In the spirit of the New Year, our 2011 resolution is spreading the word about paper’s environmental sustainability. A common criticism of printing and paper is the perception that it is not green, but wasteful. That perception could not be further from the truth..
While many people attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by avoiding printing, they are instead doing more damage to the environment by relying on a completely digital means of communication and transmitting information. That is in part due to the environmental costs of electricity. In fact, the amount of electricity used to run a computer for only five months can produce enough paper for the average person to use for an entire year. And when burning a report to a CD, the process will produce four times as much CO2 as printing a single report.
The best part about using paper is that it is a renewable resource. In the U.S., for every tree harvested, three are planted in its place. That is roughly 600 million trees planted every year by the paper industry. As demand strengthens for paper, it is a signal to plant more trees, meaning paper producers want to ensure they are ahead of demand. And if planting trees isn’t green enough, about 63 percent of paper in the U.S. is recycled – that’s 340 pounds per person!
For marketing, direct mail is the most effective and green option. Over the past six years direct mail’s response rates have steadily risen by 14 percent, while email marketing’s response rates have dropped by 57 percent. Direct mail offers an unmatched 13 to 1 return on investment, with 80 percent of households reading or scanning direct mail pieces. And one out of three household say they have made purchases based on a direct mail piece.
What many people don’t know is that the forest industry is the largest producer of renewable biomass energy in the country, with the paper industry producing 77 percent of the total biomass. Biomass is used to produce electricity and surpasses the amount of electricity generated from wind, solar and geothermal combined.
When lumber is processed at paper mills, up to two thirds of the energy comes from biomass. Comparatively, an average data center’s yearly energy consumption could power up to 25,000 households. And the 62 trillion spam emails sent every year equals the emissions of two billion gallons of gas.
In 2011 we plan to continue to spread the word that paper is a renewable resource. While we may not be actually be turning over a brand new leaf, we’re hoping to show that paper is good for the environment and good for business. Much of the information used in this blog was taken from the Millcraft Group. For any additional information on the sustainability of paper, contact us at Kopytek at 314-432-2700 or sales@kopytek.com.
Over the past month you have undoubtedly seen a surge of advertisements and direct mail pieces in your mail box and in your daily newspaper. While many printed pieces may have missed your attention, there were most likely a few that sparked some interest.
At the time, it might not have occurred to you why certain pieces stuck out. Maybe it was the offer or the design. No matter what it was, go back and take a look at your favorite components of the direct mail pieces you receive, making a note of what you like and dislike.
During the holiday season, you get a chance to see many direct mail pieces all at one time, so take advantage of this opportunity to take notice. And next year when your organization is thinking about what they want in a direct mail piece, you will be ready with suggestions to raise its response rate. To help we have provided a list of some the most effective components of a direct mail piece.
Variable Data: A technique used by printers to utilize the advantages of digital printing presses to produce printed pieces in mass customization as opposed to mass production. This means that every direct mail piece sent out is specifically targeted to its reader, possibly offering a special on a past purchase or a complementary item to a recent purchase. Variable data has shown response rates of 5 to 30 percent.
Special Design: The design possibilities of a printed piece are nearly endless. From gatefolds to z-folds, a unique design can help a printed piece stand out. Often times, a special design will end up on top of a reader’s mail stack, leading to higher response rates.
Color: Besides emotion, color should help attract the reader’s attention and leave them with a lasting impression. Since continuity is important, as you move forward with your campaign, a printed piece should feature the same colors so that your brand is easily recognizable.
Spot Varnish: This special effect highlights specific areas of a printed piece (post card, brochure, business card) with a shiny, clear coating that adds texture and directs a reader without being overwhelming. They come in different finishes, including a gloss, matte and satin.
Social Media/PURL: Inexpensive and effective, giving readers a place to go once they have received a direct mail piece can help response rates. From personalized URL’s to a Facebook page, this gives you a chance to interact with your reader or capture more information.
As you continue to receive year-end sales pieces, begin to think about what will make sense for your 2011 marketing budget. If you have any questions about response rates or even where to begin, call us at Kopytek at 314.432.2700 or email us at sales@kopytek.com.
