Blog

Valuable USPS Information

At Midstates Group we study the United States Post Office’s every move and we know this is critical information for planning your direct mail budgets.   We are sharing   this information with you and potential solutions to help you offset some of the proposed increases.  We utilize our PLUS (Postal & Logistics Unified System) to ensure you save money on every shipment and every mailing every time.  We enter hundreds of millions of pi

Don't Want to Talk?

Sales and marketing professionals have the reputation for being loud and outgoing.  We have to have the gift of gab to be good at our jobs.  That is a stereotype of course, and several introverts work in marketing.   Maybe you just want to get an order placed without the hassle of talking to another human being—it’s not necessarily a bad thing, and MIM is here to help you! 

Do either of these situations sound like you?

Press Release

Russell Cappello was recently named Plant Manager for Jacob North Print & Media Solutions and A to Z: Design – Print - Mail. Cappello hails from the Omaha/Lincoln area, and brings more than thirty years of experience in all areas of the print business. He has served in a variety of operational and managerial roles including Media Purchasing Manager for Boys Town, Print Department Manager for First National Bank and Plant Manager for KR Printing.

MIM Orders vs. Regular Orders

One of the biggest benefits that customers get when they set up a MIM store is MIM ordering.  MIM orders get to skip steps and go through a different process stream than other orders.  That is why they generally have quicker turn times and lower costs. 

First, let’s look at a standard order for business cards:

Get it off your Chest: Alternative Embroidery Placements

This has been one of the strangest winters in the Upper Midwest.  One week it’s -20 and the next it’s 50 and raining!  The best thing to do is wear layers.  The more layers you have, the more opportunities to add your logo.  Layer that fleece over the polo, top it off with a softshell jacket, and don’t forget your hat!  With that many layers, you might want to vary the logo placement on each item.

Left Chest

3 Trust Issues MIM Can Help You Overcome

Working with outside vendors can be nerve-wracking.  You have to take your hard work, your creativity, and your money, and then trust someone else to handle it.  After you have put so much effort into your marketing plan and materials, the last thing anybody wants is for something to go wrong. 

But, let’s look a little deeper at some trust issues you may have, and how MIM can help you get over them!

3 Answers to Which is better On-Demand or Inventory?

One of our clients was surprised to hear we don’t have minimums on most of our products.  That means, if you want 1 shirt, 10 business cards, or 2 decals, that’s what you will get.  This might give you the impression that we only produce on-demand orders.  Of course, sometimes you have large orders and fulfillment from inventory works best.  We can do that, too.

Regardless of what your business needs, MIM can provide a solution.  The only question you should be having now is, “Which is better?”

Here are 3 solutions to help you determine the answer.

Is It Marketing Material?

Make your statement do some marketing!

MIM simplifies the ordering and distribution of marketing materials.  So, what are marketing materials?  Are they planned direct mail campaigns?  Maybe it’s what’s on the spreadsheet for the annual marketing budget.  Midstates Group has a very broad description of what marketing materials are.  We consider marketing material to be anything that represents your brand, logo, or organization.  Let’s look at three less-obvious examples.

Employee Apparel (especially for non-sales or customer service employees)

How Can You Use MIM?

MIM is supposed to make your life (or at least your job!) easier.  Just like no two businesses operate exactly the same, no two MIM Stores are exactly the same.  How can you use MIM at your organization?  Here are some questions to help you decide how you can have a MIM Store customized to your business model, culture, and employees.

 

Do you sell through dealers, distributors, retailers, or sales reps?

MIM works great by being a central site for ordering, and we will handle all the production and distribution.