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Kickstart Your Accountant Marketing with Direct Mail

Kickstart Your Accountant Marketing with Direct Mail

Kickstart Your Accountant Marketing with Direct Mail

With various tax and annual report deadlines quickly approaching, it’s important to find creative ways to effectively engage your tax and finance clients. Using direct mail as part of your accountant marketing strategy can break through the e-junk clutter and increase sales! Direct mail campaigns provide a tangible and personalized approach, making them an ideal choice for promoting your tax and accounting related services.

Preferred Direct offers services that have helped Accountants nationwide with all 4 steps of their print marketing campaigns: designing, printing, finishing, and mailing. Here’s a comprehensive guide from the Accountant Marketing Experts at Preferred Direct on how to kickstart your marketing with direct mail:

 Define Your Target Tax AudienceEvery door direct mail accountant marketing

In order to properly define your target audience, you must identify your ideal clients and tailor your direct mail campaign to address their specific tax and/or finance needs. Consider demographics, location, industry, annual income, household type, and more when creating a targeted mailing list for accountant marketing. For example, let’s say you want to reach clients within 10 miles of your office, every door direct mail (EDDM) is a great option to promote your company to every single house or business within a desired area.  Contact Preferred Direct for assistance with EDDM.

Clearly communicate and adapt any special promotions, discounts, or unique offerings that set your business apart to the demographic you’re trying to reach. By defining your target audience properly, you can tailor your message to increase your return on investment (ROI).  For instance, for individuals with children or dependents, you can offer a discount for those filing with dependents. However, offering this family-friendly discount to the wrong audience could impact your campaign negatively and make single or childless recipients feel pushed away. That’s why personalization matters!

Campaign Personalization Matterspersonalization accountant marketing

Now that you know your target audience, you need to capture their attention on a personal level. Customizing your accountant marketing pieces to resonate with individual recipients will make them feel seen and understood, instilling trust in your business. By using variable data printing (VDP) technology, your print partner can incorporate personalized elements such as customer names, specific financial concerns, location landmarks, and other unique information based on the recipient’s profile. Learn more about Preferred Direct’s variable data printing services, here.

Direct Mail Designaccountant marketing direct mail design

It is essential to invest in a professional design that captivates the attention of your accounting clients. Bold brand colors, clear typography, and high-quality images make your direct mail pieces engaging and effective. Consider your printing options; Select your paper type; Black and white or full color print; One-sided or two-sided prints etc. By ensuring that key information is easily read and your branding is prominent, potential clients will know exactly who your company is, what you do and how to contact you.  Market additional accounting services in each campaign, such as financial planning, retirement & estate planning, etc., for potential upsells/cross sells and increased campaign ROI. View our infographic on key postcard elements for design tips for your next campaign.

At Preferred Direct, our graphic designers can create captivating artwork to help bring your accountant marketing to life and maximize your return. Ask about our add-on design services for your print and mail campaigns.

Incentives and Discounts

The best way to encourage engagement and to track your ROI is by including exclusive incentives or discounts that can be redeemed. When it comes to finances, clients strongly value professional guidance.  Tax Accountants can find success when providing a limited-time promotion, a special rate for first appointments, service coupons or a referral bonus in their direct mail campaigns. Educational resources to help clients understand their finances and possible tax implications are a great giveaway for accountant marketing campaigns as well. Direct mail incentives can boost response rates and create a sense of urgency bringing in leads sooner rather than later. Browse other direct marketing ideas in this blog.

Finish off by clearly stating what action you want recipients to take. Whether it’s scheduling an appointment, visiting your website, or calling for more information, a compelling call to action (CTA) is crucial for driving response rates. Especially with a time sensitive service like filing taxes! Use unique codes, dedicated phone numbers, or specific landing pages to measure response rates. Analyzing results allows you to refine future campaigns for better effectiveness.

Strategic Campaign Timingaccountant marketing strategic timing

Plan your direct mail campaigns to coincide with key accounting milestones. Consider sending initial teasers before tax season officially starts and follow up with reminders and additional promotions as the deadline approaches. College savings planning services in the fall or summer project accounting in the spring are all great accountant marketing campaigns to highlight throughout the seasons.

