Author: Dynamic Certificates Online

Recently we were featured on the WildEast website for the pledge and transformation of our wild place behind our business.

Just two years ago, WildEast pledgee Sarah Smith’s garden at the back of her printing business on an industrial estate in Norwich was a just pile of rubble.

 

But after stumbling across an article on WildEast in the Eastern Daily Press, she decided to have a go at making her outdoor space more wildlife-friendly.

 

Since then Sarah has transformed not only the garden, but her relationship with it, as she explains here…

You can read the full feature right here on the WildEast website

We recently met the very vibrant and dynamic Rechenda from Nurture Marketing who contacted us to help her create her Eco brand of Business cards, pads, pens & brochures, we had a good chat about the different types of recycled materials she could use and of course I couldn’t resist to talk to her about the Power of Print Marketing when done correctly.

Print marketing. Back in the day, print was the most common form of getting your business out there. Free ads in the paper, direct mail through the letterbox and adverts in magazines were ‘de rigueur’ amongst marketing specialists of old.

The rise of digital marketing and the internet in the early noughties threatened to kill off print. And for a while, I think it did. I worked in web, digital and email marketing for years. We would always brag about how magical digital was compared with print. You could measure it, change it with a click of a mouse and target prospective customers like some kind of digital undercover agent.

But print is having somewhat of a renaissance. Perhaps we have all got bored and over-saturated with constant online ads, pop ups, email marketing campaigns snd social posts. Perhaps with the advent of lockdown, we yearned for something real, tangible, valuable. Something we could hold in our hands. Something to smell and touch.

You cannot beat the excitement of getting a piece of mail in the post. OK, maybe not a flyer for double glazing, but you know what I mean. That excitement of a handwritten present with your name on, in a pretty envelope or package plopping onto the doormat.

Personally, I think to market your business effectively, the sweet spot is to use both digital and print. New to print or want to find out more?

Here are five top tips on how you can grow your business using clever and thoughtful print marketing:

1/Create a print ‘family’ of your marketing materials

Don’t just think about a one-off brochure or flyer. Gather all your current marketing materials together. Grab your business cards, postcards, stickers, pens, pads, comps slips, letterheads, email signatures, brochures, invoices, quotes, event/exhibition materials and even flick through your web pages.

Look at everything together. Do they gel? Would a prospective customer recognise that all the materials belong to the same company? Is the tone of voice the same? Is the messaging the same? Is the branding consistent across all the marketing materials? If it’s not, it’s time to have a little spring clean and create a kick-ass family print pack that truly showcases your business.

2/Think environmentally

When you think print, the first thing that usually comes to mind is chopping down trees. Trees the planet desperately needs right now. You may think that digital marketing is better for the environment than print. I think that view needs to be challenged. Every email you send, every website you create, each blog post you write, every social post you create…every little piece of information on the internet has to live somewhere. Usually, data is hosted in GIANT warehouses full of servers, using up vital power and energy. When I say these are big, I am talking massive. Check this out: https://www.rankred.com/largest-data-centers-in-the-world/ .

Print can be unsustainable, too. However, the print world has become a much more green industry IF you are willing to look at sustainable options. You can now use recycled paper, plantable seeded paper, paper made from bamboo and grass, plant-based inks and recycled paper packaging. Dynamic Certificates Online in Norwich goes one step further.

Their customers can capture the Co2 emissions from paper purchases by planting native woodland, right here in the UK, through the Woodland Trust and the Woodland Carbon scheme. Check out further details here.

3/Have a strategy

Why print? What type of customer do you want to target? What is the best location to get print to them? Home? Work? Leisure venue? Shopping centre? What type of info do they need? What is your budget for the print? What return are you looking to get? Print marketing works if you a) have amazing on-brand materials and b) are super targeted with your approach.

Don’t use ‘dear homeowner’. Good god, no. That generic stuff doesn’t do the job. Find out who they are, but be compliant with UK data protection laws, of course. Check out the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations to be sure. Write a personalised hand written note if you can. Make an impact.

4/Do the best job possible

I know budget may be a sticking point here, but if you are using print marketing to attract new customers you really have one shot to make a good first impression.

