Allegra Marks 15 Years in Business by Changing with the Times
Owning and operating a successful business nimble enough to meet ever-changing market needs is no small feat. Allegra Marketing · Print · Mail has not only met the challenge, they’ve risen to become a market leader with 2012 marking 15 years of service to area businesses and nonprofits.
Since opening its doors in 1997, when owners Gasper Lipari and Dave Knox merged their print shops, many new channels have opened to business communicators that go far beyond printing and copying. “It’s fair to say Allegra has kept pace by successfully evolving from a printing-only company to a full-service marketing communications provider,” says Knox.
To grow their business further, Allegra owners Lipari and Knox recently completed a rigorous marketing certification program that included advanced training in marketing planning, database procurement and management, and the development and execution of cross-media tactics. Allegra’s goal is to become the areas leading one-stop resource for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits looking for real results from their marketing plans.
“Today’s successful marketers recognize that they need to be more thoughtful and strategic than ever,” adds Lipari. “Over the years, our clients have asked us to play an expanded role, telling us that a single source for planning, design and production services would be valuable to them.” Allegra has even developed an innovative program called Brand Builder; a process that helps clients develop a blueprint for success.
Transforming into a marketing resource for area businesses and nonprofits is not the first time Allegra has expanded services to meet client demand. In 2009, it enhanced its printing capabilities with the addition of blueprinting services to assist clients requiring the printing and archiving of large-scale documents like architectural drawings, landscape designs, site plans and more. In 2011, Allegra expanded its capabilities yet again by adding an eco-friendly wide format printer used for posters, signs, banners and vehicle wraps.
Allegra, now with 2 locations in Hamilton, is a full-service marketing communications provider with added support from its National Marketing Resource Center. Capabilities include in-house offset and digital printing technologies, web marketing, blueprinting, promotional products, signs, posters and banners, graphic design, mailing services, marketing planning and project consulting.
15 Surefire Direct Mail Offers
One of the top direct mail mistakes is not making a specific offer (or request) and expecting the recipient to figure out what you want them to do.
The job of your offer is to motivate the respondent to take action. Without a compelling reason to respond, your target is most likely going to do nothing. A great offer has high perceived value to the prospect. This does not necessarily mean it costs you much to give, but that your target thinks it’s valuable. Of course, any offer should also be simple, easy to explain and quickly understood.
Here are 15 surefire offers:
1. FREE information – This is the most common offer when trying to get sales leads in the business-to-business world. Free information can be in the form of a helpful guide, white paper or case study.
2. FREE demonstration – This is important for complex products like business equipment.
3. FREE trial – This is a common offer for higher-priced merchandise and many services, both for businesses and consumers.
4. FREE cost estimate – A good offer for many professional services such as contractors.
5. FREE sample – Depending on the product, the offer of a free sample can be compelling, particularly when it is coupled with something else, such as free information.
6. FREE survey of your needs – Also called an “audit offer,” this is often used with success by service companies.
7. FREE gift – This can be an effective offer to drive traffic to retailers or consumer service businesses.
8. Rebate after purchase – This offer is common, usually for consumer products.
9. Seasonal sale – This offer is limited to a special event or time period, usually a season or holiday (White Sale, Fourth of July, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc.).
10. Customer appreciation sale – These are special deals for past and current customers only.
11. Two-for-one – This offer communicates “value.”
12. Time limit – Setting a time limit on any offer is good practice because it forces action now.
13. Introductory pricing – This offer promotes a discounted price for acting fast.
14. Volume discounts – This offer makes it a good deal for people to buy more than they had planned. “Save 50 percent when you buy all five!”
15. Trade-in – An example of a trade-in offer would be: “We’ll give you $50 off your computer monitor when you trade in your old one.”
New Best Practices In Email Marketing
Email strategies, as with any form of direct marketing, evolve over time. Here are some of the newest “best practices” to consider when creating email campaigns.
Three ways to ensure a more successful email campaign.
Ask yourself:
- Does your reader recognize you? Eighty percent of people will decide to read your email by what you have put in the “from” name and subject line.
- Are you saying something relevant? The better you understand your customers, the greater the chance you’ll deliver a message that motivates them.
- Is the email content “share ready?” Be sure to include a forward-to-a-friend button. If applicable, also link it to your entries on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Email lists: Make them better, but not necessarily bigger.
