Why EDDM Marketing Works and can / is be Measured by the Sales it Generates.

Since the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) introduced the EDDM program in 2011, it’s proving to be a big hit among small businesses across the country. EDDM enables retail and service companies to penetrate specific ZIP codes and neighborhoods and in an efficient, affordable manner without having to purchase or rent a list with names and addresses.

Cost is an obvious benefit, but it goes way beyond that. We like that there is less mail in the mailbox, thus less competition. We like that people have to go to their mailbox every day - guaranteed traffic. We like that EDDM is about over-sized mail pieces - yes, bigger is better (in this case).

Small Businesses
Designed with small businesses in mind, EDDM is ideal for just about any type of local business or organization that relies on local customers from nearby neighborhoods to generate sales. They are using EDDM to drive foot traffic, promote special offers and boost their customer base.

Large Companies
While smaller companies are key users of the service, large national companies are also discovering that EDDM can be beneficial to their marketing efforts. A number of chain stores have been using EDDM to test advertising campaigns in specific areas before deciding whether to roll these campaigns out nationally.

Franchises
Franchises are also finding that EDDM is extremely useful. One of the key challenges of a franchisor is helping franchisees market their business. By offering turnkey pricing and customizable templates, print companies like LightsOn and Time4 are making it easier than ever for franchisees to get their local marketing programs off to a successful start.

EDDM is best for any business that focuses on B2C sales of local services;  Dentists, Landscapers, Tax Preparers, Pizza / Chinese Delivery, Restaurants, Movie Theaters, etc, etc, etc.!!

Call Me

Bob Leonard
561-371-4113 (Call My Cell)
512-593-8830 (in Austin)

EDDM is a services provided by all LightsOn / Time4 offices.

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EDDM is a registered trademark of the U. S. Postal Service (USPS).

Fixing the Local Print Business - The Biggest Target

 
It might be about the local postal store, franchise or independent.  Many years ago someone told me about a company (a start-up at the time) called Mailboxes, Etc. (now The UPS Store)  My original thought was, why use them instead of the post office?  I believed the business concept was flawed - I was way wrong.  Yes, many of these businesses are feeling the strain of the economy and being a franchisee, but the outlook for this group is very positive - just walk into one on any given weekday (especially after 2pm).  The question I have is - can the franchisors bring in higher margin products to more utilize their current foot traffic - and give the franchisee a chance to succeed?

Being a target market for LightsOn Graphics is the wrong phrase; it is much more a prediction. Postal stores provide a convenience that creates foot traffic and business in that it is hyper localized - one stop to send mail, UPS, Fed-X, get the boxes and packing you need to complete your mailing.  They have morphed from a post office box and shipping center to a business center providing copy service, document shredding, limited but critical office supplies, and limited emergency print (copies, business cards).  Just a side note - If you need shredding, buy a shredder.

Offering print and collateral marketing services is a natural expansion to their business; some would say they already do.  I tend to use Postnet in my examples because, not only are they in that postal store target bunch, but they also use a service that, from my research, provides nothing except the satisfaction that they can say, "we have an online print site".  No they don't, but that is just my opinion.  I have interviewed several small printers that use the same system - orderless (like zero) - they stretch to find value in something they pay for every month.  The system they use does provide marketing benefits and a few  convenience tools, but not sales.

Now that the market has been identified, we can start talking about the product and what makes LightsOnGraphics.com different (better) in both product and concept - see our forthcoming blog entries (or see an earlier taste - Fixing the Local Print Business).

In Review - Targets:

1. Postal Stores - because this is where the customers are.
2. Local Quick Printers with poor web presence.
3. Postal Store Franchisors Postnet, Postal Annex, Goin' Postal, etc.)
4. Quick Print Franchisors (AlphaGraphics, Minuteman Press, Sir Speedy)
5. Local Graphic Designers.
6. Vertical Market providers (newly identified)

Thank You For Reading.!.!

Bob

561-371-4113

The Post Offices (USPS) Encore or the Beginning of the End

People unknowingly think the United States Postal Service is inefficient and burdened by "government employees".  Not true by any means - sure there are always a few bad apples, but that is true everywhere.

Imagine - a private company spending millions in research and then, the moment the research is complete it must be put into public domain for all competitors (UPS, FedEX, etc ) to use.  How can it survive when your competition, which you are not allowed to compete with, has access to all your market and product research and can skim the most profitable portions of the market with that research.

Add to that a collective of general, dis and mis information and attacks on an organization that does not have a PR budget to defend itself.

Every Door Direct Mail  (EDDM) could be the savior of the USPS.  A USPS encore? For the sake of the public, let's hope its not the beginning of the end.  More to come.