By following these steps, you can kickstart your accountant marketing with direct mail, ensuring that your message resonates with potential clients, at the perfect time.

 Preferred Direct: Experts in Accountant Marketingpreferred direct

Preferred Direct has over 35 years of experience as a second-generation family business working closely with financial organizations throughout the US. Our goal is to help maximize your company’s exposure and engagement this tax season. By making our VDP and direct mail services a part of your tax marketing, you partner with an experienced Print Partner capable of designing, printing, finishing and mailing your best campaign yet!

Let Preferred Direct take care of all your printing and fulfilment needs.  We are a HITRUST certified partner prioritizing the security of your sensitive customer and financial data. Contact us to discuss which secure print and mail services will be best for your accountant marketing needs.

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

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Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

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5 Pro Tips for Your Annual Company Newsletter

5 Pro Tips for Your Annual Company Newsletter

5 Pro Tips for Your Annual Company Newsletter

In the world of business, annual company newsletters are the best source of distributing a company’s journey over the past year. These annual reports have become far more than just a measure of successes in numbers. Companies have used these newsletters to showcase achievements and company growth, highlight employees, share customer stories and testimonies, as well as future company goals and aspirations.

Are you new to the world of business marketing? Here’s a few tips from the Print & Mail Pros at Preferred Direct to ensure your next company newsletter captivates your shareholders, customers, employees and beyond.

#1 Use Engaging Visuals! saddle stitch printing booklet

Nothing will lose a team’s attention faster than looking at a company report of words and bullet points. Incorporating strong visuals such as photos, charts, graphs, and infographics make data and content more digestible. If possible, try to use real photos of your headquarters, team members and customers. A stock photo can be easy to spot and makes it less relatable. It’s important to incorporate your company colors throughout your report to always reinforce your brand message and look. Annual reports don’t need to be boring! Contact Preferred Direct for a design consultation and we’ll help you ideate your next  company newsletter for top ROI.

#2 Make Your Company Newsletter Personal

An important aspect when it comes to your company newsletter is to be open and honest about your company health. Take this as an opportunity to showcase your successes and achievements, environmental/social initiatives, key milestones, and noteworthy events. This is also a good place to provide an overview of financial achievements such as profits and revenue. Alternatively, incorporating lessons learned and other shortcomings can show company transparency, inspiring loyalty and helping prevent larger loss in the future. By sharing future plans and strategies, along with potential challenges, you can add a personal touch to your company newsletter that help empower and inform your greatest assets – your employees and supporters.

#3 Keep it Clean & Organized

To ensure your message is received accurately, the content must be clean and structured to be easy to read. Not everyone reading your company newsletter is an executive or even a tenured team member, make sure to use easy-to

Company newsletter pagination services-understand verbiage and visuals so readers of all professional levels can follow along.  Using easy-to-read typography, incorporating sections and titles, and having a clear strategy to your newsletter is imperative. Contact the Preferred Direct team for pagination services.

#4 Make it Professional

We’ve all gone to events where you end up with a handful of brochures you never even look at. Make your annual reports stand out with professional bindery and finishing options from Preferred Direct! We offer spiral bound, perfect bound, and saddle stitch binding, along with the printing and mailing of your newsletter. Your board members, shareholders, employees, customers, and donors deserve a professional polished print they can take pride in.

#5 Embrace Digital!

Embracing the digital world allows viewers to access  your annual newsletter more readily and at their own pace.  With the increase of individuals using their phones to view professional documents, having a digital copy of your annualcompany newsletter binging and finishing report can help spread your message even further. Using Preferred Direct’s email marketing service, you can share the digital newsletter, as well as grow your direct mail newsletter list annually. You can also combine print and digital mediums by using QR codes in your printed company newsletters that link to special landing pages. Contact our team to learn more.

Now that you understand your newsletter is more than just a transfer of information down the chain of command – it’s a strategic communication tool for multiple audiences. Let’s get started!

preferred directAt Preferred Direct we offer a wide range of services that will set your annual reports apart from the rest. Our skilled designers and state-of-the-art equipment provide what you need to achieve a professional look and the consistent branding your company deserves. From pagination to distribution, we can design, print, and mail your next annual company newsletter, from start to finish. Contact us to get started today.

