It has been said that print is a dying industry and has lost relevance among advertisers but look closer and you will see it’s a changing industry, adapting to the connected world we live in. Even though print has lost some of its prestige among advertisers it remains advantageous for its users. The key is to focus on what print does best and how you can best utilize those strengths, alongside other forms of media, to effectively reach the consumer. One aspect of print that cannot be overlooked is the ability to direct content towards a specific market segment. The following segmentation tools can help anyone in any industry create an accurate customer profile to focus their marketing efforts toward.

Geographic Segmentation: Study the location of your customers to gain an idea of where or where not to focus your advertising. You will also find areas to increase or decrease the number of mailings. An example of a helpful geographic segmentation would be the use of direct mail with in-store coupons. Obviously, these must be presented to a customer with access to your physical location but you might be surprised how often this mistake occurs.

Demographic Segmentation: Decide what demographics (gender, income, age, etc.) your product or service appeals to and focus marketing efforts toward that type of consumer. Begin to establish the persona of your typical customer with geographic and demographic segmentation. Then begin to hone in on more specific consumer characteristics through further analysis.

Behavior Segmentation: What does a day in life of your customer look like? Analysis of the target consumer’s activities, interests, and opinions should provide solid insight to the target market’s lifestyle. It may not be the easiest information to gather but when obtained, it becomes extremely valuable to the company. Now you are able to more accurately predict the actions and reactions of consumers while positioning the product or service to coincide with those wants and needs.

Benefit segmentation: This offers more utility than the traditional methods because it explains the reasons why consumers choose to buy or prefer particular products. Does the customer want to purchase the product now or in the future? Do they want to help the environment by going “green”? Are they economical? You get the idea. Really dig deep during this segmentation breakdown to uncover WHY the consumer wants to purchase your product or service.

Usage Segmentation: Some consumers make use of your product or service everyday while others may find the need to use it just once a year. Categorize your contacts as frequent or infrequent users then, send content to each group that supports their experience with your service or product.

If you wish to find out more about how we help our clients improve their mailing lists then please fill out the form below to be contacted by a McCormick-Armstrong representative.

1. Study other brochures: Before you build your first home you probably want to look at what others have done to gain ideas of things you may want or not want in your own home. The construction of a brochure is a little simpler and easier to change but the importance of acquiring some perspective remains.
2. Focus on the purpose of your brochure and who you are targeting: Is the purpose of your brochure to educate or sell? Or is it a little of both? Solidifying the objective of the brochure needs to be done in order for the content to be properly directed towards the reader.
3. Developing attention grabbing headlines and quality pictures: As you know, a reader’s attention span can be very brief and most people who pick up a brochure are simply skimming for relevant information. That’s why you need to present the reader with compelling headlines that provides them with quick insight on the following content and hopefully motivates them to read further. Pictures also have the ability to enhance the visualization process a reader may have while reading. It is important to include high-quality pictures to maximize the idea that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
4. List most important details but focus on customer benefits: The customer is always #1! You should have already identified what type of reader you are targeting so make sure your content creates value for that sort of target customer. The amount of general information and/or selling points will depend on the purpose of your brochure.
5. Arrange your thoughts in a manner that will flow: Focus on the design of your brochure and how it will allow the reader to move from one topic to the next with ease. First appearances are everything, even when it comes to brochures, so a complicated looking brochure is sure to deter anyone from even reading it.
6. Have a call to action and make it simple and easy to take action: As a marketing tool, brochures are meant to make people aware of the purpose your business serves and how it can help potential clients be successful. Let the reader know what you want them to do with the information you have provided and how they can contact you.
7. Revise and Finalize: I would advise that you make time for a discussion with co-workers who may have additional, applicable insight on the content and layout of the brochure. Before you decide to put ink to paper, check with your printing provider for suggestions on the most economical design that fits your needs.

Feel free to fill out the form below to find out how a brochure can you reach potential clients and help your business grow.

Anyone involved in the printing industry has noticed the effects of the economic recession on the print industry and maybe you’ve even experienced issues first-hand such as, a certain organization’s print advertising expenditures decreasing or the increasing presence of digital media. Simply put, print buyers have decided to cutback their printing expenses while putting more emphasis on social networking, e-mail blasts, and their website for advertising purposes, as well as, establishing publications on-line. These actions make perfect financial sense because of the lower cost to distribute your advertising material but do these marketing channels get you results? Marketing and advertising experts suggest that print is still the most effective marketing channel available. That opinion may be difficult for some to agree with but if you do your homework you will find that the proof is in the print.

