"the-way-we-have-always-done-it-tude."

 

Print on demand is only as good as the system that supports it. This statement is loaded. Successful implementation of POD relies heavily on the development of a system that understand the nuances of your reality. Each and every business does things on a daily basis for reason. Some of the reasons are good while others are mired in a web of:

"the-way-we-have-always-done-it-tude." 

The initial step in developing a successful program is to evaluate the current process and evaluating the steps that are being taken. There is not one case where POD creates more work. In fact the opposite is always the case. POD coupled with fulfillment ALWAYS reduces the workload on your organization. This simple fact allows you to focus on the important part of your mission.

Below is an example of the fulfillment process created for the Goodman Theatre in Chicago which solved there desire to report packet content for their subscription series ticket fulfillment. The Goodman experienced significant issues with traditional ticketing sources and turned to a custom solution that has now been in place for two seasons. There is 100% satisfaction and this enables the theatre to focus on selling additional subscriptions!  WHAT CHALLENGE DO YOU FACE?

United Capital Launches Robust POD Site

It is ALWAYS, exciting when one of our clients gets so pumped up about their new POD system that they want to tell anyone that will listen. Below is a Press Release from United Capital Partners based in Newport Beach, CA. An added benefit of POD is it brings us all closer together. I work with my contact like she was in the next cube over. WOW the internet is a powerful thing. Special thanks to Trekk in Rockford, IL who provides the creative for United Capital.

 United Capital Partners with Lake County Press to Streamline Firm’s

Marketing, Collateral Development and Distribution

-Firm Creates On-Demand Functionality For Marketing Needs-

Newport Beach, Calif. (March 13, 2012)— Today,  United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC (United Capital), one of the nation’s fastest growing private wealth counseling firms,  announces another development in its effort to streamline all aspects of advisory practice management for the firm’s footprint of 36 offices around the country. With the opening of an online store housing collateral material available exclusively to United Capital’s adviser personnel, the national RIA has delivered a cost-effective, efficient and on-demand mechanism for marketing support.

Launching the online store creates accountability and consistency in the deployment of the firm’s marketing resources, as advisers in offices ranging from southern California to southern Connecticut can now find the company’s templates, branded office supplies, investment platform materials, event invitations and toolkits, among other items, in one dynamic storefront.

“We want our advisers to spend their time on what matters most - client relations. Our mission has always been to help with back-end office operations, and the launch of this online store is the biggest step we have taken towards this effort from a one-to-one marketing perspective,” offers Leslie Dunham, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management at United Capital.

The main goal of the web store is to offer United Capital managing directors and advisers an efficient supply ordering process, while fostering brand consistency and helping employees adhere to a distinct style of product.

“We pride ourselves on having a single brand platform no matter where our advisers are working or what office our clients walk in to. The online store upholds our commitment to expediting the brand integration for all new offices as well as giving our established offices the on-demand resources they need to service current clients and market to prospective clients,” Dunham explains.

John Heinzmann, a solution provider with Lake County Press, Inc., offers, “United Capital faced a unique dilemma as they are continually opening new offices and needed a centralized destination for employees. In working with the brand management team at United Capital, we’ve been able to build a smart and efficient resource for their growing print and branded collateral needs.”

# # #

About United Capital Financial Partners

United Capital Financial Partners, Inc., the parent company of United Capital Financial Advisers, LLC (United Capital), and its affiliates, is a fast growing national partnership of exceptional private wealth counseling offices. United Capital offers investors an open architecture investment platform that enables a wide array of investment management solutions and strategies tailored specifically to their needs.  United Capital is a strategic acquirer, not a financial acquirer. Today, United Capital and its affiliates have $16 billion in assets under advisement and 35 offices across the United States.

There is Nothing Better than Fresh Hot Bread

I don't get to travel much but a few years ago I was fortunate enough to spend a few days in San Fransisco on Fisherman's Wharf. While there on business, I enjoyed many great meals. Each included sourdough bread made fresh at Boudin Bakery. I can still smell the wondrous aroma the emanated from the flagship location right on the Wharf. It is a smell that permanently leaves you with a desire for more. Once spoiled with this kind of freshness the mere thought of day old bread is incomprehensibly. Day old is for the birds, literally. 

The reason I shared this short but delicious memory is of course to relate the wonder of fresh hot bread to the reality that your marketing material can be just as fresh and hot. The solution is to utilize digital print with a well orchestrated print on demand/fulfillment program.  In many vertical markets, print collateral becomes stale just like day old bread. There are many reasons for this. 

• product changes
• moving/location changes
• compliance issues
• regulatory changes
• enhanced offerings
• special promotions
• company mergers and acquisitions
• etc.

Utilizing Digital Print and POD, you can react immediately and eliminate feeding the birds or lining the Guinea Pig cage with your shredded print. Produced on demand, daily, just like that doughy delight found in San Francisco your collateral reflects the most up to date information and it is made just for you. Right off the press and delivered to your location with all the freshness your message deserves. 

POD is simple and a must for all organizations. It ultimately will reduce your cost, waste, and eliminate the dissemination of outdated information. It will leave you with the feeling of great satisfaction and fill your future with nothing but ultimate freshness. Who's hungry!