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Whether you’re looking to recruit new students, engage alumni, or share important updates with faculty and staff, print campaigns are a highly effective medium for higher ed marketing.

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Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

When it comes to elections, every detail matters. This is especially true for local downticket elections — those that involve smaller, local offices like city council members, school boards and more.

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Maximizing Open Enrollment Success: 6 Key Print Materials Every Insurer Needs

Maximizing Open Enrollment Success: 6 Key Print Materials Every Insurer Needs

Maximizing Open Enrollment Success: 6 Key Print Materials Every Insurer Needs

Open enrollment is a crucial time for insurance companies to attract new members and retain existing ones. In the competitive marketplace, print insurance marketing remains a tried-and-true strategy for communicating your benefits and value to potential policyholders. In this blog, we’ll explore six essential insurance print materials to maximize open enrollment success and elevate member experience.

Direct Mail Open Enrollment:

Direct mail marketing remains a powerful tool for reaching new members and reminding existing ones during open enrollment. Postcards, mailers, letters, and advertisements come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to send personalized messages, promotions, renewals, and important information about insurance plans. Direct mail allows potential policyholders the time to review and research your offerings, directly or online. With Preferred Direct’s experience and technology in direct mail services, we’ll help you create eye-catching designs with a strong call to action and targeted audience to increase your campaign ROI.

Printed Newsletters:

open enrollment direct mailCreating a printed newsletter, with professional finishing such as saddle stitch binding, will certainly leave an impression. This print insurance marketing approach not only caters to a diverse demographic, including those who may prefer traditional communication methods but also makes it more likely to be noticed and retained. Including member benefit summaries, featured doctor and hospital news, and even a nutritional cooking recipe, can help create an engaging newsletter that establishes a tangible connection with your audience, encouraging policy enrollment and retention.

Third Party Billing:

Third-party billing can provide a seamless process for collecting premiums, deductibles, and communicating coverage details. These documents should be designed with the utmost clarity to ensure that policyholders can easily understand their financial responsibilities. Preferred Direct is a HIPAA-compliant and HITRUST-certified printer, excelling in high-quality third-party billing services. We take pride in making sure your customers have a smooth experience during open enrollment and billing because we know happy customers can equal lifetime policyholders.

Explanation of Benefits:

Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements are essential for policyholders, providing a breakdown of the costs associated with their services. Just like third party billing, having a professional and concise EOB document and communication process will improve your member experience making them more likely to renew each year.

Member Handbooks:

Member handbooks are valuable tools for insurance companies seeking to provide their policyholders with comprehensive information about their coverage. These handbooks serve

book printing services fulfillment

as a go-to resource for policyholders, offering details on benefits, claims procedures, network providers, and other essential information. A well-structured member handbook can be a valuable asset for both policyholders and insurance companies during open enrollment, fostering trust and confidence in your services. With state-of-the-art printing and finishing technology, Preferred Direct can create a professionally printed and bound resource that strategically covers all your insurance offerings.

 

Document Printing:

During open enrollment, insurers have a multitude of documents to print, ranging from member forms, contracts, and more. Preferred Direct offers state-of-the-art document printing services that guarantee accuracy, consistency, and professionalism. Your insurance company can rely on us to produce high-quality insurance marketing print materials that reflect your commitment to providing excellent service.

PDM teamPreferred Direct has over 35 years of experience as a second-generation family business working with insurance providers throughout the US. In our experience working with some of the largest insurance companies in the nation, to maximize success during open enrollment, it’s essential to invest in the right print materials. By incorporating third-party billing, direct mail marketing, advertising postcards, explanation of benefits, and document printing into your open enrollment strategy, you can create a comprehensive and compelling marketing campaign. These materials not only convey essential information but also reflect the professionalism and trustworthiness of your insurance company and its services.

For a successful open enrollment season, trust Preferred Direct as your full-service business communication partner. Contact us today to discuss our marketing and design services to help you goals this enrollment season.

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Whether you’re looking to recruit new students, engage alumni, or share important updates with faculty and staff, print campaigns are a highly effective medium for higher ed marketing.

Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

When it comes to elections, every detail matters. This is especially true for local downticket elections — those that involve smaller, local offices like city council members, school boards and more.

