Five reasons to use printed newsletters

Five reasons to use printed newsletters to promote your business

In our crowded online world – a world where our inboxes are often full to the point of being exhausting – printed direct mail is still one of the most refreshing, creative and effective ways of engaging potential customers. According to online searches, e-newsletters can average click-through rates from .5% up to 1.6%. However, a printed direct-mail newsletter can generate a 3% to 5% response rate. To give you another comparison, Mailchimp pegs the average click-through rate for all emails across all industries at 2.62%. Plus, according to Canada Post, marketing campaigns that integrate direct mail with digital elements elicit 39% more attention (i.e. time spent) than digital campaigns alone. Today, most companies realize that they need to incorporate direct mail into their promotional campaigns to be successful. Here are more reasons to use printed direct mail, especially printed newsletters, to promote your shop.

1. A huge purchase rate

Studies show that about 66% of consumers here and in the U.S. have purchased a product because of direct mail. Printed newsletters are no exception. Today, successful business owners are revisiting this powerful and tangible marketing tool. Plus, with their more informative and entertaining style, newsletters can dominate when it comes to better engaging with customers and potential clients.

2. Showcase your shop’s print quality

Give your prospects a colourful printed newsletter that they can physically hold, peruse, and above all, enjoy. Impress them with the print quality and creativity of your mailer. Printed newsletters also reflect your professionalism and a commitment to your clients and potential customers that’s almost impossible to convey with e-newsletters on a computer screen.

3. Stay ahead of your competition by acting now

In any crisis, marketing is usually the first budget to be slashed. But most marketing experts agree that continuing to communicate with customers and potential clients – especially during difficult times – is vital. Printers are no exception, especially when they can showcase their creativity and product range in the very piece they create! Let your informative and engaging direct mail ‘masterpiece’ reflect your shop’s professionalism. “The best time to market to people is when others are not,” said Robin Sumner, Managing Director of UK marketing agency Romax. “After the initial panic subsides and society accepts the ‘new normal’, then business will return swiftly – and those that have continued to promote during that time will be well ahead of the curve.”

4. Boost your response rates with variable data

Consumers today have come to expect a higher level of personalized messaging during their buying journey. One of the best ways to meet those expectations is by using variable-data printing. For example, instead of sending 500 identical flyers to customers and potential clients, use variable-data printing to create 500 customized flyers in the same amount of time – which substantially raises your response rate. This customization can include recipient names, body text, special offers, images and more. Do you have a mailing list of current and potential customers? Now is the time to use it as businesses slowly re-open and consumers emerge from self-quarantine. Bottom line: personalized print (depending on the audience and the degree of personalization) can elicit response rates up to six times more than a general mail drop. 5. Spend your marketing dollars wisely

This pandemic has put financial pressure on just about every business At the end of the day, you need to balance the inexpensive nature of e-newsletters (i.e. no printing needed) with the many advantages of a printed format – not the least of which is showcasing your shop’s creativity and exceptional print quality. Our suggestion? Why not use both? Finally, if you feel you don't have the time or the staff to create a professionally designed and engaging newsletter each month, we can definitely help. Please be sure to read the next page.

Direct Mail Made Easy! Simply...

1. DOWNLOAD 2. CUSTOMIZE 3. PRINT!

Are you too busy taking care of your customers’ printed marketing needs that you’re neglecting your own? Make it easier on yourself with monthly, ready-to-print direct mail content made exclusively for Canadian print shops by Graphic Arts Magazine.

Features and Benefits

• Fully Customizable and Ready-To-Print • Engaging and Relevant Content Created by a

Professional Copywriter • Four Page, Full-Colour Newsletter Format • Allows You to Connect with your Key Customers

Every Month Spend more time selling print and less time in production by promoting your products and services with these helpful, engaging, professionally designed, written, and easily customizable direct marketing newsletters.

Visit our website at www.graphicartsmag.com/dm.html to learn more about this helpful new service, available from Graphic Arts Magazine in 2020.

Are you doing R&D in Canada? Get 40% – 60% of your research investment back!

Are you involved in searching for investors instead of producing the printed ‘masterpieces’ that are your passion? Looking for continuous research and development (R&D) funding is a common challenge and can often become quite stressful. But imagine the freedom of being able to take your initial investment and get between 40% to 60% of it back – which, if you like, you can reinvest, and then get 40% to 60% back again the next year! The Canadian government offers great financial incentives for research that leads to a new product, process improvement, software or an app. The federal government’s SR&ED (Scientific Research & Experimental Development) program allows small to medium-size companies to get significant tax refunds and credits every year. Plus, all Canadian businesses conducting experimental development can apply to the program. Unfortunately (and not surprisingly), you can imagine that applying is not as easy or as straightforward as we would like. The Felix SR&ED team of professionals are experts at working with the federal government and the CRA (who administer the SR&ED financial incentive program) to help businesses navigate this process. Our expertise began in 2010 when three PhD graduates with 20 years’ experience as academic scientists, launched a company with a mandate to work with universities and industries to develop technological solutions to address new research and production challenges. Early on, Felix Technology learned of the SR&ED program, and spent considerable time and effort learning how to write a clear problem definition, and to develop efficient, accurate proposals that met government guidelines. Because of this learned expertise, many Felix Technology projects were financially supported for the most part by reinvesting the funds returned through the SR&ED Program. Having become successful at preparing and filing the required financial and technical documentation, in 2015 Felix SR&ED was launched to help other companies navigate the lucrative R&D tax-incentive program and raise capital quickly for their own research projects. Fast-forward to 2020, and we continue to meet with businesses who are wondering if they too are eligible for a large cash subsidy. We also meet many others who don’t even know about these opportunities. Some industries we’ve already helped to navigate this lucrative R&D tax incentive program to raise capital quickly include: • Digital printing • Manufacturing • Biotech and pharma • Food • IT and nanotechnology If you’re wondering if the research and development you’re doing or are planning to do qualifies, please contact me to see if you’re eligible. Felix SR&ED offer a free introductory phone call to assess your project's eligibility and estimate the amount of tax refunds and credits we believe you’ll receive. I can help you: • Confirm if your research project is eligible • Do all the background checking for you • Make sure you apply for the maximum eligible amount • Accurately complete all required documentation and file your application To learn more about how I can help your business if you’re currently conducting, or plan to conduct, Scientific Research & Experimental Development initiatives, please visit http://www.felixsred.ca/ or contact me at f.golden@felixsred.ca or call (416) 802-8708.

Since immigrating to Canada from Ireland in 1970, Frank Golden has been focused on making sure each and every one of his clients is well taken care of. He embodies Zig Ziglar’s quote: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”