Category Archives: Featured Products

Laminated Menus: The Durable, Safe, and Smart Choice

Whether you run a massage studio or a restaurant, nearly every business needs a menu – the place where you list all of your products or services. Your menu will leave a lasting impression on your customer, shouldn’t it be a good one? Besides an attractive design, your menu should also be durable, professional-looking, and sanitary. One simple way to achieve all of the above is to go with a laminated menu option.

Why Should I Use Laminated Menus?

1. Longevity: Laminated menus last longer because lamination increases the durability of a piece. This will save you money on reprinting.
2. Durable: Laminated menus are protected against stains, smudges, spills, marks, oil, grease, dirt, moisture, and fingerprints. Laminated menus are nearly waterproof! So the next time a coffee gets spilled on your menu, you can just wipe it off instead of throwing it away.
3. Appearance: Laminate is a completely transparent material and will not impair or blemish your menu in any way.  In fact, laminate enhances ink colors and makes pieces more vibrant. This will make the images on your menu appear even more appetizing.
4. Professionalism: Lamination thickens and strengthens printed material, creating an impression of higher quality and importance. Customers love to feel like they are important and that they are going to an establishment that invests in their products.
5. Sanitary: Laminated menus are easier to clean. This means that they can be sanitized! Decrease the spread of germs and bacteria in your business.

One-sided, double-sided, and bi-fold menu options available.

Why Stop at Laminating Menus?

Lamination is a great option for more than just your main menu. You can also provide guests with laminated drink menus and kids menus. This may be especially useful since kids are known for being a bit messy. You can even provide a laminated placemat for extra protection.

You can also use lamination with your advertising! Plastic postcards are a great option. Imagine your customers receiving an offer in the mail with a coupon or two with your business on it. Lamination will put you one step above the competitors! You could also provide take-out menus with a magnet attached. Now your food menu can be hung on a customer’s fridge and they’ll think of you any time the thought of cooking dinner that night seems too daunting.

Laminated postcards, menus, and coupon mailers offer value.

Have to see it for yourself?

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Call us today at 1-800-826-2869 to get started on your new laminated menus!

PrimeNet is excited to offer lamination services!

So what exactly is lamination? The laminating process bonds printed items between two pieces of clear, plastic film. This process has many uses and a variety of benefits.

What are the Benefits of Lamination?

1. Laminated pieces last longer because lamination increases the durability of a piece. This saves money on reprinting.
2. Laminated pieces are protected against stains, smudges, spills, marks, oil, grease, dirt, moisture, and fingerprints.
3. Laminate is a completely transparent material and will not impair or blemish the print in any way.  In fact, laminate enhances ink colors and makes pieces more vibrant.
4. Lamination thickens and strengthens printed material, creating an impression of higher quality and importance.

How Can I Use Lamination in Advertising?

1. Laminated mail pieces are glossy and vibrant! The laminate adds sheen and thickness to your mail piece. This means that it can break through mailbox clutter. A plastic postcard is eye-catching and different than the typical paper mailer.
2. Lamination makes printed documents look more finished and professional. This conveys value to the consumer.
3. Your direct mail piece has increased strength and durability. This means it can travel through the mail and arrive in excellent condition with no tears, wrinkles, or stains.
4. The increased durability of a laminated mail piece can also increase the longevity of a printed piece. This can be very helpful when you are providing something that you want people to keep around for a long time, such as: calendars, re-usable coupons, schedules, etc.
5. This durable format of direct mail also results in extended redemption cycles. You can provide coupons with a longer expiration date because the printed piece can handle the test of time. Glossy postcards won’t tear or chip along the edge of the card.
6. Laminated direct mail can be highly personalized. Using variable data, you can include a consumer’s name and other personal details about themselves. This will stand out to the consumer and make them feel important, this piece was made just for them!
7. Speaking of making the customer feel important, laminating a direct mail piece can do just that. Sending a highly personalized laminated postcard sends the message that you care about that customer’s unique circumstances. Their business is worth more to you than just the average postcard on card stock.

What Else Can I Use Lamination For?

