Outlawing the Ordinary: Five Marys Farms’ Perfect Bound Print Strategy
She’s got a business she built from scratch, four daughters with her name and entrepreneurial ambition that’s not slowing down any time soon. Who is she? She’s Mary Heffernan, owner and operator of Five Marys Farms, and she’s using Smartpress’ Perfect Bound Booklets to get high-quality marketing into the hands of her customers (along with her high-quality meats).
Leader of the Pack
For most, running a ranch and a business while raising four daughters would be enough. But for Heffernan, along with husband, Brian, that was just the beginning. She not only wanted to do it for herself but also show others they could, too.
Heffernan developed and designed how-to manuals for starting your own business using Perfect Bound Books. “We wanted to get the information into every member’s hands so they can grow and learn as much as possible, while providing feasible ways and instructions for them to get started on whatever they want to pursue.”
Booklet printing is easily customizable, no matter the content. With paper stocks, Soft Touch laminate, UV coating, text and cover weights and more to play with, Smartpress’ online printing services let you do it your way.
Perfect Bound Book covers fold into a seamless square spine to create a modern look that’s durable, too
With their seamless, professional look, Perfect Bound Books made it easy to tell her story and help others create their own. “Having our modules available in Perfect Bound Books allows our customers to not only physically hold the information in their hands, but also jot down notes and ideas to execute.” They also increase brand awareness you can take to the bank (and the barn).
Versions feature lets you print various designs with the same size, stock and finish
Easy as One, Two, Three
Heffernan’s “From Scratch” booklet series became a reality with the Versions option of Perfect Bound Books. “That is one of the best things about Smartpress – as a small business, it makes a huge difference to be able to order multiple designs.” She created one design as a template and tailored the content of each book. The result? A trio of cohesive, instructional books that educate and inspire her ever-growing customer base.
Heffernan also employed Versions to print recipe cards she includes in customer orders. “We only wanted a certain amount of each, but since they are the same size, we are able to keep our costs down by printing a variety at the bulk cost.” Versions come in handy for marketing materials of all kinds, saving you time and helping you stick to your budget (look for “Add Versions” under the Total Quantity dropdown on any product page). She says, “Being able to use Versions with the last batch we printed was a game-changer.”
Going the Extra Mile
Started in 2013, Five Marys Farms prides themselves on providing meat from grass-fed animals raised on their own ranch and harvested humanely. Showing her customers how to use that product was equally important to Heffernan, so she roped in Perfect Bound Books once more with her recipe books. “We wanted to get the highest quality meats to customers’ doorsteps and provide them with the tools to prepare a great meal.”
Her recipe books feature full-color flavor that can translate to your projects, whether it be product manuals, quarterly magazines or portfolios. She says, “They were easy to create and quickly get into the hands of those who ordered our boxes.”
The Final Ingredient
Heffernan knows the importance of pairing a prize-winning product with well-thought-out packaging. For those recipe cards? She turned to Postcards. “We send them out with our boxes. They are great visuals and provide new ways for our customers to prepare their meat. We love the image quality and how they turned out.”
And with personalization through variable data printing, you can tailor your Postcard content to individual customers and feature product suggestions based on what they’ve previously bought. Talk about an unexpectedly creative marketing tool!
Heffernan boosts her business with an imaginative marketing strategy across multiple printing mediums
Meats and a Message
From personally delivering meats to selling products at farm stands and onto running a full-fledged ranch and farm store, Five Marys Farms continues to grow and expand. And while Heffernan’s Instagram account would earn a blue ribbon in content creation (she has a “From Scratch” book on that, too), she says online printing has been a huge factor in marketing her business. “Print has allowed us to personalize our packages to our customers. Along with our ranch-raised meats, we are able to send notes and materials that enhance our products.”
An online printer like Smartpress provides an effortless design process and quick project turnaround that alleviates the stress of Heffernan’s supply and demand. “It has been such a convenience to have an idea and then have that idea delivered to my shop a week later.”
It’s working, too: Her customers often feature her recipe cards and books in their social posts. “Having a tangible product that our customers can hold is so important to us. We love to see how people use our product to connect with their family.”
Her “From Scratch” educational series “is also that much more deeply enhanced by having the books, because if someone doesn’t have access to a screen, they can still learn what they need to in order to grow.” From farm to table to office, print continues to plant the seeds of marketing success.
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