Print marketing is a time to pull out all the stops and wow them. Really, this should be the mantra for all your marketing but it is doubly important for print. What is the best quality paper stock you can afford? Do you want a specialist finish such a debossing or foil? Not good at design? Hire a designer. Hire us.

Go to see a local printer for a coffee. I personally can highly recommend Sarah from Dynamic Certificates Online in Norwich, Norfolk. I know it’s the second time I’ve mentioned them, but they are truly great, especially on the eco front. Printers are a friendly bunch.

Sarah added: “I always promote and talk about the importance of having a good quality business card, either by making sure they are die cut, foiled or embossed, round mini or large. Because the second impression anyone will get of you is when you hand over your business card; the first being YOU.”

5/Follow up

As Coldplay once sang, nobody said it was easy. OK, they weren’t specifically referring to print marketing, but it can definitely apply. It takes time, energy and work to make print marketing flourish for your biz.

A targeted and personalised approach with rockin’ materials will get you so far, but the best marketers/business owners will always follow up. Either with an email and special offer, a free sample, guide or course (reciprocal psychology comes into play here people).

If the prospective customer lands on your website, why not serve them some retargeting ads on Insta or Facebook using the Facebook Pixel on your website? See how digital and print can work like yin and yang?

Here is a pic of me and Sarah from Dynamic Certificates Online. I mean, why not? I learned so much from going to see her recently. Does your company do print marketing? Would you consider it?

Happy printing!

As a small business it is easy to think what we do does not make a significant difference or that environmental issues are not as applicable as they are to larger companies. Yet, when taken as a collective effort, the small business community can make a huge difference to the UK’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and to carry out business in a sustainable way.

Making small changes to work smarter, be greener and source sustainable materials all adds up. Not only that it can make a positive contribution to your profit & loss, which is also important and is not something to be shy about. Ultimately if you are not running a profitable business it will fail, if it fails you are no longer in position to help drive the changes that all industries must make as we seek to resolve the issues of carbon emissions.

So, the good news is that with a little effort you can potentially grow your business, make savings and contribute to the eco-friendly and sustainable revolution that is taking hold.

Here are some simple ideas to consider:

1. Supplier List

From a financial stand point it always pays to keep suppliers on their toes and be checking their quality and pricing structures. Another area to be focused on is their environmental impact and sourcing credentials. If they do not take notice apply pressure for change, or move to a supplier who takes these issues seriously. That way market forces will force those companies lagging behind to review their green credentials and improve their products to be more sustainable and less damaging to the environment.

2. Water

We all know how important fresh water is for life and the amount of energy it takes to constantly clean and resupply it to us all. By making simple adjustments to our manufacturing processes, fixing leaky taps or even putting a brick into the toilet cistern, we can make a reduction in water usage. This saves energy and saves you money as water is an often overlooked overhead. At www.ecoflowersupplies.co.uk we have converted the area behind our factory into a garden space, with water collection from our roof used to provide the water for wild flower seeded paper, plants & vegetables that we now grow.

3. Fuel & Travel

Anytime we use a vehicle for work related activities it is a drain on energy and finances. Whilst it is not feasible to eliminate every trip we can, with careful planning, improve our logistics to reduce deliveries or work out more economical routes. This can also apply at the individual level, with car sharing, walking or cycling when practical to do so or just simply reducing our vehicle sizes. Fuel and travel costs can be very significant for a business and this is an area to concentrate on for the planet and the finances.

4. Recycle & Upcycle

Make sure you have clearly labelled recycling bins around the business, to ensure the maximum amount of waste goes into the correct recycling system. Or better still, if you are in an industry such as Print, make best use of your waste materials. At Dynamic Certificates Online we constantly seek ways to maximise first usage and then also secondary usage of off cuts, rather than them going directly into recycling. We now make a significant level of products, sold via Dynamic Certificates Online or www.ecoflowersupplies.co.uk that are up-cycled from printing offcuts from the guillotine process. This reduces the amount of materials we buy and have delivered in from our Suppliers, so the savings are extensive in energy used though the supply chain.

5. Cleaning & Chemical Products

Most chemicals are less than ideal when released into the environment. Review everything you use within the business to see if there is an eco-friendly alternative. This can be anything from eco-friendly washing up soaps to making changes in manufacturing chemicals used. Currently this may not always be cheapest option but the upside is immense for the environment if we reduce the amount of chemicals being released into the air, water ways and land fill. Eventually these options will come down in price if enough people adopt their usage.