According to the Direct Marketing Association’s 2012 Response Rate Report, the rates for letter-sized direct mail were 30 times higher than those for e-mail. The personalization that can be done with print also allows marketers to better direct their marketing efforts. Rising USPS prices have deterred some print buyers from diving into direct mail but that’s why McCormick-Armstrong has two certified USPS mail managers up-to-date with all USPS regulations and willing to provide you with cost-effective solutions! Other forms of print advertisng have begun to increase with the positive economic outlook.

IBIS World, a well-known marketing research firm, stated in their 2012 Print Industry Report that,”the modest economic recovery will favorably affect the printing industry” as more and more businesses can start to increase their budget allocations for print. With that said, the present day job of marketers has become more difficult than ever because consumers are so spread out amongst a variety of marketing channels, none of which have proven to be a stand-alone method. Printers have begun to diversify into cross-media products because they understand that print can provide even more value if partnered with other forms of medai. If you’re not sure about how print can work with your marketing plan it couldn’t hurt to reach out to the print experts at McCormick-Armstrong.

McCormick-Armstrong has positioned itself as a printer that has an answer for our client’s marketing needs from flagship publications to fulfillment. We can also provide promotional products through our creative division, Terrell Creative, to add that ”Wow” factor. Find out for yourself and fill out the form below to be contacted by a representative of McCormick-Armstrong. Would love to hear your opinion of the printing industry and if your print is providing value for you.

Every year the Wichita Business Journal nominates fifteen businesses that compete for the Best In Business award and a trip to Napa Valley. Companies nominated for this award must demonstrate that their financial performances, innovativeness, and charity towards the community rank amongst the top companies in the city. McCormick-Armstrong is proud to announce that we have been chosen as one of the fifteen nominees for this year’s Best In Business award. The city of Wichita is filled with great businesses and business people alike so it is truly an honor to be mentioned alongside the other top businesses in Wichita.

President and CEO Jake Shaffer announced that, “2012 was the best year McCormick-Armstrong has had since the beginning of the economic recession in 2007”, which affected the print industry more negatively than other industries. Since then MCA has made key investments in superior technology to give them a sustainable competitive advantage in their market for the foreseeable future. Jake and the rest of the McCormick-Armstrong also proudly support the local community with charitable acts of money and time to Wichita State University, The Kansas Food Bank, The Salvation Army, and several other organizations.

No matter how big or small, McCormick-Armstrong wants to learn about your business and you can bet there will be someone willing to share a little bit about our historical background in Wichita, Kansas. The experienced print team at MCA believes in building lasting relationships with our customers with exceptional customer service and valuable business propositions for your printing needs. Fill out the form below to find out more about how we offer answers for our customer’s questions about print.

The mission of a good printer should be to find ways it can contribute to the economic well-being of their clients and help them make a difference through print. Print buyers should come to expect that kind of service from all printers but in reality, not all of them can or will provide it. So how do know if a printer is able to offer value to their customers? These are 7 areas that printer’s should incorporate into their business in order to satisfy the expectations of the customer.
Certification: Find out if the company offering the printing services is certified and what legitimacy that certification carries. That certification will ensure a level of quality and give you peace of mind.

Prompt turnaround time: You have deadlines that need to be met so your print service provider needs to be able to meet even the tightest deadlines. Try to find out about the relationships a printer has with paper mills to judge what their paper availability may be during downturns.

Fulfillment services: Being able to rely on your printer for fulfillment services allows you to focus on your core competencies.

Industry Expertise: You may not always know the best solution for your printing needs but your printing provider should. Do your homework to find a printer with a proven track record that spans over a length of time.

Financial Stability: You can expect a printer with financial stability to be able to keep up-to-date technology in their manufacturing process.

Flexibility: How many times do the details of a project stay the exact same from beginning to end? Dates and quantities are bound to change so demand that the printing service provider to be able to adapt and react to your needs.

Relationship building practices: Expect your printing partner to treat you like family and not just another name on the job order because you want someone that cares for your product as much as you do! Building a relationship based on trust will allow for open, honest discussion that digs down to the root of the problem in search of the best solution for the customer.
If you want high-quality, functional solutions for your printing needs then contact the professionals at McCormick-Armstrong to find out the number of services we can provide to you. Our team of print experts strive to establish long term relationships by making ourselves available to you every step of the way. Fill out the form below or give our sales team a call to find out how McCormick-Armstrong can create value for you. We love to share!