Unless your name is Ebenezer Scrooge, you love getting Christmas cards. Their warm messages and thoughts from friends can put anyone in the holiday mood. For nearly 150 years people have been sending Christmas cards through the mail to spread holiday cheer and remind family and friends that they are thinking about them at this special time of year.
Christmas cards come in all different designs, with specialized copy and pictures. And every year many people display their favorite Christmas cards on their mantle, showing them off. While very few people would admit it, they are drawn to the best cards – just like people are drawn to a good direct mail piece.
In fact, there are many similarities between direct mail and Christmas cards, the connection is just rarely made. For example, getting a tangible item in the mail is irreplaceable. Think about the hundreds of advertising emails you get every year, how many do you really open? And when you get a Christmas e-card, do you print it off and leave it on the mantle? No, because there is something special about getting something you can touch in the mail.
Receiving items in the mail gives you something to look forward to, and things you receive are often personalized. When you open a Christmas card there is almost surely a special handwritten note or signature. That personalized touch is the connection people look for in a Christmas card. Similarly, direct mail can utilize variable data so that the printed piece is truly personalized. A direct mail piece can include a coupon specific to a shopper’s habits or availability of a previously purchased item.
At Kopytek, we think direct mail pieces should take some cues from Christmas cards. They should inspire emotion and be something to look forward to. Just as they would with a Christmas card, put all of your “love” – the knowledge of the person receiving it, your relationship with them, and messaging you know that THEY will respond to – into your direct mail piece and the results will follow. Because if you have a Scrooge-like attitude toward a direct mail piece, you will only get a bah humbug return.
The holidays have come early at Kopytek in the form of the world’s fastest high volume printer. Considering we don’t have a chimney, Santa really outdid himself by delivering an Océ Varioprint 6250 Ultraline printer. While we’d like to think we were just really good this year, the fact is we purchased this “must have” among commercial printers as a result of our continued investment in the latest printing technology.
Like a good holiday shopper, we made sure to properly test our new printer before making the purchase. For the past few months we have been testing the printer to make sure it measures up to standards we set for ourselves and the results have been amazing.
The Océ Varioprint 6250 has unmatched power and its offset-like quality delivers up to 250 letter duplex prints per minute, printing on both sides of the paper! It has sophisticated media handling of up to eight different types of media collated in-line. And its print operations include ultra high volume applications such as books, course materials, training and technical manuals, booklets, catalogs, variable printing and trans-promotional printing.
The in-line stitching and trimming can bind up to 200 pages, and the Océ Varioprint 6250 is rated up to 7.5 million impressions per month. (Let’s see Santa’s elves go that fast)
After seeing what our new printer is capable of, we ran a variable print run for a local high school which was sent to all of their alumni for the past couple of decades. Every letter included the signature of the recipient’s class president and included a suggested amount to donate consistent with past donations.
Even though we are excited about the new capabilities this printer brings to us at Kopytek, it is actually another step in our pursuit to bring our customers the best in quality, and faster. When we constructed our new facility we kept quick turnaround times at the forefront of the design.
Now that we have what we wanted for the holidays it’s our turn to pass the benefits onto you. If you have any holiday printing needs and need a quick turnaround time, ask how utilizing technology like the Océ Varioprint 6250 could bring you holiday joy.
Every Thanksgiving we evaluate our lives and give thanks for the many blessings we have. But what does a turkey have to be thankful for on Thanksgiving? Because in the infamous words of Adam Sandler, “Oh I love turkey on Thanksgiving!” And so do a lot of other people, in fact every year 45 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving. That’s more turkeys than the entire population of California.
It seems that all a turkey would be thankful for is keeping its head. We don’t have that problem at Kopytek (whew!), but we do have a lot to be thankful for. While many printers have struggled to adjust to their customers’ changing needs over the last few years, we’ve been ahead of the game. When we built our new facility we anticipated customers would want services like variable data, in house mail services and someone available to bail them out of any jams. (Just don’t call us if you clog your kitchen sink on Thanksgiving) This has allowed us to streamline our printing process, saving our customers time and money.