6. Plants

More plants in the business not only look good they improve the air quality for everyone as they make their contribution to the oxygen and Co2 cycle. This can extend to outside the business also, trees and shrubs can be planted in small areas or large tubs.

7. Capex

Replacing machinery for the sake if it is not necessarily a positive contribution to the energy consumption cycle. However, when it is a case of upgrading old and inefficient kit to energy efficient versions it should be considered. All machinery eventually requires replacement and that is the time to ensure the most sustainable solutions are adopted. Modern machinery often runs on a fraction of the energy consumption of older models.

8. Lighting & Heating

Energy bills are extremely impactful as an overhead and also the usage is directly contributing to the emissions crisis. Take the opportunity to replace old legacy lighting with lo-energy LED solutions and ensure buildings are insulated and heating is not wasted. Simple steps like labels near lights, heaters and machinery reminding people to switch off when not required make a difference.

There are of course many more ways to make a difference to the environmental impact of your business and save money in the process, so get thinking about it today!

Sarah from Dynamic Certificates Online and Anna from Seale Print have been working together since 2001 and have worked on various projects of all different sizes over the years.

You can read our complete business case study from Seale Print & Direct Mail below via clicking the image. Or you can click here.

From all things print and design, together Dynamic Certificates Online and Seale Print can offer a vast range of services to meet everyone’s needs.

At Dynamic Certificates Online we always seek to use and guide our customers towards deciding to use the most sustainable paper and card options for their print projects.

Working closely with the paper mills and the paper merchants we stay informed and aware of all the developments within the industry. The attached article from one of them, Antalis, is a very interesting read all about sustainable papers.

Click here to find out more

In ever increasing numbers the things we all receive arrive in a cardboard box. Which all adds up to a lot of boxes!!

Whilst cardboard is extremely recyclable and great for composting, it still makes sense to whenever possible reuse a box before reaching for a first use one from you packaging store. Provided the box is in good condition there is no reason it should not be employed in a secondary delivery or beyond.

We recommend avoiding heavily damaged or torn boxes, as these will have reduced structural integrity and in turn may not protect your goods fully (these are best placed in the recycling system). It is also a good idea to remove all shipping labels from prior use, to avoid any confusion when you dispatch again.

Reusing is not just about doing what is right for the planet from an eco friendly point of view, it also saves your business time and money. Boxes are expensive and they normally need to be assembled from flat pack, so every time you reuse a perfectly sound piece of packaging you are contributing to saving the planet and your finances!

Within our own businesses, Dynamic Certificates Online and www.ecoflowersupplies.co.uk we receive all shapes and sizes of packaging daily. As a team we take great pride and enjoyment in reusing as much as possible and we have a label that we affix to boxes that are reused, to let our customers know why the box they receive may not be in pristine cosmetic appearance. That said it will always be packaged extremely carefully to ensure goods arrive in perfect condition.

We find the label helps customers appreciate and understand why we do not always use a fresh box and we have found most completely agree and support the policy.

If you require a standard or bespoke branded version of these labels please contact us at [email protected] to discuss your requirement.

Eco Floristry Supplies
Addressing Print & Packaging challenges

Everyone, in all industry sectors, needs to play their part in addressing the environmental issues we are facing.

Dynamic Certificates Online are constantly seeking to provide eco-friendly and sustainable print and packaging solutions for all industry sectors. We have a dedicated subsidiary division that focuses on these challenges, in the specific area of Floristry, which trades as Eco Flower Supplies.

Understandably the pressure is on the Floristry industry to become increasingly eco-friendly and to work in a sustainable way. Amongst the challenges faced are the requirements to move away from plastic packaging in favour of recycled, easily recyclable and sustainable materials. Good examples of solutions are kraft paper, recycled card and biodegradable cellophane.

There is the ongoing search for biodegradable floral foam which is seeing alternatives such as chicken wire, wood wool, willow and reeds increasingly used as options that are fully recyclable or biodegradable.

Alongside these issues there are choices to be made around the flowers used, the distance they have to travel to the UK, the green credentials of suppliers, avoiding chemicals and pesticides whenever possible and flower life extension.

