Print Buying Direct

Newsletters – Pinpointing Reader’s Interests – Part 1 6th October 2009

Understanding your readers’ likes and dislikes is the only way to create a newsletter targeted to them. If you know your readers’ hot buttons, you know the type of content that will attract them. If you know demographic data, such as their ages, where they live, their education level and so on, you know the design techniques and writing styles that will appeal to them.

Anything less is a shot in the dark. Yes, you might connect a time to two but only by pure chance. This chapter covers how to find out more about your readers by surveying them, as well as how to use ongoing reader feedback to keep your newsletter on track.

Ask yourself three questions when designing your survey:

1) Whom am I going to survey?
2) What am I going to ask?
3) How am I going to ask it?

Its time to do some scouting….

Find Those in the Know

The first step on your scouting mission is to find out what information is already available. Your trade association or an industry magazine should have demographic data such as age, sex and buying authority for your particular audience. Your fund raisers may already know the top five reasons why people support your cause. Even if a formal survey hasn’t been performed, top promoters can give you a general idea. This may be all you need. Your marketing department may know the publications people read. Going on a few sales calls, answering customer emails, or working in the booth at your next trade show is a great way to a fast start. You can also ask for feedback from salespeople.

Don’t underestimate informal methods. A person who has spent hours face-to-face with your supporters has knowledge that no survey in the world can assess.

Once you find out what’s available and what’s not, concentrate on whether or not you need to conduct a survey. Surveys are useful as you develop your newsletter, as well as for making changes as you go along.

New Year Promos – promote your business with our forthcoming offers on Wall Calendars, Desk Calendars, Xmas Cards, Promotional Wall Calendars and CD Calendars.

For more information on printing and graphic design please see some of our recent blog articles;

• Printing – Paper and board – Certified and recycled
• Printing – Paper and board – Pricing and availability
• Printing – Paper and Board
• Print Finishing
• Digital Presses
• Digital Printing
• Offset Printing
• Print Production Management
• How to create a marketing plan incorporating promotional newsletters
• All you need to know about Digital Printing
• The Future of Printing
• Print Finishing
• Variable Data Printing
• ISO 12647 and Colour Management in Printing
• Pre-press – In Flight, Pre-Flight and Post-Flight
• Print, Paper and Recycling
• Design of the times – (Article reproduced from Printing World February 2009)
• Pre-press – 20 years of change
• Transactional and Direct Mail
• 7 Guidelines For Good Newsletter Printing
• Graphic Design
• Printing – Where in the world are we?
• Improving Your Response Rates to Leaflets, Flyers and Brochures
• HINTS & TIPS…The sales letter
• The History of Printing
• 10 Tips for Creatives in a Digital World
• Eight Easy Ways to Improve Digital Print Sales to Creative and Design Agencies
• Transactional and Variable data printing
• PUR or EVA? That is the question
• What you need to know about…… Perfect Binding
• What’s the point of Recycling Paper and Board?

Print Buying Direct is a Trading Name of The Printing House Ltd. One of the UK’s leading quality printing companies for short run, long run and large format colour printing. Based in Crewe, Cheshire and delivering to customers across the UK and Ireland.

Tags: CD calendars, Desk calendars, graphic design, Marketing Postcards, Newsletter Design, Promotional Wall Calendars, Wall calendars, Xmas Cards

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 10:16 am and is filed under Banners, Business Stationery, Calendars, Christmas Cards, Leaflets and Brochures, News, Newsletters, Postcards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.