Lamination can be used for many purposes and for a variety of reasons. Below, you will find many common examples of popularly laminated pieces.

Lamination enhances the appearance and extends the life of frequently handled prints, such as…

• Menus for Bars and Restaurants
• Price Lists
• Training Materials
• Maps
• Calendars
• Health and Auto Insurance Cards
• Fundraising Cards
• Showroom and Trade show Display Materials

Lamination protects printed materials that are used in dirty or damp environments…

• Product Warning Labels or Fact Sheets
• Maintenance Procedures
• Operating and Safety Instructions
• Signs and Rules
• Reusable Hang Tags and Door Tags

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To learn more about how PrimeNet can offer lamination to benefit you, call us today at 1-800-826-2869!

Promotional Items for Year End

The end of the year is quickly approaching! While it may seem obvious to focus your efforts on things like Black Friday and Holiday sales, it is equally as important to make sure you start the new year off on the right foot. One way to do this is by giving a little “thank you” to your current customers, or a “nice to meet you” to potential clients with promotional items. Below, are 3 ideas to promote your business starting now and into the following year.

Promotional Calendars

Calendars are the perfect promotional item to hand out. Not only are calendars something that your customers can get use out of for the whole year, but it gives you the opportunity to share your business information wherever the calendar happens to be displayed. There are also endless possibilities with how creative you can be when customizing your business calendar. Laminated desktop calendars, daily tear-off calendars, and magnet calendars are just a few options that come to mind. Start customizing a promotional calendar for your business today!

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Holiday Cards

Holiday cards are a great way to tell your current customers that you appreciate them. A simple message showing that you appreciate their business can go a long way.

Additionally, sending out holiday cards to current (and prospective) customers with information on your newest promotion or coupons for them to save money on a new product can serve two purposes. The customer feels appreciated, and your business will receive sales from the offer you provided!

Another use for holiday cards is to send them out to other businesses that you have worked with throughout the year. Show them that you value your relationship, and hope to continue prosperously onto the next year.

PrimeNet has put together a template order process to make coming up with a holiday card design even simpler for you! Watch the video to see how we can put together your next holiday card!

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Promotional Notepads and Stationery

Another business promo tool is stationery. The options in this category are endless. You can create almost anything, stick your logo and contact information on it, and hand it out to your customers. Custom printed shopping lists, notepads, and to-do lists are a few simple items that come to mind. Anytime someone reaches for a scrap piece of paper is your opportunity for them to be reminded of you and your company. You can also create something with a little bit more fun attached! What about a daily inspirational quote? Or a daily riddle with the answer given on the next page? These tactics make the customer WANT to use your product, and will subconsciously get them excited about seeing your company name. You can also provide laminated stationery so that it can be written on with dry-erase or wet-erase markers.

No matter what route you decide to take this year, it is important to get your name and information in front of as many eyes as possible, as often as possible. Contact PrimeNet today and let us help you get started on your next promotional campaign!

Black Friday: Direct Mail for Car Dealerships

Fall is in full swing which means we are officially in the most profitable sales quarter of the year.  With the holidays fast approaching, it is important to make sure that you are taking advantage of every marketing opportunity possible. Black Friday is arguably the most popular sales opportunity event, and as such, should garner a large chunk of your advertising efforts.

Why Should Car Dealers Advertise During Black Friday?

Black Friday is the unofficial kickoff for the holiday sales season. It is known for being responsible for bringing in the most sales for many industries. Since it marks the beginning of a new season, Black Friday is also a great opportunity for advertising your holiday sales or winter specials. For the automotive industry, Black Friday can advertise that the end of the year means cars will be losing value. So customers will want to come in now to trade in their vehicle, before it gets another year older.

Why Should the Auto Industry Focus on Direct Mail?

While the digital marketing world is ever-expanding, it is important not to discount the benefit of direct mail. Fairly recently, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reported that the response rate for print mail surpasses that of all digital channels — and by a hefty margin. According to this DMA research, direct mail generates a 3.7% response rate with a home list, and a 1% response rate via prospect list.