A lot of challenges certainly, yet equally a lot of opportunities for improvement! Floristry is without doubt an industry that wants to change and adapt. We are yet to speak to anyone who is adamant they want to continue using plastic wrap for floral bouquets, or printed items using non recycled card.

Recently we have had an increasing number of customers from the Floristry sector ask us directly for ways we can help their business switch to sustainable eco-friendly floristry supplies, from our one piece kraft paper flower sleeves to biodegradable eco cellophane. We are constantly thinking of new ways to upcycle materials from Dynamic Certificates Online into quality items that ensure maximum first usage of items such as recycled card or plantable seeded paper before it goes into the recycling system.

Ultimately with www.ecoflowersupplies.co.uk we specialise in our world of packaging and print. Yet we know that when it comes to the day to day requirements of Florists and Floral industry professionals up and down the UK, the people who know best the products and innovations required are those working day to day with the flowers.

With all of the above in mind we would welcome any ideas for new products, or variations on our existing ones, that would make Florists days easier and in turn their businesses more successful. All whilst moving the industry further down the eco friendly and sustainable path.

If you have a few minutes to send us a message on email, would like to call us with your suggestions or have any questions on our product range we would love to hear from you.

To contact us you can email on [email protected] or call on 01416 731655

Here at Dynamic Certificates Online we do all we can to offset our Carbon Footprint. That’s why we’ve linked up with programmes such as The Woodland Trust and Woodland Carbon.

We capture the Co2 emissions from paper purchases by planting native woodland, right here in the UK, through the Woodland Trust and Premier Papers Carbon Capture Scheme.

To find out more about Carbon Capture, take a browse through this document.

Being proactive in a Sales situation essentially all boils down to one thing, can you anticipate your customers future requirements in relation to your business? Oh, if only it was that easy!

That said, I will try and highlight a few of the things that we find helpful:

Listening

A crucial piece of advice that is easy to forget in the eagerness of the moment. The temptation can be to run on about all the things you can do, before taking the time to fully understand what is required to resolve the issue.

It may seem counterintuitive that listening, which seems like a passive action, is something we class as highly proactive. Yet information received is key to formulating your ideas and knowing where to take to conversation in the sales context. Finding out where they are taking their business will enable you to think of ideas and come back with solutions, proactively guiding your products to fit opportunities.

By listening and empathising with your customers struggles, or exciting projects that they are working on, you will gain a deeper understanding and rapport. Take the time to have a thoughtful conversation and you may be surprised where it leads.

Offer Advice

Offering genuine advice will help your customers feel at ease and understand you are not trying to “just sell them something”. Often that advice may not even relate to your product range but be a relatable and applicable piece of business experience that can be passed on.

Ultimately the hard sell direct route will rarely work, and it will almost certainly not lend itself to building a lasting reciprocal relationship with your client.

If you build a solid working rapport and really take the time to listen to their needs, you will be in a better position to recommend products and services that will benefit both of your companies as opportunities arise.

Highlight New Products

“Build it and they will come” is a luxury most businesses do not have. It can be easy to have a great product yet still fade into obscurity, so talk to your customers (rather than bombarding them with emails), or better still first send them samples. Often a tangible item to engage with can bring a much higher rate of engagement. Our senses are powerful and if your products lend themselves to in person rather than digital viewing the investment in delivering can be well worth it.

Don’t feel embarrassed about reaching out to your customers, it’s okay to contact out to your clients first with relevant information.

Keeping up with industry trends (your own and those of core customers) is a great way of getting ahead of your competition. You stay relevant, and your clients will want to see and hear from you to find out about exciting new innovations and products that can add value to their own business.

Follow up on quotes

Sending out quotations and chasing them up can be rather painful and often avoided. It is crucial though to gain feedback, both positive and negative, to help you course correct for the future. It also helps to hone your skills over which types of lead are hot or cold and to be blunt a time waster. The other thing follow ups can resolve are the occasional times that the original quote does not arrive with the requestee, perhaps due to postal or email issues or spam settings. Over the years many times this sort of thing has occurred and the follow up saved a lost opportunity that progressed to an order being placed.

The points above are by no means a definitive list, however they will hopefully give you some food for thought and be of benefit to you and your business.