Laser Printable Cards Are More Than Just Insurance Cards!

Many people think you can only use laser membership cards for auto insurance cards and medical cards. Of course they are great for those industries. And I think originally that seemed to be the main market, but now they are so diverse you can use them for a ton of things.  And they save so much time and money, why not give them a go!

One of the best uses of laser cards is for registration for summer activities, gym memberships, and retail promotions. The card portion doesn’t necessarily have to be used for identification of a person.  Many have put coupons, confirmations for sign ups, free items, and much more. They have been becoming increasing popular for targeted mailing to include a promotion to get customers through the door. Another great use is a quick reference guide.  Maybe you have an item that requires a fast set of instructions, or maybe a temporary password or access code.  It is a great peel out card to keep with you.

The great thing about laser printable cards is combining low per piece cost, with simplicity of use, versatility, and durability. They are water and heat resistant.  And because you can purchase either pre-printed or completely blank stock, you have more control of your costs and time efficiencies. 

They are definitely worth a try.

How Does a Little Blank Label Affect Such a Huge Part of the Shipping World?

For such a little label, blank thermal and direct thermal labels are a huge part of what makes the distribution center world go round. More and more businesses, regardless of size, are moving towards thermal /direct thermal options to ship out their products. Why is that exactly?

Very small retail establishments were using the traditional method of printing out their packing list and label, folding it, putting it into an adhesive backed plastic pouch, and affixing it to the package. As technology has evolved, and more product options have been developed, many are discovering that even the smallest of establishments can benefit from a more efficient, cost reductive, method of shipping their products to their customers. There have been lots of great products introduced to help in this area, but none as much as direct thermal and thermal labels.

What makes them unique is you don’t have to run them through a laser printer, so the cost for printing consumables goes down tremendously.  Instead, depending on the material choice, you run your labels through a thermal printer, which uses a thermal ribbon, or a direct thermal printer, which uses a print head, to create the image on the label. Either method is much more cost effect than toner in most cases. The standard size for most companies is a 4x6” which is perfect for most shipping labels. Larger fc’s utilize smaller sizes of thermal labels to print tracking barcodes. These barcodes are used internally to track where the package is within the facility. There are so many great ways to customize your process using a variety of sizes, materials and adhesive options.

If you are struggling with speed and efficiency, going with direct thermal or thermal labels could be the answer. It is definitely worth the investment.

Will Switching to Plastic Postcards Give Me a Better ROI?

Everyone gets postcards in the mail.  Some big, some small. Some high color and some just one color. But the common theme is most of them are paper. We may glance at them…some even catch our eye enough to maybe not throw it in the trash immediately. But none of them compare to a Plastic Postcard.

 

So what makes a plastic postcard so unique?  Well, the first obvious part is they are plastic. When you grab a stack of mail, 99% of it is paper.  So when you feel the texture of a thick, rigid plastic, it gets your attention. In fact, they are normally the thickness of a postcard and that has a whole other set of advantages.

What you put on your postcard is just as important as the material it is made of.  The nice thing about a plastic postcard is you can make them interactive which is engaging and fun. Many businesses opt to have a detachable card or key tag within the postcard.  Not only is it plastic, but you can punch out this card/key tag and use that piece over and over again. The card can function as a business card, a discount coupon, a trial membership, or anything to bring customers in the door.  The key tag could serve as a constant reminder on their car keys about your business information.

Cost is always a concern.  And plastic postcards do cost more, both in postage and production.  But what many businesses have found is spending the extra money had a huge payoff.  The ROI was significantly higher than their paper counterpart and throwing in a tempting offer or interactive card/key tag was definitely worth the extra money. 

Was 2016 Everything You Thought It Was Going To Be For Your Distribution Center?

No seriously...was it really as great as you wanted?  Did you not grow this year?  Were your processes not on point?  Did any of your lines shut down?  Did you run out of vital supplies? Or did any of your supplies fail? Were your vendors not there for you when you needed them the most?

If you answered “yes” to even just one of these questions, then now is a great time to make sure that it doesn’t happen again in 2017. And what does that involve…understanding and change; two very unnerving topics for many distribution centers.

According to Distribution Center which focuses on the HVACR industry, there are three challenges distributors are facing, with one of those being quickly refining their current processes. So that leads us back to the original questions at the top of this blog. You have to understand if you answered “yes” to any of those questions is what went wrong, and how are you going to fix it.  And the beginning of the year is the perfect time; before you get into the holiday seasons and you have a fresh outlook on the year.

So what can you do if you had problems in the past. Make changes.  Talk to expects who understand how both simple, and very complex, distribution centers operate and get their feedback.  What businesses fail to see at times is suppliers need you to succeed in order for them to grow as well.  Reach out to them; invite them to see your operation and get their feedback. Request label samples. There are times when you have looked at a process so many times, that fresh eyes are the best way to gain new perspectives.  But don’t wait! The faster you address issues in your operation, the faster you will see improvements.

Can a Little Key Tag Really Grow My Business? YES! It Absolutely Can!

It’s almost that time again.  With a new year on the horizon, businesses of all types are trying to grow and maintain customer loyalty.  One of the best ways to do both is to incorporate a loyalty key tag program. 