Followup on "Who Me, Who Three - Fixing the Local Print Business" Can the Local Printer Survive?

 There is an economy of scale that the local quick printer (franchise or independent) needs to have to survive.  Read my blog entry "Who Me, “Who Three” - Fixing the Local Print Business", it will provide some further background and insight.

The local printer's first issue is utilization of assets which means increasing it's business.  Since they have higher end and more capable equipment than the new competition (office product stores and postal stores), they have a bigger financial mouth to feed.  Reduced copy business revenue and traffic and then losing some of the higher end business to online printers has made this difficult and their future questionable. It will require some aggressive creativity for these businesses to continue as an ongoing entity.

The local printer needs to aggressively network to two groups, the graphic designer and the local postal stores and signing them up as partner/affiliates (sound familiar).  This will require very attractive commissions be paid to the partners; so attractive that they wont want to do it with anyone else.  As it is said in the venture capital business, "Do you want to own a percentage of something or 100% of nothing".  It's a strong argument.  This is one of those areas where I can tell everyone the answer, and for one reason or another (can't execute, too busy, don't have talents beyond retail, etc), its doesn't happen. Let's just say they need to begin to collaborate with each other more aggressively.

The franchisors should be all over this as they need to help (save) their franchisees.  BetaGraphics (our make believe franchisor) needs to do more than educate, but actually push their local franchise into partnering with local graphic artists and postal stores, basically offering satellite franchises (BizOps) and relationships to the local BetaGraphics.  These people are looking for a solution that the local quick printer has.

What you read is the why our business model at LightsOnGraphics exists.  A player needs to unify the fragmented local market or the local market will ultimately disappear causing everyone to lose; quality will suffer (as it already is) and prices will ultimately rise.

Bob Leonard
561-371-4113

Talk - Demo - Talk - Demo, etc... and Loving It

 I am enjoying the reception and feedback I am getting from postal stores as we prep to sign up our second phase of "BetaLocals".  They so clearly understand new business opportunities and the value of a referral and a customer.

The biggest obstacle seems to be developing an understanding of collaborative relationships and marketing as well as collaborative branding and collateral.  Read our thoughts on collaboration and then what the local printer needs to do.  Learn a little more about collaboration at Wikipedia.

The print stores are going to be a different animal as we start to roll that out in a couple weeks.  Because of the tightly reined in and restrictive UFOCS, we may have to limit our sales effort to the franchisors.  The "why's" on why they should will be the subject of a forthcoming blog entry.

Bob

“Who Four” - The Biggest Target - Fixing the Local Print Business – Part Four

"Who Four":  The local postal store, franchise or independent.  Many years ago someone told me about a company (a start-up at the time) called Mailboxes, Etc. (now The UPS Store)  My original thought was, why use them instead of the post office?  I believed the business concept was flawed - I was way wrong.  Yes, many of these businesses are feeling the strain of the economy and being a franchisee, but the outlook for this group is very positive in my opinion - just walk into one on any given weekday (especially after 2pm).  The question I have is - can the franchisors bring in higher margin products to more utilize their current foot traffic - and give the franchisee a chance to succeed?

Being a target market for LightsOn Graphics is the wrong phrase; it is much more a prediction. Postal stores provide a convenience that creates foot traffic and business in that it is hyper localized - one stop to send mail, UPS, Fed-X, get the boxes and packing you need to complete your mailing.  They have morphed from a post office box and shipping center to a business center providing copy service, document shredding, limited but critical office supplies, and limited emergency print (copies, business cards).  Just a note - If you need shredding, buy a shredder.

Offering print and collateral marketing services is a natural expansion to their business; some would say they already do.  I tend to use Postnet in my examples because, not only are they in that postal store target bunch, but they also use a service that, from my research, provides nothing except the satisfaction that they can say, "we have an online print site".  No they don't, but that is just my opinion.  I have interviewed several small printers that use the same system - orderless (like zero) - they stretch to find value in something they pay for every month.  The system they use does provide marketing benefits and a few  convenience tools, but not sales.

Now that the market has been identified, we can start talking about the product and what makes LightsOnGraphics.com different (better) in both product and concept - see our forthcoming blog entries (or see an an earlier taste - Fixing the Local Print Business).

In Review - Targets:

1. Postal Stores - this is where the customers are..
2. Local Quick Printers with poor web presence.
3. Postal Store Franchisors Postnet, Postal Annex, Goin' Postal, etc.)
4. Quick Print Franchisors (AlphaGraphics, Minuteman Press, Sir Speedy)
5. Local Graphic Designers.
6. Vertical Market providers (newly identified)

Thank You For Reading.!.!

Bob

561-371-4113