Paid search, email, social media, mobile and internet display combined only achieve a 0.62% response rate. Which means: direct mail outperforms all combined digital channels by over 600%.

For more information on direct mail vs. digital advertising, see our previous blog post here.

How Can My Car Dealership Have the Most Effective Black Friday Direct Mail Campaign?

• Start early. The end of the year always seems to fly by. Make sure to have your Black Friday marketing strategy ready now, before it’s too late. You want to have your offer in the mail, and in your customers’ hands, before Black Friday sales begin.

• Stand out. Use unique direct mail pieces. You are going to be up against a lot of other Black Friday competition. You want to make sure that your dealership direct mail piece stands out. One way to do this is by utilizing variable data to have a customized experience. If the customer sees their specific car make and model name on their mail, it will give the impression that this piece was made just for them!

• Have a call to action. What is your goal from this advertisement? Do you want the customer to call and book a service appointment? Do you want them to come in and trade in their vehicle? Whatever it is you are wanting your customer to do, make sure that message is clear.

• Offer an incentive. Why would the customer care about receiving this mailer? Offer them coupons or discounts that will incentivize them to use your services.

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What Kind of Direct Mail Pieces Should Automotive Dealers Use?

This depends on what your goal is. If you have a lot of text – a letter is the way to go. You could even camouflage it as a Christmas card with a handwritten font on the envelope to entice the customer to open it. A postcard has everything front and center. It allows a great way to put your important information out there and offer the customer some great savings without them doing too much work. A plastic postcard will convey value and stand out in the mail. A self-mailer is the best of both worlds because you can attract customers with your main focus while the piece is folded flat, but give them more information once they open up the mailer to see what’s inside. Self-mailers can often be some of the most unique pieces because they come in so many different sizes, fold-options, and die cuts.

Whether you want to encourage existing or potential customers to visit your dealership, take a test drive or receive winter maintenance services, Black Friday mailers can help you achieve the success you’re striving for this holiday season. To set up a Black Friday direct mail campaign for your car dealership, call us today at 1-800-826-2869.

Bold Message, Soft Touch

What is Soft Touch Coating?

Soft Touch coating provides an attractive and practical option which results in a luxurious presentation that remains cost-effective in production. Texturing gives dimension to an otherwise flat printing surface, and Soft Touch’s unique ‘velvety’ or ‘suede-like’ texture creates an appealing look and feel to any mailing. Its elegant presentation gets noticed in the mailbox immediately – making it ideal for direct mail campaigns.

This is a type of paper coating which creates a unique texture to the paper stock when applied. The paper becomes “soft” to the touch and increases tactile appeal while creating a softer look and feel on printed materials than traditional aqueous or UV coating. Soft Touch coating also creates a barrier which inhibits fingerprinting, and protects the sheet from scuff marks during finishing operations such as binding, folding and cutting.

Soft Touch dries fast, is non-yellowing, and is eco-friendly. “Sophisticated” and “Luxury” are words often used in describing the effect Soft Touch coating produces on printed materials. This tactile sensation has been proven effective in engaging with your prospect or customer.

Why use Soft Touch on my direct mail?

Our sense of touch is the catalyst to our uniquely human emotional world and the way we connect with others. Experiments have shown how touch affects consumer behavior, even subconsciously. Research has found that tactile advertising improves brand perceptions and increases consumer purchase consideration.

• Creates a tactile response with the recipient.

• Looks and feels like luxurious velvet or suede.

• Increases willingness to try, purchase and recommend the brands to others.

Customers are bombarded with visual messages all the time, but touch can create a pause from these and give us time to reconnect with reality. Touch shapes our understanding and emotional response to communications. Planning for tactility in advertising can take advantage of this most powerful of our senses.

Contact PrimeNet for more information at 1-800-826-2869.

List Tips and Best Practices for Direct Mail

Be Very Specific – List Targeting 101

An excellent guideline for list building is the more targeted, the better. Whether you choose to buy or rent a list, it should be as targeted as possible. Step one is to sort through the basic demographics of your target audience like age, gender, income, family status, etc. Once you have a demographic laid out, check with the list company to see what other specific targeting options are available. Some list companies will be able to provide micro-selects which may come in useful for you. Micro-selects are top level models of consumer behavioral tendencies. An example of a micro-select would be “propensity to shop for a new car”. While this behavioral model is not 100% accurate, micro-selects are a very valuable indicator of consumer intent.

