Category Archives: Business

The Power of MEMOS

Leave a reply

Whether they’re sent to a digital or physical in-box, memos still play an important role in the daily communications of most companies. Before you hit “send” or fill your coworkers’ in-boxes, take a moment to decide if a memo best serves your needs. If a face-to-face meeting would be quicker than sending a memo, or if you have a lot to say, then hold a short meeting instead.

If you do decide a memo will be the best course of action, here are some ways you can make sure your memos are accomplishing their goals:

• Include the date, the recipient’s name, and your name at the top of every memo you send.

• Begin with a sentence explaining the memo’s purpose.

• Keep the memo short. Use active verbs and only include information vital to understanding the meaning of the memo. If you think you’ll need to explain in greater detail what you are writing about, include a request for a meeting.

• Conclude the memo with a call for action. If you want the recipient to contact you or to save the memo, put those instructions in the memo. Even if no action is required, make sure you mention that, too.

• Save a copy of the memo for your files. This way, you will have something to refer to when someone has a response or a question about the memo.

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, design, direct mail, marketing – 318.868.3351

NOTEPADS – Great Marketing Tool

Leave a reply

Have you been looking for a creative marketing tool that can increase awareness about your business and benefit your customers at the same time? Look no further … notepads may be the perfect solution to this unique marketing challenge.

Notepad Store

Every business dreams of having their customers promote their company. This dream can easily come true with customized notepads.

Customized notepads not only increase awareness about your business, they are a fun promotion that your customers will enjoy using.

Think about how often you use notepads to jot down notes to coworkers or family members, capture random thoughts, or even make grocery lists. Now imagine that your notepad, with your company’s logo and sales message, is being used like that several times a day, and possibly even being passed along to other people. All of those notes add up to a powerful marketing agent for your company.

So how do you determine what kind of notepad you’d like to use to represent your business?

Notepads offer a lot of creative freedom. They can vary in sizes, shapes, colors, paper textures, and graphics. Notepads can range anywhere from a typical 8-1/2” x 11” lined memo pad, to a smaller 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” scratch pad. They can be designed to portray the personality of your business, or promote a functional use, such as “To-Do List” or “Shopping List.”

If you’d like some more creative ideas on how to use notepads as a promotional tool for your business, stop by and talk with one of our customer service representatives. Not only can they show you examples of various styles of notepads, they can help you determine what kind of notepad would best promote your business.

So go ahead, write “order notepads” on your to-do list. And hopefully, before long, your customers will be jotting down notes on your company’s classy, customized notepads … thinking of your great service or product every time.

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct mail, graphic design, social media, marketing services. 318-868-3351

“Signatures” Could Save You Money

Leave a reply
Of course, we aren’t talking about your autograph, but a printing concept.
As you may know, printing companies don’t always print documents in the one-page-per-sheet way that your office laser jet does. Instead, they may print several pages of material on a single, larger sheet (that’s called a press sheet) and then fold it and cut it to get the final finished page sizes.
What that means is that one large piece of paper coming off the press (before it’s folded and trimmed) could hold four, eight or more pages of material. That large piece of paper containing multiple finished pieces is called a “signature,” and the number of finished pages in one signature is called the “signature unit.”
The key to properly planning your multi-page documents is to think about the signature unit.If you have a project that is nine pages long and the signature unit is eight (meaning the signature contains eight finished pages),you would use two signatures: one signature for the first eight pages, and a second signature for that last (ninth) page. But if you were to do a little bit of editing to reduce your document page length to eight pages, you would only use one signature.
By being aware of the signature unit (the number of finished pages that can fit on a press sheet) required for your project, you can remove or add content so that your final product fits the signature, which reduces waste and saves you money.
For over 34 years, Paragon Press Shreveport has been #1 in printing, direct mail, graphic design, marketing services – http://www.ParagonPress.net – 318-868-3351

Doing It All – Mind Over Matters

Leave a reply

For most people, a frenzied schedule makes up the pace of contemporary life. Setting a personal pace to your life, however, is essential for sanity and survival.

See full size image

Success means setting priorities, organizing, and refocusing your attention. Part of that means accepting you’ll never get everything done and, of those thing you accomplish, not everything will be perfect. But you’ll focus on the critical things and they’ll get done first and best.

The most successful person is usually someone who tackles and refocuses on one activity after another. Finding your personal pace is difficult – it may seem like just another task on your already long list of things to accomplish. It’s important, though, to find a focus that works for you. It will make answering the phone while typing a presentation and making a note to pick up dinner seem almost easy!

The Truth About Newsletters

Leave a reply

Newsletters are one of the most effective marketing and loyalty-building tools a business can use. We all know businesses that have produced their own in-house newsletters and have used them as powerful marketing resources for their company.

See full size image

Newsletters “connect” potential buyers to your business in a way that most conventional advertising never will. People love to read them! Providing your customers with a monthly newsletter is an easy to build loyalty, goodwill, and devotion to your company.

Here’s a list of three newsletter tips and ideas you might find helpful.

  1. Think about your content. Generally, the most popular newsletters don’t contain a lot of industry-specific, technical copy. This can seem boring and self-serving to your readers. It’s better to provide interesting articles that will appeal to most people. Use a strong nameplate masthead and a few display ads in your newsletter to “sell” your products or services.
  2. Newsletters increase customer loyalty, so your mailing list should include customers as well as prospects that you would like to develop into customers.
  3. Lastly, newsletters don’t have to be expensive. Paragon Press can offer several different printing options. You might start with a simple, inexpensive, one-color newsletter, and progress to two-color and full-color as your newsletter’s popularity increases.