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Print-on-Demand: A Game-Changer for Economical Print

Print-on-Demand: A Game-Changer for Economical Print

Print-on-Demand: A Game-Changer for Economical Print

 

Businesses and entrepreneurs alike are constantly seeking ways to streamline their processes and reduce costs. More and more companies are moving away from traditional mass printing methods with large print runs, substantial overhead expenses, and the risk of unsold inventory. With the emergence of the Print-on-Demand (POD) through digital printing technology, customers now have a more economic and efficient solution for their mass printing needs. Preferred Direct, an industry-leading print, direct mail, and digital communications partner, is proud to offer Print on Demand services to customers throughout North America. In this blog, we will explore this lean printing technique, how it works and its advantages and applications for businesses today.

What is Print on Demand (POD)?

Print on demand (POD) is a business model and printing technology that allows companies to print products in small quantities. The key concept behind the growing success of print on demand is that products are printed or manufactured only when they are ordered, reducing the need for large, upfront inventory and associated costs. Here are some of its unique advantages:

Reduce Costs & Waste

print on demand

Traditional printing often entails substantial upfront costs for mass orders and the risk and burden of storing inventory. With Print-on-Demand, customers can eliminate these overhead costs by printing copies in smaller batches over their contract lifetime. While the per-unit cost of Print-on-Demand books may be slightly higher than bulk offset printing, the overall cost savings come from avoiding warehousing and waste costs.

Companies and entrepreneurs can maintain a manageable inventory of print collateral at a time and order more (or less) throughout their contract, reducing the financial risk of unpredictable sales or fails. Talk to your print partner to understand lead times, order minimums, payment terms and more. Preferred Direct’s digital printing and finishing services ensure your books, catalogs, documents and more remain available without the need for extensive storage space or the risk of obsolete inventory.

Economic Self-Publishing

Print-on-Demand is an economic and accessible option for independent authors and small publishers. With the rise of entrepreneurs selling print products direct on platforms like Amazon and Facebook, Print-on-Demand can help the average author get to official publisher level. While traditional offset printing may not be cost-effective for those with limited resources or those who don’t need large print runs, currently. This democratization of mass printing has expanded the range of voices and content available to consumers, and Preferred Direct is here to support entrepreneurs on this exciting journey!

Rapid Turnaround

Time is of the essence in the world of business. Print-on-Demand technology allows for quick turnaround times, enabling orders to be anticipated, printed, and shipped to customers within days. This rapid response reduces lead times and allows for faster printing and delivery. With Print-on-Demand, the printer and customer must have a relationship based on communication to strategically print as needed.

Customization and Personalization

Considering you are printing in small batches, clients can make updates and revisions to each run with Preferred Direct’s variable data and digital printing technology. This feature is particularly useful for educational materials, corporate publications, and political or niche markets, giving you the flexibility to tailor your content as things change.

Eco-Friendly

print on demand

Print-on-Demand takes a lean approach to publications and is more environmentally friendly than traditional printing. Bulk printing can result in significant paper, energy, transportation, and resource waste when books go unsold. POD reduces waste by printing only when there is a confirmed demand, contributing to environmental sustainability.

Print and Digital Integration

In this digital age, many companies now offer a combination of print and digital formats for their titles. POD can be seamlessly integrated with e-book distribution and other digital channels, providing readers with multiple options for accessing content.

Preferred Direct for POD

Preferred Direct offers Print-on-Demand solutions among our various print and finishing capabilities. We understand the quality, urgency, and logistics needed to successfully carry out a Print-on-Demand program for your print campaign. Whether you are a business, an entrepreneur, an author, or a publisher, Preferred Direct has the experience to print and deliver your products, on time and on budget. Contact Preferred Direct today to discover how our Print-on-Demand technology can transform your operations to be efficient, cost-effective, and eco-friendly.

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Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

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What is Saddle Stitch Binding?

What is Saddle Stitch Binding?

What is Saddle Stitch Binding?

From comic books to corporate brochures, examples of saddle stitch binding are everywhere we look. But what is saddle stitch binding exactly?