In an offset printing the inked image is first transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the surface of page. The McCormick Armstrong is amongst the first who start providing offset printing in Kansas City to the public at large. Because of its continued customer satisfaction it soon became the top offset printing in Dallas. At McCormick Armstrong we have the specialty to provide the most economical and deliver timely commercial offset printing. Unlike other printing presses, we provide you the custom made and bespoke printing solution for your daily needs. The purpose built offset printing in Kansas City enables you to fulfill your domestic as well official printing requirements. Continue reading →

The heatset web printing is known as a printing process when the forced air heating makes the ink to dry and the print. The McCormick Armstrong being the pioneer in providing printing solution also supplies heat set web printing to a wide range of stakeholders. Being a best traditional printing since the last century, the McCormick Armstrong has also got expertise in heatset web printing Tulsa. We render the most economical and purpose created heatset web printing services that meets your business as well as your domestics needs. Continue reading →

These days, one of the most common strategies for building relationships and engagement with customers is content marketing. Content marketing establishes your company as a thought leader, gets customers involved (especially if they are sharing your content across their social media networks), and keeps you top of mind.

It’s no wonder that, according to the Custom Content Council, 55% of business-to-consumer (B2C) and 54% of business-to-business (B2B) brands plan to increase their content marketing budgets in 2013.

Content marketing involves the use of high-value articles, blogs, infographics, and other informational materials to establish you as a thought leader and “go to” source in your market vertical. Newsletters, postcards, email, and social media are all important channels for distributing content.

If you are going to invest in content marketing, there are three best practices to keep in mind:

1. Know your audience.
Content marketing isn’t about filling mailboxes with promotions focusing on your company’s needs and priorities. It’s about providing your readers with information that is important and interesting to them. Start by creating a basic profile of your target audience and knowing what makes them tick. If possible, segment your mailings so you can target the content by interests or other demographics.

2. Track where the recipient is along the buying cycle.
The typical buying cycle involves five stages: identifying a need, determining potential solutions, evaluating the available options, negotiating the purchase, and making the buy. If you know where the person is in the buying cycle, you can provide information appropriate for what they may be thinking about or need at the time they receive the communication. This isn’t about hitting them with overt marketing pitches, but providing valuable, appropriate information to help them move forward to the next stage.

3. Develop an editorial calendar.
Be purposeful about your content strategy. Don’t leave it to chance. Develop a plan for what you want to include in your blogs, social media, and mailings, and execute your plan strategically. Develop appropriate material in advance and release it on a timeline that provides the right content at the right time.

Need help with content marketing? Talks to the experts at McCormick Armstrong about helping you develop valuable, multi-touch, multi-channel solutions to help you engage your customers and stay top of mind. Call us at 316-264-1363 or look us up at www.mccormickarmstrongt.com. We want to be your consultive marketing team helping you increase your revenues.

Two of the most important decisions in any print marketing campaign are color and typography. When combined in an appealing way, color and typography interact to create a lasting visual impact, reinforcing recognition and strengthening brand identity.

Typography should be simple but not simplistic. With so many options, the key is to select fonts that are easy to read and consistent with your brand image. For headings, consider a “sans serif” font to lead the eye vertically down the page; Helvetica and Arial are the most commonly used sans serifs and work across platforms. For regular text, consider a “serif” font like Times New Roman; the hooks and feet in these fonts connect the letters as you read horizontally, reducing eye fatigue. Your designer may encourage you to select overly stylized, artistic fonts, but readability — not innovation — is the goal.

Once your fonts are selected, attention turns to consistent size and spacing. A small increase in font size and height can significantly increase readership and retention. Add a little extra space between lines to make blocks of text easier to read. Connect a heading to the text that follows by leaving a little less space after the heading than before it.

The next decision point is color. Again, it’s not about the latest trend recommended by your designer. It’s about selecting colors with high contrast to make your printed materials easier to read, thus improving comprehension and reading speed. Black and white are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, so black type printed on a non-glossy, white background is the quintessential combination to evoke strength and clarity for your main copy. A completely black-and-white piece, however, would have low readership; statistics show that materials printed in color are read 80% more often than black-and-white. So, introduce your corporate color palette, those colors associated with and complementary to your logo, in headings, subheadings, graphics and pull-quotes. As you move to secondary and tertiary colors, choose carefully. There are extensive studies on the psychology of color, much of which is subjective, culture-specific, and at times even contradictory. Two readers can perceive the same color in different ways.

