Communicating with Katrina

“I always try to push the line from what a printer or mail house might do, and approach a client from a marketer’s perspective,” said Katrina Samartino.  “Anyone can print and mail.  We work to do more for our clients.”

More is exactly what Katrina has provided for her client, a food retailer with a nationwide footprint.

 Early in the relationship, Katrina asked questions; lots of questions. 

•         How does your database work and how does it relate to your program?
•         What is the goal of the piece?
•         What is the company’s business agenda?

These are just a few of the questions Katrina brings to the table, and the answers helped her client increase efficiency and save money while delivering a piece with a more high-end perception.

Most people are aware of the the client's brand.  But changes to the business model created some challenges and opportunities.  The corporation recognized the need to expand market share by building an e-commerce business model.  The corporation was challenged with fragmented databases , and no singular, affective database.  Finally, franchises across the country still had the needs of the storefront business model, but lacked the volume needed for location specific collateral.

Katrina started by collecting the databases and scrubbing the data.  Edmunds Communications Group combined the sources into one list and purged all duplicate information.

With the data in place, Katrina worked with the client to create something more glamorous than the traditional postcard.  A cheaper paper stock was selected with nearly identical properties as previous efforts.  The cost savings allowed the postcard to become a self mailer.  More content, including some success stories, could be included in the folded piece and help it stand out from the endless postcards filling the average American’s mail box.

Finally, Katrina turned to the franchises.  They needed marketing support, but not in the quantities needed for traditional offset printing.  Katrina suggested digital printing as a cost effective way to provide location specific printed material.

With Katrina’s help, the client is now considering e-mail and electronic campaigns as a way to maximize the value of their database and increase response rates.

“We aren’t Edmunds Printing and Mailing.  We are Edmunds Communications Group,” Katrina noted.  “We help clients communicate.”