By using a service like variable data, we can increase a direct mail piece’s response rate to as high as 30 percent! And the best part is you will print fewer pieces as you refine your list, saving you time and money. That is something we can all be thankful for.
This Thanksgiving, don’t feel like a turkey and have nothing to be thankful for. Look around at all the great things you have. And if you have been looking for a marketing tool to elevate your company, nonprofit or school we know we can help. So drop the “gobble, gobble act”, because unlike a turkey, you have a brighter tomorrow. To speak with a Kopytek representative call 314.432.2700 or email us at sales@kopytek.com.
Imagine if you counted by the second how long every task took you at work. It might give you a new perspective on how your time is used. For example a five minute run to the soda machine will cost you 300 seconds or a 10 minute talk with a coworker will cost you 600 seconds. There are 28,800 seconds in an eight hour work day and every small distraction can add up quickly.
Now think of the small administrative work that pops up frequently, like ordering letterhead, envelopes, and other commonly used printed materials for your office. Let’s say that ordering letterhead will take 30 minutes or 1800 seconds. That includes pulling paperwork, asking the boss for permission, checking previous artwork and finally calling the printer to place the order. This process is nothing that cannot be easily handled, but is still takes valuable time.
At Kopytek, productivity is our middle name….except that we don’t have a last name. Always searching for newer, more innovative ways for companies to get their printed supplies faster and more cost effectively, we give customers the option to order online, with just a few quick and simple clicks. This system is a great time saver for things like envelopes, forms, letterhead, business cards, labels, and anything else commonly printed for your office.
Existing customers can set up an account at Kopytek.com, where they have the ability to quickly reorder commonly used printed materials, cutting out the need to look up previous orders, quoting and proofing. This can reduce the time to order supplies down to as little as 5 to 15 minutes.
When the person responsible for ordering supplies gets that all too predictable, “oh my gosh…we’re out of letterhead!” All they need to do is login to www.kopytek.com, see how many supplies they ordered last time and the cost. They can simply click “order”, and the process is done and the job is ready to go to press.
With online ordering from Kopytek, you can spend the extra 15 minutes you saved by running to the soda machine for five minutes, then chatting with a co worker for 10 minutes … JUST KIDDING!
For businesses looking to simplify their ordering process, let Kopytek help. The need to be productive is more important than ever and eliminating unneeded distractions can be the difference between accomplishing your company’s goals and lagging behind. For more information, watch a short tutorial on our online ordering system or call us at 314-432-2700.
Now that Halloween is here, many of our favorite scary movies are playing on TV and at the movie theater. As much as we love these thrilling films, the characters seem to constantly break the rules of scary movie survival, as if they have never seen one. Our vast scary movie watching and printing experience has inspired us to compile two lists. First, a survival list of things to do and not to do if you find yourself being chased by a monster. And secondly, a survival list for the next time you decide to go with a printer for your project, it’s not that scary we promise!
So, in case you find yourself running from Michael Myers or Leatherface, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Never say “I think we’re safe” or “I’ll be right back.” If you do the monster will surely appear in a few seconds, coming straight for you.
2. Never split up! This is the ultimate mistake. Travel in groups at all times, psychotic killers and supernatural beings prefer to grab people one at a time as it creates more suspense.
3. If you must use a car, check the backseat before you drive. Also take good care of your car, keep enough gas in the tank to make a getaway and make sure the darn thing starts. And please never leave a paved road for a gravel road short cut.
4. Never check the thing chasing you to see if it is still alive, this is a classic mistake and never ends well.
5. Remember light is your friend. If you are investigating a “noise your cat made” (never actually the cat) keep the light on!
As horrifying as it might be to run from a monster, all it would take is some clear thought and smart decisions and escaping would be easy. We think some of the same principles can be applied to working with a printer to ensure high quality work at lower prices, here is our list:
1. Don’t be afraid to call for help. Clear communication with your printer can help avoid later challenges as you work through the printing process. Just like in the movies, help is a phone call away.
2. Plan, plan, plan! Proper planning on the front end means better quality on the back end. This can include design work, timing of campaign execution and mailing lists. Characters in a scary movie never have a good plan.