Stick with the tried-and-true when making color and typography choices to produce clean, easy to read collateral that creates the visual reaction you want.

At McCormick Armstrong have a staff of asssociates ready to consult with you and provide you with solutions to help you increase your marketing ROI. Call us today at 316-264-1363 sor go to our website at www.mccormickarmstrong.com.

McCormick Armstrong has two USPS certified Mail Managers to help you get through the myriad of obstacles that tend to keep you from understanding the new postal regulations. Some think you need a PHD from MIT, Stanford or Wichita State to understand the complexities of these regulations. The key is knowing how to maximize the ROI by taking advantage of keeping in compliance with automated rates. At McCormick Armstrong, we will keep you out of harm’s way and on the path of mailing it correctly.

Direct mail is a powerful medium. A personalized mailer connected with a PURL speaks directly to your customer and drives strong response rates. Even with the new postal rates effective January 27, 2013 and regulations effective January 6, 2013, direct mail remains a flexible and inexpensive way to physically place your message in your customers’ hands.

Key changes may affect your direct mail campaigns.
• The single-piece postcard rate, which already increased by 3¢ in January 2012, will increase by an additional penny to 33¢.
• Automation discounts will be limited to letters, flats, postcards, Business Reply Mail and Permit Reply Mail with the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb). The new barcode holds all routing, sorting and additional services in one place, freeing up valuable space on your envelope for your marketing message. Automated address correction will ensure that your material reaches the right recipient at the right time, improving response rates and increasing revenue.
• Self-mailers are subject to new requirements for size, paper weight, folding and tabbing. Failure to comply will result in a significant postage increase. This is a major change. Some of the key points to consider when determining if a mailpeiece will be automation compatible:
o Maximum Size- 6”X10.5”
o Maximum Weight-3 ounces
o Tabbing-mail pieces up to 1 ounce need 2-1” non perforated tab and mail pieces over 1 ounce need 2-1.5” non perforated tabs
o Lean Release Glue-up to 1 ounce need 3-3/8” glue spots and over 1 ounce need 4-3/8” glue spots
o Stock weight-mail pieces up to 1 ounce require 10# book weight minimum and over 1 ounce requires 80# gook weight minimum
o Final Fold-if the final fold is horizontal it must be at the bottom
o There are many other nuances to that can and can’t be done, but the above covers the basic changes
There are several steps you can take to control the impact of the postal changes.
• Merge and purge your mailing lists to ensure clean data. Target customers who will buy.
• Review your existing stock of printed materials for compliance with new regulations before your next mailing to avoid any surprises when you receive your postage bill.
• Reduce the size and/or weight of your direct mail package. For example, instead of mailing an 8½” x 11″ piece at the “flats” rate, fold the piece to 5½” x 8½” to qualify for the lower letter rate.
• Creatively embrace the changes. Develop a multi-touch strategy by using the tracking function in the new IMb to trigger email blasts. Modify and test different formats that comply with the new regulations.
• Review the calendar of promotional events at www.usps.com to learn how you can save on postage throughout 2013 by integrating mail with mobile and emerging technologies.
If you have questions about how the new rates and regulations will impact your business, or would like to have a PDF copy of the USPS new guides, call us at 3216-264-1363 or email us today at slaes@mccormickarmstrong.com. We can help you design your mail piece, choose the correct paper stock, and prepare your mailing to meet the revised standards and secure the lowest postage rates available. Visit us at our website www.mccormickarmstrong.com

Print is the foundation of an increasingly complex cross media environment. Consumers are enjoying more connectivity and control than ever before. This requires a fresh look at your creative approach, value proposition, media mix and budget — not only the cost of individual elements of a campaign, but also any required investment in technology and training. A clear strategy is essential for success, building on the fundamentals of marketing: understanding your customers and meeting their wants, needs and desires.

Identify the purpose of each tactic. The idea isn’t to throw every cool new technology into the mix; it’s to combine the components in such a way that the result is a successful campaign based on reach, frequency and response rate. Establish contact by mailing a customized postcard, letter or self-mailer that drives the reader to a personalized URL. Offer the option of connecting to the site by either entering a web address or scanning a QR code. Here the respondent can sign up for an email list and find links to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, opening the door to regular communication. Make sure content is consistent in message, look and feel across print and digital platforms.

Move beyond simple demographics. It’s tempting to use basic information, such as gender, age, and income, to guide your marketing efforts. Go a step further to understand what your prospects care about. Today’s consumer wants to be an individual, not a segment. The more personalized an offer is (the right message delivered in the right way), the more inclined the target audience is to respond favorably.

