The North Carolina Public Transportation Association (NCPTA) hosts an annual training conference and business partner expo. It’s a time when vendors and systems collaborate to inform, update, collect new ideas and make the transit world a better place. The event offers possibilities for improving administration and operations, showcasing everything from scheduling software to vehicles of a surprising range of shapes and sizes.
My beloved daughter, and only child, turned 34 on October 9. Her birthday took me back to 1985 when I worked in telecom. Exciting times - expanding service from 13 cable channels, i.e. the networks, HBO, CNN, Nickelodeon, ESPN and C-SPAN to an unbelievable 400-450 MHZ bandwidth of up to 60 channels. Okay, so I’m dating myself (and loving it!).
One of the most embarrassing and gut-wrenching experiences for a Marketing Manager is to be handed a copy of company materials with the brand so disfigured it is unrecognizable.
Let’s face it, when your organization distributes print across the State, the country or the world, you need a system that gives you the power to: (1) Efficiently organize and update content, (2) Preserve brand integrity, (3) Manage and track usage and volume, (4) Avoid obsolescence and waste from unused stock, and (5) Ensure the polished image you designed remains intact, regardless the media.
In most businesses today, space comes at a premium. Desks are crammed together with co-workers close and the closet at the end of the hall is full of stuff. Add to that the jumble of materials needed to go to more than one trade show per year and you’ve got some serious space management issues. In fact, several of our print communication customers require us to call before we make any deliveries because they simply have no extra room.
Some projects are best suited as a digital communication while others really should be printed. Some programs could benefit from both printed pieces and digital resources. With ever-increasing sales targets and tight marketing budgets we need to get this right. These tricky questions can be answered more easily by breaking the decision down into smaller parts.
The premise of Inbound Marketing is a shift of focus from the marketers needs to the prospects or buyers needs. It sounds obvious but the difference in perspective has a tremendous impact on the content and direction of campaigns. Can direct mail, considered part of our legacy methodology, be updated to become a part of this new customer-centric marketing?
Relevance of direct mail is determined by the level of creativity, context and value. There is a tremendous opportunity to provide a special experience at the mail box. Think of the happiness you feel when you get a card from a loved one, or excitement when opening a gift, or curiosity when getting a bulky package.