3. Educate yourself. Printers have different types of printing presses which have advantages depending on your printed piece. We are happy to walk you through the process and help you make your selection.
4. Ask questions. There are many things that a printer can do for you including different folds to PURLs. Asking questions can help you better understand the process.
5. Don’t fall asleep! Just kidding. You should be able to rest easy knowing that your printed piece is being handled professionally!
Next time you are thinking about doing a printed piece, give us a call at Kopytek. We have been through this process thousands of times and know how this one ends! So enjoy your scary movies and remember we promise there is nothing to fear.
Testing a microphone, while sometimes comical, is important to ensure that your sound equipment is setup correctly. Without a sound check there is no telling what’s going to happen. But, how do you perform a “sound check” on a direct mail piece?
Actually direct mail testing can be just as important to a campaign as a sound check is before a speech. It’s obvious that you can’t pat your direct mail piece and starting saying “testing, testing.” Instead you should do something that makes sense so that your direct mail piece “makes noise” once it has been sent out.
Like a scientist you first need to narrow down what you want to learn by doing a test, which can include special offers, pricing, messaging and design.
Once you have narrowed down the ONE thing to be tested, pull a sample audience from your list of direct mail recipients. After that, send out the test direct mail campaign against a control group of the same size. It is especially important that the test list is representative of the control list, so the data you receive back is not biased. An example would be sending one offer for children’s furniture to a test list that is full of parents, and another version of the offer to a control list that contains all people regardless of presence of children. In this situation, the test will probably outperform the control — but in the end you will not have learned anything about your direct mail piece.
Once you have received your data from the test, it is possible to craft a more effective direct mail piece. Be sure to listen to the feedback you receive, as many times your audience will with speak with their actions and not their words. Keep in mind that it is possible to incorporate printing techniques like variable data to customize each printed piece, giving you an opportunity to test “mass customization” versus “one size fits all.”
In today’s age of social media, another form of testing is gaining in popularity. Consider testing a variety of offers on social media and on your website to determine the profile and characteristics of those who respond to the various offers. This can give you valuable “in the ‘virtual’ field” market research that you can leverage as you create your direct mail campaigns.
Direct mail can be a powerful tool in a marketer’s toolbox! At Kopytek we can walk you through the entire process from what to test, all the way to helping with test lists. Call us and we’ll help with your next project.
Since Kopytek’s founding we have strived for innovation to save our customers time and money. With the onset of the recession it has become increasingly important to implement new ways to maximize the impact of direct mail, and help our clients make the most of their marketing budgets. While the private sector continues to push innovation and make tough decisions, many government agencies are allowed to spend nearly unchecked, until now.
In a hotly debated decision the United States Postal Service (USPS) proposed a rate hike to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), which was unanimously rejected. The decision saved customers from paying an additional $3 billion annually in postage, a rate which would have made marketing through direct mail out of reach for small businesses. In their decision the PRC released a statement from Washington saying:
“The commission finds that the Postal Service has shown the recent recession to be an exigent circumstance but it has failed both to quantify the impact of the recession on its finances and to show how its rate request relates to the resulting loss of mail volume.”
Recognizing the USPS’s decrease in mail volume and massive budget shortfalls, the PRC found that the USPS’s cash flow problems were not a result of the recession and would have occurred with or without the recession. The increase the USPS was requesting was nearly ten times the rate of inflation, despite inflation remaining near zero, not permissible by law unless approved by the PRC.
In light of the decision the USPS must continue to follow the current law which limits any postage increase to the rate of inflation, meaning they cannot raise postage rates until the rate of inflation also rises.
Now that the postal increase has been stopped, the USPS needs to consider better more realistic changes. In the future the USPS has the option to appeal or re-file their claim. In the mean time, businesses nationwide have peace of mind knowing that postage will not rise above the rate of inflation as they continue to operate under challenging economic conditions.
As we continue to move through the effects of the recession, the USPS must look long and hard at its current structure and business plan. Strong possibilities they can consider are cutting Saturday service and reducing their workforce. Printers and marketers nationwide have already prepared for this possibility and support alternatives that protect the mail service as a whole.