Measure your success. The diverse spectrum of media options has created an intense demand to demonstrate return on investment. How will you define success? Connect each element of the cross media campaign to a reasonable target. For example, state that the direct mail piece will drive a certain number of hits on your website, and the website will entice a defined percentage of visitors to request more information. This, in turn, will result in a specific amount of new business.

The convergence of print, online, mobile, and social media empowers consumers to respond in the way they prefer. Keep an eye to the future; be ready to embrace the next innovation that will give you one more option for delivering relevant content to your target customers.

The Gangnam Style YouTube Video went viral and as of the date of this blog has had over 709 million views! Why do I bring this up? Not only do you want your direct mail to be viewed, you want to keep your costs low and your ROI high. The better the ROI the better the change that you will dance like Gangnam Style.

The USPS is making several changes in January. If you use Direct Mail as a marketing vehicle, and you aren’t aware of these changes and are out of compliance, your postage could double and you won’t dance like Gangnam Style.

At McCormick Armstrong, we wanted to share the 3 Key different changes will occur in January.

January 5, 2013 the new Folded Self Mailer regulations will become effective.

Also the Postnet barcode will be retired and the Intelligent Mail Barcode will be used. (Remember, this includes Business Reply Envelope & Cards that we insert or stitch in)

January 27, 2013 will be the next USPS rate increase.

Attached is reference material for the new FSM (Folded Self Mailer) regulations.

Some of the key points to consider when determining if a mailpiece will be automation compatible:

Maximum Size – 6” x 10-1/2”
Maximum Weight – 3 ounces
Tabbing – mailpieces up to 1 ounce need 2-1” non perforated tabs and mailpieces over 1 ounce need 2-1 ½” non perforated tabs
Clean Release Glue – up to 1 ounce need 3-3/8” glue spots and over 1 ounce need 4-3/8” glue spots
Stock Weight – mailpieces up to 1 ounce 70# book weight minimum and over 1 ounce – 80# book minimum
Final fold location – if the final fold is horizontal it must be at the bottom

They are many other nuances to what can and can’t be done, but the above covers the basic areas that we are most involved with. If you want to learn more from one of McCormick Armstrong’s USPS Certified Mail Managers, give us a call at 316-264-1363 or see us at www.mccormickarmstrong.com. We’ll have you dancing Gangnam Style!!

We recently sent out an e-gram with some valuable insights which should be shared as a post.

A well-written sales letter addresses the interests and concerns of the recipient and persuades the reader to take action, making this a profitable element of your direct marketing package. Consider each of the components.

Presentation: Before the first word is read, your sales letter has already made an impression. Consider the size and weight of the paper, typeface selection, use of color, line spacing, and frequency of indents and bullets. A friendly photo can humanize the piece, but overly glossy graphics can get the letter tossed as “junk mail.”

Headline: Grab attention with a prominent headline to compel the recipient to keep reading. Use a testimonial quote from a marquee customer to build trust.

Salutation: The best sales letter is ineffectual if you haven’t acquired a valid mailing list of targeted customers. Personalization doesn’t end with addressing your customer by name. Leverage your database to insert information about the customer’s sales history and preferences throughout the letter.

Body of letter: This is your pitch. Offer a solution to the reader’s problem. Give real examples to sell benefits, not features. Sprinkle “you” and “your” throughout so the customer understands his or her needs come first, not your desire to sell something.

Close: Spell out what the reader needs to do next (e.g., request additional information by completing the enclosed reply card, order now). Insert a guarantee to establish credibility. Since all sales letters contain a call to action, it’s easy to test the response rate to determine which version works best in converting readers to buyers.

Postscript: The second most read part of your letter, after the headline, is the P.S. Mobilize the reader to act now (e.g., order in the next 30 days and receive free installation).

How long should the letter be? As long as it takes to define the offer, overcome objections and ask the reader to take action. Those who aren’t interested won’t read page one; those who are will read every word.

One of the key advantages of a sales letter, as with all print marketing, is that it has staying power. Give the reader a reason to post the letter on the refrigerator or bulletin board. An auto repair service might include the top 10 tips for winterizing your vehicle, or a sporting goods store could enclose a season schedule for the local team.

Lastly, be prepared for success. Correlate the volume of your mail drop to the highest projected response rate. Make sure you can fulfill the deluge of new orders your sales letter will surely bring.