Publications Bucking Old Trend

Success stories are a valuable tool that help manufacturers prove how well their equipment or products are doing in the field. In the past, you probably started immediately on good story opportunities, knowing that magazines would publish them upon completion. But, in recent discussions with editors BMG has noticed two new trends that you should think about before creating them:

• • Story Leads – To avoid bias, some publications now only accept success story leads and will not publish submitted stories. Examples include Aggregates & Roadbuilding and Better Roads. Others say they prefer leads, but still accept submissions.
• • Short Write-Ups – Many publications don’t accept full submitted stories, but will run short versions that are from 300 to 1,000 words. Examples include American City & County, Equipment World and Public Works.

This by no means is an indication that you shouldn’t continue developing success stories. They are still extremely beneficial. We recommend writing them to support your sales efforts first. Some examples of ways to do this include: 

• • Sales Tools – Create handouts for your sales team to give to customers, send the story to current/potential customers via electronic communication and/or develop a testimonial sheet and testimonial advertisements.
• • Web Site – Use the article on a “success stories” or “news” page.
• • Photos/Video – Use the obtained photos and video footage to consistently freshen up your Web site, public relations program, trade show graphics and sales literature. Video can also be used to promote your equipment through social media and YouTube.

Dynamic PDF’s: Customize Without The Hassle

Customized sales tools drive sales leads directly to the appropriate person, increasing the speed of the sale. The problem: it can be a costly hassle! BMG can simplify this process with Dynamic PDF’s, or documents that allow you to designate customizable sections within them. Here’s how it works:

• 1. We create a PDF with the sales information you want. Example: a two-sided sales sheet. Within that document, we create an image box and a text box.
• 2. You send the PDF to your dealer or the appropriate person for customization. They click on the image box and insert a logo or photo and then click on the text box to add customized details like company name, contact, phone, e-mail etc.
• 3. They save it to their desktop and it’s ready to send to customers or the printer!

It’s that easy. All you need is Acrobat Reader. Dynamic PDF’s are ideal for manufacturers that use a dealer network or sales team as the contact for specific territories. Some uses include: sales literature, audit forms with pictures and descriptions, quote forms, direct marketing and co-op advertising.

These PDF’s significantly reduce customization time and can eliminate wasted printing costs. Plus, you won’t have to slap an unprofessional label in a blank area, or even worse, hand write in your information. Typed text and straight, properly sized images look much more professional. To learn how Dynamic PDF’s can work for you, contact Kerry Johnson at 260-422-7100 or e-mail kjohnson@growwithbmg.com.