July 15, 2008

Dear Customers & Friends:

We hope that you are enjoying the summer as much as we are at Coastal Printing. Work is flowing smoothly, and we are welcoming new customers to the roster regularly.

On the personal side, our team has jumped into local weekend activities with gusto, tackling everything from waterparks, speedways and wild nature photography (photo in the contents column is by our inhouse nature photographer, Paul Cyr), to a drive up Mt. Washington - so far. Isn't New England glorious?

The new wide format printer is in. Some favorite applications include childrens' sports teams and favorite pets posters. What would you like to see 24" inches wide and up to 5' tall or more?

Our special for the summer is a free all natural cotton shopping bag with every paid $50. order (1 per customer). When you come in to see us, be sure to remind staff that you would like to have a bag.

Best regards,

No Cost Publicity: Your "News" in The Papers via Press Releases

You might be surprised to know that the activities of your business may be newspaper worthy. Anything from charity and volunteer work; e.g., a fundraising golf tournament, to innovative new products or services. Environmental efforts of all sorts are currently big news!

There are several things you should know to ensure that your press release is published. First, know that news with local appeal will be favored over other submissions. To locate the local papers in your region use your favorite search engine. The Internet has made the search easy: search for "MA [ME, NH, etc.] newspapers" and several good options will appear. Cull the local papers from the most complete list you encounter.

Second, submit the news to the right person. This is normally the Business News Editor. Discover their name, email address and phone number. Note that the Online lists normally include links to each paper, which in turn provide main phone numbers to a switchoard operator who can assist you further when necessary. Count the time worth spent. This "press list" will be used again and again.

Learn how to write an engaging and proper press release; short and eloquent, adhering to the format that is taken seriously by the newspapers. These wikihow directions are very useful. The Publicity Insider features a sample for reference. Do not use subjective, complimentary adjectives when referring to your business. Stick to objective descriptions and illustrate your excellence using actual examples: "ACME, a 50-year old shoe manufacturer located on the Merrimack River in Amesbury, MA, welcomes its new Project Manager, Andrew K. Smith. A dedicated ACME customer, upon hiring Mr. Smith owned 10 pairs of the company's shoes."

Once your press release document is complete, attach it in an email to the Business Editor(s). Copy and paste the same text in the body of the email as well. If you email it to more than 1 paper at a time, use the "b.c.c." (blind copy) address area. In other words, do not share your press list by using the normal "to" or "c.c." address areas. Provide a synopsis of the press release heading in the subject line. Note that it is unlikely that you will hear back from the editors. Your success is measured by your press release's publication.

Over time, make it a point to develop friendly, accessible relationships with all your local business reporters. If you appeal to their regular need for newsworthy stories, you will be rewarded with free publicity for your business.

Every Day Green: Lamp Recycling

Federal law bans the disposal of most mercury containing lamps (lightbulbs). The regulations of specific states can be more stringent. Most lamps cannot be discarded in the trash in any of the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association's (NEWMOA) member states, which includes Coastal Printing's service area of ME, MA and NH. By Law, lamps must be recycled, due to the fact that fluorescents and high intensity discharge, or HID, lamps contain the potent nerve toxin, mercury.

For MA, the Collection Locations for Mercury-Added Products are listed by MA city/town online (current as of 7/11/2008). Be prepared to have an ID that proves you are a resident. Some small towns, such as Salisbury, MA for example, don't accept lamps for recycling at all, in which case you can arrange to have the lamps picked up at your business via online recycling businesses such as *1000bulbs.com and *American Lamp Recycling or via *Air Cycle Corporation. They will mail you a box appropriate for your lamp type and quantity; e.g., (70) 4' linear fluorescents. The service is not cheap, but neither is the fuel to transport several bulbs at a time to a recycling center. Partner with another local business to fill the box and share the expense. Think savings all around.

But why be charged at all for following the law? Home Depot will accept and recycle compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) for free! Review their press release.

Mercury-Containing Light Bulb (Lamp) Recycling web page presented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency


*Mention of a business does not suggest endorsement

Great News! The Lawrence Eagle Tribune has awarded first prize to our own Paul Cyr for his dynamic photo of a local eagle.

Paul has taken many photos of these elusive, powerful birds, often getting up before sunrise for the best shots! The winning photo was taken between Salisbury and Newburyport on the Merrimack River.

Summer at Coastal Printing is often like summer at home. The "kids" are home from school, we catch up on outdoor projects, and we send someone out for ice-cream on occasion.

This year employees and the Cunninghams alike got paint under their fingernails repainting the Coastal Business Park sign (pictured at right are Scott and Pat. If you order printed materials from Coastal, it is likely that Pat has his hand in making sure everything is just right). A mild redesign and reconditioning of the sign was long overdue. But the effort seems to have been worth it as we have received some kind compliments from passerbys. If you weren't aware, Scott and Linda are the landlords of the building that houses Coastal Printing, Inc. and are happy to show you the available office spaces for rent. There are currently only a couple left, so please call soon if you also need a business home.

Courtney, the younger of the Cunningham daughters, helped out on the Printshop floor with her friend Alison recently (photo left). They really seemed to have a good time at the wrapping machine! We're guessing that anticipation of the following weeks of free time was the true motivation for the smiles!

Though digital technology is beyond useful for our particular group of services we still value the timely personal communications that have long been our business standard. To that end, we encourage your feedback. What do you think about our customer service? Comments, positive or negative, can be emailed to our Communications Director, Isa: isac @ coastalprintinginc.com. Thanks!