Let It Grow, Let It Grow, Let it Blossom, Let it Flow

   In the words of 

   Eric Clapton:  

   Let It Grow, 

   Let It Grow, 

   Let It Blossom, 

   Let It Flow.

When an organization begins to think about a print on-demand program one of the common stumbling blocks is that they are too small. On the flip side, others often think of the massive undertaking ahead and run screaming. Honestly, well-executed POD is one size fits all.

In previous articles I have mentioned that successful POD is all about teamwork. This teams number one priority is to identify the task at hand and begin the process. If executed properly, programs are no different based on size. You can plant a bean and watch it grow into a massive stalk worthy of the Jolly Green Giant!

The identification process focuses on the immediate needs of the organization. These might be as simple as streamlining the internal business collateral needs. Things like business cards, letterheads, envelopes, PowerPoint templates for sales presentation or sell sheets. These items are often ordered by a field user and approved by a compliance officer within the organization. Upon approval, they are produced and shipped directly to the end user. Some items may not require compliance approval. In this case orders can process through different streams based on their content. Systems also provide communication to all parties about order status. Alerts can be sent to all necessary parties about the order status, the approval state, the completion of the order and the tracking information for shipping. There is not an organization in the world that will not benefit from this type of internal business collateral system.

Once this is done adding on to a system is a natural progression. A well-crafted POD store often becomes a source for other items such as premiums and promotions, custom newsletters and brochures, static inventory ordering and even a way to manage your trade show shipping needs for displays and booths.

I spend a great deal of time talking about these types of programs. The facts are that in today's economy all manufacturing sectors are looking for a way to be as efficient as possible. POD is efficient for the print world but more importantly it is efficient for your organization as well. It WILL save you time and money. It WILL grow with your needs. It WILL be something you will wonder how you ever lived without.

You can have it all - Price, Quality, and Speed

In the world of every print shop, there is an old adage that customers want price, quality and speed. Whenever this comes up, there is undoubtedly a chuckle until someone says, “pick two.” You see, in order to fulfill this dream, print organizations would have to staff, and have capacity, for the peaks in the workload and sell their product for a minimal profit if any profit at all. This creates an environment that eventually creates failure to even deliver two out of the three desires. No print shop can effectively invest and maintain their infrastructure on a low profit margin. There is a truth to the “pick two” response. There is also a way to get all three! Enter PRINT ON-DEMAND / WEB TO PRINT solutions.

POD/W2P solutions rely heavily on digital print. They also run with less cost internal shop overhead, and ultimately allow for the client to achieve the ultimate dream of price, quality and speed. POD orders are often produced the same day as they are received, produce on high quality digital presses, and are often, in the long run, less expensive than offset print jobs. Not only does a POD program fulfill the dream but it even has the potential to go further. POD adds the ability to:

• combine mailing at the time of the order
• customize materials by branch, location and recipient
• reduce the waste associated with out of date inventory
• control the brand integrity of print collateral
• create one location to go for all marketing needs
• combine with static inventory of legacy print materials
• combine with promotional items such as textiles, pens and even high value items like iPods
• continually expand to meet any future challenge you may have

There are countless reasons your organization needs to consider a POD program. Living your dream and desire for price, quality and speed is only the beginning.

Protect your print from Bacteria!

We live in a world that is full of Bacteria. So before I tell you how you can protect your print here is a quick science lesson.

Bacteria cells grow until they double in size. Like all cells, bacteria cells are surrounded by a membrane. When the bacteria cell doubles in size, a membrane grows down its middle. When this membrane is complete, the bacteria splits. This middle membrane becomes the new cell boundary for the new bacteria cells. They separate to become two new bacteria. This process is fairly rapid and requires 6 things to happen. These are Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, and Moisture.  BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!

The point is that as a society we are constantly concerned with minimizing the spread of bacteria. Consumers buy all sorts of specially treated items such as paint, hand gels, clothing, toothpaste and even vacuums that are built with treated plastic parts. These purchases are made because we are concerned about the spread of bacteria. Marketers have capitalized on this and more and more Antimicrobial products have been moved into the mainstream.  In fact just today I saw antimicrobial paper towels. Personally I believe that much of this is overkill. A few germs are good for you and overdoing the whole germ-a-phobe thing may be worse in the long run.

However, there are instances and locations where germs need to be attacked and minimized.  These include and are not limited to the following:

• Medical and Dental Offices
• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Laboratories
• Long-Term Care Facilities
• Restaurants and Food Service 

In all these locations bacteria is a concern. These locations already do a significant amount to reduce the spread of bacteria. Now, they can do more.

Together with our partners, LCP has created Pro-TekCoat.

Pro-TekCoat is an aqueous based print coating that uses silver ion antimicrobial technology to protect the coating layer of a printed piece. It works on both coated and uncoated stocks and has been laboratory tested. In the chart below you can see the results showing Pro-TekCoat to be 99.9% effective at reducing bacteria after a 24hr test when compared to a control (ISO 20743 – test).

In order to help you differentiate your collateral and let others know you are doing all you can to keep your printed piece clean, LCP also will make available to you a logo much like a recycle logo for you to print on your collateral. 



Please feel free to ask any questions in the comment area of this post or email me your questions at jjh@lakecountypress.com