Saddle stitch binding is a bookbinding method where sheets of paper are folded and secured together with staples or stitching along the folded crease. The term “saddle stitch” comes from the saddle-shaped equipment used to drape booklets over during the stapling or stitching process.

Typical booklets range anywhere from 8 to 100 pages. Depending on paper thickness, the maximum page count can increase or vary by application. To create a saddle stitch booklet, the pages must be in multiples of four, including the front and back cover. A printed sheet of paper with graphics on both the back and front will create four “individual” pages when folded in half. Therefore, four pages are added to the booklet for every additional sheet printed.

At Preferred Direct, we have multiple finishing technologies to perfect and progress the saddle stitch process to ensure you receive a perfectly stitched booklet with incredibly fast lead times. Learn about our printing and saddle stitch finishing services on our website.

 

The Saddle Stitch Binding Process

Saddle stitch binding is a simple, cost-effective, and efficient binding method offered by Preferred Direct. This finishing process requires specialized stapling or stitching equipment and significant investments from your commercial printer to complete this process quickly and accurately. Booklets that are not stitched correctly will have trouble folding and flipping from page to page, as well as have trouble laying flat and maintaining quality throughout handling.

There is a specific process you must follow to achieve successful staddle stitch printing and finishing. Here’s a quick overview:

Folding and Collating: Once the booklet pages are printed, the sheets of paper are folded to create individual pages. This folded crease is often referred to as the spine. The folded sheets are then arranged in sequential order and prepared for binding.

Saddle Stitching: To begin saddle stitching, the folded paper is placed on a saddle-shaped equipment with the spine of the booklet in the center. The staples or stitches are inserted through the folded crease, securing the booklet together. Most booklets only use two staples along the spine, but stitching may vary depending on the paper size or the number of pages.

Trimming: After the stitching step is complete, an excess of paper may extend beyond the edge of the booklet. Printers trim the excess, creating a neat and uniform edge, preparing the booklet for finishing.

At Preferred Direct, we have multiple automated finishing technologies that fold, collate, stitch and trim your booklets for fast, efficient service and quality print. Unlike other printers who may outsource the binding process, Preferred Direct can complete all printing and binding in-house, as well as mailing and fulfillment services to distribute your booklets around the nation. Contact our team to request a project estimate and get started on your first print project with Preferred Direct!

Popular Applications of Saddle Stitch Binding

Saddle stitch binding is all around us. It is a very common method of booklet finishing and is used in a variety of print types that we interact with every day. Here’s some common applications of this finishing option:

If you’re looking to print one of the above projects, then saddle stitch binding is most likely your best finishing option.

Advantages of Saddle Stitch Binding

Known for its simplicity and efficiency, saddle stitch binding provides a quicker turnaround, a lower finishing cost, and a professional look to any booklet printing service. This binding method only needs a few staples to secure a booklet, whereas perfect binding uses glue to attach pages to a spine and requires more specialized equipment. Saddle stitched booklets can be completed quickly and are ideal for time-sensitive print projects. Their spine can lay completely flat when open, along with being compact, low weight and portable. Saddle stitch also offers more versatility for customers. From booklets to catalogs, newsletters to magazines, this form of binding accommodates a variety of paper sizes, weights, finishes, print designs and more.

With over 30 years of experience providing quality printing, finishing and mailing services to businesses around the country, Preferred Direct is the go-to commercial printer for professional saddle stitched print projects. We have the technology, experience, and capacity to assist you in creating high quality saddle stitched booklets from printing to binding to fulfillment and beyond. Contact the experts at Preferred Direct to get started on your booklet printing project today! Request an estimate online or give us a call at 757-461-2730.

Not sure if saddle stitch binding is the correct finishing for you? We also offer perfect-bound and spiral bound finishing options for larger books and print pieces. Contact the PDM team today to discuss your print project and we’ll steer you in the right direction.

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Print Campaign Ideas for Higher Ed Marketing

Whether you’re looking to recruit new students, engage alumni, or share important updates with faculty and staff, print campaigns are a highly effective medium for higher ed marketing.

Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

Boost Your Political Marketing Campaign with Print

When it comes to elections, every detail matters. This is especially true for local downticket elections — those that involve smaller, local offices like city council members, school boards and more.

About the authors

Read More