Who doesn’t love rewards and perks.  You can encourage customers by giving them rewards points, or incentives, for purchases. Signing up for emails on the company website is great, but they can be overlooked.  And it is very simple to scan a barcode to bring up their information to easily apply their reward. You can also apply savings coupons as well, so they can save money.  If you prefer to not have points or rewards, you can still offer account specific savings.

Having a key tag right on your customer’s key ring is a constant prompt to use it. Everyone has car keys.  You can’t leave without them; Make them high color with a barcode so they stand out against other items on their key ring to get noticed. It is also great for your employees.  Sometimes customers get sidetracked and forget to apply their loyalty key tag.  If your employees can keep an eye out for members, or non-members, they can provide even better, more personalized service.  

Loyalty programs are growing, and just about every industry can take advantage of this innovative product.  If you are a grocery store or gas station, you can offer incentives for buying food or gas.  If you are a retail store, you can offer rewards points for purchases.  You gain an entire wealth of knowledge because you can track your customers purchases will a simple barcode scan.  It is not only going to retain current customers, but it can give you a gateway to new ones. It is definitely worth the investment!

Do Fundraiser Cards Really Live Up to Expectations?

The answer to that question is YES. Fundraiser cards can absolutely help your organization not only raise money, but keep a large percentage of the proceeds. All it takes is a little planning, and some creative sales, to get a program started and raise money.

Knowing where to start is sometimes the biggest challenge.  Local businesses traditionally like sponsoring home town causes.  It makes them look great and shows their community loyalty. So with that said, the best place to start is going to your local store owners to see if they want to offer a coupon, discount, freebie, or anything that will get customers in their doors and help the cause. Depending on the number of offers you receive will most likely determine what type of fundraising piece to design and order. If you have several offers, 15 or less, then you can use a single fundraiser card to capture all of the great values on the back of the card. However, there are times where you may want to opt for a card/key fob combination if you have the following scenarios:

• If you have a business that just wants to have a one-time offer, put that offer on the key fob for redemption; the card portion can be kept for the ongoing promotions.
• You are offering a value card where family members can take advantage of the offers.  The family member can have a key fob to keep on them, while one member keeps the actual card.
• Maybe a business wants the extra real-estate to put their information and logo for the ongoing promotion.  The buyer can keep that on their key fob on a key ring specifically for that business for an ongoing promotion. 

Choose from 1, 2, 3 and 5 additional key fobs to add to your piece depending on your needs. The nice thing about managing the program yourself, and not having an outside fundraising company help, is you get to keep more of the profits and stay efficient because you are not splitting commissions another company, your operating costs stay down, and there is no product to worry about handing out.  In fact, your operating costs could actually be paid for if you charge the business to advertise on the card. There are many creative ways to get more bang for your buck using fundraising cards. Check out sites such as The Fundraising Authority where there are several articles about fundraising including marketing ideas and various other resources to help you with your next project.

Everyone Eats Right? Why Restaurants Should Take the Plunge and Offer Gift Cards!

Buying gifts for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions is more stressful for some people than the actual holiday itself. Trying to guess what the person wants… will they hate it… will they return it… so much guesswork that is has become very commonplace to purchase a gift card instead of an a actual gift. Many retail stores, and almost all chains, offer them now.  And why not?  It doesn’t really matter what you buy…they just want you to come in and shop. This is why a gift card is perfect: 

• They get you in the door to purchase the gift card.
• You may buy other things while you are there to purchase your gift card.
• You will turn around and give your gift card to the recipient giving them another customer.
• The recipient will come in and use their card and either spends more than the card value…or they may even spend less. 

No matter how you look at it, the store has made money…and potentially even more depending on the customer’s behavior in the store.  This should be the easiest way to gain more business. Sooooo….where do restaurants fit in?

Restaurants really have a special advantage.  Everyone eats and most really enjoy it.  If you have great food and service, people want to share that experience.  And lucky for restaurants, people eat out a lot and not just on special occasions or holidays; however, according to the National Restaurant Association 6 in 10 Americans want a restaurant gift card as a holiday gift. So what better way to increase business than encouraging your patrons to buy gift cards from their favorite restaurant.  And it is easy to do. Many establishments offer incentives either by purchasing so much in cards to get a free card for themselves.  Some restaurants even offer free appetizers, drinks and dessert as well.  For some customers who planned on purchasing a gift card anyway, this incentive sweetens the deal. 

If cost is a concern, as it always should be, start small and see what happens.  Many point of sale (POS) systems already have the ability to load cards by barcode or magnetic stripe and many business owners aren’t even aware of the feature. Contact your provider…it may be as simple as turning it on, or just some additional training. Purchasing the actual plastic gift cards is actually pretty easy too.  Many POS providers will tell you that you can only purchase from them, which is not the case. A good plastic card provider can take a sample card and tell you what magnetic strip or barcode to order with your cards, and can guide you through every step of the process.  You can even have the company design your card, or if you are lucky, they offer gift card online design capabilities where you can do it on your own.  The process need not be stressful, but actually exciting; especially when you see your tables full and more profits coming through the door!