It’s much better to build a smaller list that brings you opens, clicks, forwards and shares than a huge list with little engagement. Engagement is the best way to measure success and build online reputation. The more engaged your readership, the higher the performance of your effort.
Just remember that you are building an opt-in list, which means a person must give their permission before being added. Be able to be found … be everywhere!
- Ask for an email address when interacting with clients.
- If clients frequently come into your business, print out a colour copy of your newsletter and frame it in your lobby. Show customers exactly what they are signing up to receive.
- Collect emails at events and meetings.
- Have a Join our Email List button in your email signature and on your web site.
More bang for your bucks: Re-purposing email campaigns.
The easiest way to re-purpose your email content is to archive it. Take past editions of your e-newsletters and post them on your website. As a bonus, this regular addition of new, relevant content will help drive up your site’s SEO ranking.
Allegra to award marketing and print services to local non profit organizations
For a fifth consecutive year, the Allegra FootPRINT Fund will award up to $20,000 of in-kind services to nonprofit organizations and associations seeking assistance to complete marketing plans, graphic design work or basic printing of material for new initiatives otherwise without a budget. New for 2012 is an opportunity to be the recipient of Allegra’s exclusive Brand Builder ; a program designed to define, differentiate and propel your brand forward.
“Providing community support is an important goal at Allegra” says Vice President Gasper Lipari, “and the FootPRINT Fund was created to provide a means of helping local organizations receive assistance in an area that may not be addressed by other funding sources.”
Celebrating its 15th year in business this year, Allegra launched the FootPRINT Fund as part of its Community Care Campaign, a North American wide effort supported by the company’s franchise headquarters, Allegra Network. The FootPRINT Fund was developed to help unite and strengthen local communities by assisting eligible nonprofit organizations and associations in building their awareness and increasing local support. Dozens of local nonprofit organizations, such as Temple Anshe Sholom, Special Olympics, Dundas Museum and Archives, Saltfleet Figure Skating, Mountain Kidz, and Catholic Family Services to name a few, have benefited over the years by applying to FootPRINT Fund and receiving assistance on terrific projects.
“The real payoff is when organizations give us feedback on the positive results projects, funded by FootPRINT, have achieved,” adds Lipari.
To be considered for a FootPRINT Fund award, nonprofit groups, associations and charitable organizations with a main office or branch in the Greater Hamilton area must submit a completed application. The deadline to apply is February 15. Further information and application forms may be downloaded from the Community Page.
Award recipients are selected by a review panel and awards based on how the services will be used to further the organization’s goals including service expansion, program enhancement and maximization of existing resources, as well as the organization’s history of innovation and resourcefulness.
“This program is a way for us to make a difference in our community, one step at a time. At Allegra, we feel that it is extremely important to reach out to those in need and help our local organizations and associations leave their ‘footprints’ in the community,” added Lipari, who owns Allegra along with partner Dave Knox, “Since opening in 1997, we have provided in-kind services to several area not-for-profit businesses and organizations. FootPRINT has become an instrumental vehicle allowing us to focus these charitable efforts.”
Recognize and Retain Your STAR EMPLOYEES
Keeping your good customers satisfied surely has been the primary focus this year – and rightfully so. Have you done the same with your top employees? Everyone is impacted by economic cutbacks, including those whom you’ll count on for the turnaround.
Your ‘A’ Team
Most organizations were forced to take a hard look at their employee compensation and benefits packages this past year. And, scaling back on employee recognition programs does make economic sense when budgets are stretched thin.
However, it’s not an “all or nothing” proposition. Small indulgences can register big satisfaction when you want employees to be actively engaged in the long-term health of your organization. Non-monetary incentives work!
Research shows companies with high employee morale are:
• 56% more likely to have higher-than-average customer loyalty
• 50% more likely to have lower turnover
• 38% more likely to have above-average productivity
• 27% more likely to report higher profitability
What can you do to boost morale and retain invested, valuable employees?
• Employee newsletter – Don’t rely on the grapevine to deliver organizational updates. A company newsletter gives you a regular and “official” medium to distribute vital company information.
• Employee handbook – A professional environment inspires professional attitudes. Do the same issues surface repeatedly? Best to lay out company policy in an employee handbook.
• Business cards/logo apparel – At minimum, all employees should have business cards. Those who interact with customers and the public may best represent your business in logo apparel and feel more like part of the team.