Newsletters can help your business muscle through the mail stack with your company’s selling message. If you’d like the phone to ring more, we’ll help you make it happen with newsletters.

www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct mail, graphic design, marketing – 318.868.3351

Signatures Could Save You Money

Leave a reply
Of course, we aren’t talking about your autograph, but a printing concept. As you may know, printing companies don’t always print documents in the one-page-per-sheet way that your office laser jet does. Instead, they may print several pages of material one a single, larger sheet (that’s called a press sheet) and then fold it and cut it to get the final finished page sizes.
What that means is that one large piece of paper coming off the press (before it’s folded and trimmed) could hold four, eight or more pages of material. That large piece of paper containing multiple finished pieces is called a “signature,” and the number of finished pages in one signature is called the “signature unit.”
The key to properly planning your multi-page documents is to think about the signature unit.If you have a project that is nine pages long and the signature unit is eight (meaning the signature contains eight finished pages),you would use two signatures: one signature for the first eight pages, and a second signature for that last (ninth) page. But if you were to do a little bit of editing to reduce your document page length to eight pages, you would only use one signature.
By being aware of the signature unit (the number of finished pages that can fit on a press sheet) required for your project, you can remove or add content so that your final product fits the signature, which reduces waste and saves you money.

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct mail, graphic design, marketing – 318.868.3351

Evaluating Your Customer Relations

Leave a reply

There is a lot that goes into maintaining positive customer relations. one-time customers can turn into loyal customers if the right attention is paid to them. Make your customers feel valued and appreciated, and they will be hard-pressed to go anywhere else.

Here are a few questions to ask as you evaluate the relationships you have with your customers:

  • How would you describe one of your typical customers?
  • If you saw a regular customer at the mall, would you recognize him or know his name?
  • Do you request customer feedback and take their comments into consideration?
  • Do you organize your business schedule around the convenience of your customers?
  • Do your customers keep coming back?

If you have satisfactory answers to these questions, congratulations! If you were unsure of how to answer, it is time to brush up on your customer skills.

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct mail, graphic design, marketing – 318.868.3351

POSTCARDS – Simple Yet Effective Marketing

Leave a reply

ostcard marketing remains one of the most cost-effective means of getting your name and message in front of prospective buyers. With a postcard, you can target your message to only those customers and prospects who are most likely to want your services.

See full size image

Postcards can come in a variety of sizes. Standard-sized postcards offer just the right amount of space for your message. Jumbo postcards are an effective way to spread your message because they stand out, get attention, and offer more space for your important messages.

Here are some more great reasons why postcards should be included in your marketing plan:

  • Postcards are CONVENIENT. Your message is right in front of your customers. They can read your offer and find out about a sale without having to open an envelope. in addition, they are able to refer back to your postcard at any time, and save it for future reference.
  • They’re INEXPENSIVE. Printing costs for postcards are small, considering the large impact they can have on buyers.
  • They’re EASY TO TEST. Because they’re so inexpensive, postcards are a great medium for testing the effectiveness of your messaging. Start by sending postcards to a small sampling of your mailing list. When you’re satisfied with the results, have more printed and spread out from there.
  • They’re EASY TO TRACK. Especially if you include a coupon or special offer on the card.
  • They make a LASTING IMPRESSION. How many TV or newspaper ads do you remember after just one viewing? The reason we forget most conventional ads is because they’re a distraction, not the main focus of our attention. A jumbo postcard has staying power. It leaves a more lasting impression because of its size, its content (especially if it includes a coupon or special offer), and its simplicity.

See full size image

Contact us today about printing postcards for your company!

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct mail, graphic design, marketing services – 318.868.3351

SMART Advertising

Leave a reply

Advertising is vital for the health of all businesses – but how can you tell if the advertising method you are using is working?

Here are some easy ways to test your ads:

  • Advertise just one item in an ad, but don’t display the item at your business for a set amount of time. Then count the calls that come in for that item. If customers can’t see the item on display, they will be less likely to ask about it, so you will be able to tell how many sales have resulted fro your ad.
  • Run the same ad with a different-colored coupon in 2 different publications. Ask customers to bring in the coupon to redeem the savings. This will let you know which publication reached the right audience and is worth your advertising dollars.
  • Switch advertising mediums and watch any change in sales.
  • Ask new customer how they heard about your business, and use this information to make future advertising decisions.

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct mail, graphic design, marketing services – 318.868.3351

Stationery Paper Basics

Leave a reply
With so many papers available, how do you decide what papers to spec for your business stationery? Here are a few basics to keep in mind. For more advice, talk to one of our customer service representatives. We’re experts at choosing the perfect paper for every job.
  • Start with the basics. Letterhead is typically printed on an uncoated, 20 to 28 pound bond paper. For business cards, consider an uncoated, 80 pound cover stock. If your design includes photos or other fine touches, choose a coated stock instead, for better print quality and clarity.
  • Know your limitations. Check your office laser or inkjet printer’s specifications before selecting a stock. You don’t want your letterhead’s weight to exceed the limitations of the office equipment you plan to use it on.
  • The color of paper you select will affect how inks appear when printed on it. Even different shades of white can affect print quality in different ways. Make sure you select a paper that will complement the ink colors needed for the design.
  • In the same way, it’s generally a good idea to avoid darker colors or distracting background images. Otherwise, your correspondence may be difficult to read when printed on your letterhead.
  • Study the samples. All of the major paper companies provide sample books filled with examples of the various papers they have to offer. Many even show how different inks appear when printed on the page. Visit our print shop to take a look at these sample books and to get our advice for selecting a paper that’s right for you.

http://www.ParagonPress.net – #1 in Shreveport, LA for printing, direct marketing, graphic design and marketing – 318.868.3351