List Brokers Will Save You Time and Energy

The most convenient way to find your targeted mailing list for your business is to make use of the services of a broker. Brokers are direct marketing professionals who will be able to provide you with list recommendations – a.k.a. “list reco”. Brokers do the research according to your specifications and come back with a selection of direct mail lists in your target area. Unless you have experience in purchasing or renting lists, it will be a daunting experience for you, no doubt. A list broker is highly experienced in this area and will often help you negotiate lower list rental rates.

Be Sure to Have a Data Guarantee

Before paying to purchase or rent a list you should make sure the company is willing to give you a guarantee over delivery rates. List companies offer guarantees that include refunds for returns over a certain percentage or additional ‘free’ records for higher than normal returns. As a best practice, you should also tell the list company that you plan to mail First-Class, whether you actually will or not – with First-Class, the postal service is required to send returns. Stating that you intend to mail First-Class will prompt the list company to provide you with the actual expected return rate.

Start Small – But Not TOO Small

What IS small? When it comes to direct mail offers, small is bigger than one may think. The idea that you will send out 200 mailers, one time, and get a good return is pretty far fetched. To test out your messaging on a smaller scale, it’s recommended that you send out at least 2,000-2,500 mailers to a targeted audience with a couple of different offers, and then lock down on the most successful campaigns. Starting small can help you pinpoint the list types that are the most suitable targets for your business, and then you can expand your campaigns accordingly. But remember – you must keep a good campaign rotation going to keep your business expanding. Direct marketing is an ongoing effort.

Be Sure the 40/40/20 Rule Gets this Essential Upgrade

Traditional guidelines for direct mailers have always been to follow the 40/40/20 rule which states that 40% of direct mail success is based on quality of the list, 40% on the actual offer, and 20% based on the creative design. While each element in the traditional 40/40/20 rule is still relevant, direct mailers should be adding one crucial step to meet the needs of today’s consumer:

Direct mailers should look to drive their prospects back to a relevant landing page where they can complete a form if they wish to purchase or receive more information. Why? Consumers these days are getting more and more self-directed and are likely to research their options online before making a purchase. A good practice to keep in mind in this case – is to send prospects to a personalized URL or PURL so you can track the targets on your list who have visited your site.

Combine Direct Mail with Email for a Consistent Message

Consider delivering your offers by combining email and direct mail to reinforce your message and increase the probability your offer(s) will bring in business. When using varied channels, each communication should build on the previous contact. Direct mail should emphasize a key message and call to action while keeping visual consistency across all media and adhering to the same graphic standards to reflect the same voice so each piece reinforces and extends your brand promise. Direct mail offers can be used to start a conversation with people whose emails you do not yet have, or who have not responded to your emails.

Use Buzz Words

“Buzz Words” like ‘Introducing’, ‘Announcing’, ‘NEW’, ‘NOW!’ and ‘FREE!’ have been proven through research to attract above average response. Words like ‘easy’, ‘quick’ and ‘improved’ have been shown to increase product sales, so we say: Definitely use them!

When people are uncertain about what action to take, they tend to do what others tell them to do. Using techniques like posting customer testimonials or stating the number of satisfied customers a brand has – will increase your mail piece’s response.

Direct Mail for Large Scale Corporations

On large scale direct mail campaigns, such as franchise mailings, direct mail with email and other digital campaigns, should allow a marketer or salesperson login to a web based solution, make a few selections, upload creative assets and hit ‘send’. This automation comes in handy for corporate businesses with several branches or franchise businesses, and this is something that can be set up by your direct mail partner when necessary.

Be Sure to Use Mail Tracking

Direct mail tracking should be available 24/7 so you can see deliver-ability and activity rates down to a specific piece of mail. Always look for solutions with direct mail tracking and use them with your campaigns to continually ensure you are sending the most effective offers.