For many, December is a time to take it easy and reflect on a year of hard work, new challenges and new achievements. It’s a time to attend Christmas parties, hold corporate award ceremonies and enjoy some richly deserved time off. The work never stops, however, and December is also the month when you need to start thinking about the new year ahead. 2016 is just around the corner, so you need to start planning your print campaigns sooner rather than later. Here are some PMG top tips to help you do just that.
Calculate your budget early
Before you do anything else, it’s important to work out just how much money you have to play with. January may not be the start of the financial year, but for many businesses it’s the time when the corporate purse strings begin to loosen in preparation for the year ahead. Work out what your print budget amounts to and how it ought to be divvied up. Your budget will help to determine the ambition and scale of any forthcoming print projects.
Work out timings
Now that you know your budget it’ll be that much easier to work out how many print projects you can afford to undertake. Now’s the time to consider the ‘when’ and ‘what’: should you aim for four seasonal print marketing campaigns, a couple of large direct mail campaigns or a single, year-round push? Work out the timings and you can begin to produce content and finalise designs long before any final deadlines loom.
Start designing
The design stage of any print project can be a richly rewarding experience, but it can also be immensely time-consuming. Designs have to go through various layers of corporate decision-makers before they can be finalised, resulting in multiple drafts and revisions that can take you right up to the edge of a print deadline. Start working on designs early so you can get these time-consuming processes out of the way sooner.
Compile mailout lists
One of the key contributing factors to a strong direct mail response rate is your choice of recipients. Take the time to determine your key audience and compile their details ahead of a big direct mail campaign. Use customer purchase histories and direct mail databases to target your campaigns. A carefully planned direct mail campaign will prove far more effective than a scattergun approach.
Get the help you need
The New Year is a great time to assess your print needs and ask yourself whether you could benefit from a little professional help. Print management companies such as PMG are dedicated to improving your relationship with print – whether that means refining your print marketing designs or helping to reduce the cost and carbon footprint of your internal print processes. We can help you reach out more effectively to your direct mail recipients and get your print projects over the line ahead of any looming deadlines. To find out more about how we can revolutionise your company’s relationship with print, contact PMG today.
