  You can expand the idea of Google Glasses to a personal 3-D projector.

Star  Trek’s communicators became the real cell phones, but smart phones have far more features and power than the 60s TV show ever thought of.

As cars become more connected I expect that commuting and drive-time will move well beyond the radio as a way to reach out to that “captive” market.  

If you are looking at doing some commercial printing, give MI Printing a chance to show you what we can do for your business 623.582.1302.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
printinginaz.com

What Customers Really Need or Want

What is the best gift you can give to your customers?  Did you think low prices?  How about fast service?  Perhaps it would be great customer service?

If we begin to think from the very basic customer’s needs… a product or service they really need?

There can be a spectacular difference between what customers want and what most businesses offer. This widening gap can create dissatisfaction, distrust, and-worst of all for any business-disloyalty.

Evidence shows that customers will no longer tolerate the rushed and inconvenient service that has become all too common. Instead, they are looking for a satisfying experience. Companies that provide it will win their loyalty.

More than half of the customers surveyed across industries say they’ve had a bad service experience, and nearly the same fraction think many of the companies they interact with don’t understand or care about them. On average, 40% of customers who suffer through bad experiences stop doing business with the offending company.

Superior customer service can be an essential source of strength as companies emerge from the recession, but managers need to understand the extent to which the consumer landscape has shifted. Weakened brands, customers’ easy access to information about vendors, and the erosion of barriers to switching among competitors have combined to create a much more challenging environment for service, whether it’s outsourced or delivered in-house.

Some business owners believe that irritated customers will forgive errors and problems and come back for more. Research indicates that, on the contrary, alienated customers often disappear without the slightest warning. And as companies rebuild themselves after the recession, this silent attrition represents a host of lost opportunities for future sales and positive word of mouth.

Business owners should also aim to have consistently high-quality interactions between customers and frontline employees. That may sound costly, but contact information systems and other technologies can help to substantially offset the expense.

Business savvy and food for thought from MI Printing.  Your local resource for business printing.  Fast, fair and friendly, give us a call and see what we can do for your business.  623.582.1302

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
printinginaz.com

What is Worrying Small Business Owners?

I saw a recent survey about what is top of mind for a small business owner and I almost didn’t take the time to read it.  Being a small business owner I assumed that getting and keeping customers would be the driving force for all small businesses.

I was wrong!

The response from several polls were as follows.  53% percent of business in the survey said that healthcare costs were their most important consideration.  Taxes were in second place and environmental compliance considerations were in third place.

Being in a service business with a small workforce may have skewed my thinking and a “larger” small business with a larger work force and in some type of manufacturing business will have a different set of primary concerns.

The implementation of the Affordable Care Act and its potential impact is causing some small-business owners to try to keep their workforces under 50 employees so they are exempted from key parts of the act and in this regard are reducing employee hours so they are not counted as full time.

Complying with all the different types of taxes (including sales taxes) was the next layer of small business concerns.  They face increased taxes as national, state and local taxes as all types of governing bodies try to meet the needs of their jurisdictions.  Business bear the brundt of the tax base.

Cost of Health Insurance

Tax Complexity

Unreasonable Government Regulations 

Uncertainty over Government Actions

Frequent Changes in Federal Tax Laws and Rules

Cost of Natural Gas, Propane, Gasoline, Diesel, Fuel Oil

What is the most important concern for your business?

When it comes to business printing let MI Printing help you meet your needs.  Just give us a call at 623.582.1302 and see what we can do for your business.

Presented By
MI Printing 
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com 

When Marketing Goes Horribly Wrong

Have you ever made a mistake in an ad you ran.  Don’t feel bad, marketing and products have gone wrong for even the biggest of companies.  Here are some great examples;

1958 Ford Edsel United States was in a recession and Edsel offered its most expensive model

1977 Drink Schlitz Or I’ll Kill You Ads In each of the four commercials, an off-camera voice asked the lead characters to give up their Schlitz beer for another brand.  Ten weeks after the commercials first began to air, Schlitz management ordered them pulled. Soon after, the Leo Burnett ad agency was fired by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.

1985 New Coke! Why were people so upset? Coke’s brand embodied classic American traditions -- they didn't want new Coke! After finally retiring the “New Coke” recipe, sales of the old classic -- actually renamed “Coca-Cola Classic” to make it extra clear to consumers -- rose significantly. What do we take away from this marketing mistake? Learn what your customers want before spending time and money on a top-secret product or service change!

Pepsi Expands to China When Pepsi expanded their market to China, they launched with the slogan, "Pepsi brings you back to life." What they didn’t realize is the phrase was translated to “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”

2009 Free KFC Chicken Shut Down Millions of Americans had downloaded free coupons after the offer was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and Web site on Tuesday, driving traffic to levels unseen in the brand's 50-year history. Roger Eaton, president of KFC in the United States said restaurants would no longer accept the free coupons for its new grilled chicken

2010, Gap's New Logo It lasted just 2 days. Never underestimate your audience's feelings towards your brand. People who want the basics and aren't interested in trendy new styles.

Netflix Qwikster's 2011 Made things more complicated -- not to mention it resulted in a 60% price increase. According to CNET, the company lost 800,000 subscribers and its stock price dropped 77% in four months.

Microsoft Windows 8 2012 Windows 8, the revolution that wasn’t. After a storm of criticism from frustrated long-time Windows users, Microsoft announced that it would be making significant changes to its Windows 8 operating system.

Want help with your next print media communication?  Call MI Printing 623.582.1302 and lets us be your local printing resource.

Presented By
MI Printing, LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com
http://printinginaz.com