Deborah Huberfeld - H.G. Services, Inc.
Being a print marketing specialist in a digital world sometimes leaves observers wondering how this “dinosaur” survived the impact of the internet and social media on how products and services are promoted these days. But take a look around you. Printed matter surrounds us all in many forms – catalogs, mailers, brochures, magazines, presentation folders, etc. It’s vibrant, informative, long lasting and most important, effective when properly understood and used.
Understanding the value of print and helping graphic designers and clients get the most possible mileage from their printed collateral has won H.G. Services, Inc. numerous awards from peers for outstanding achievement. On May 3, Deborah Davis Huberfeld will accept the trophy for a Best in Category at the Graphic Arts Association’s Neographics Competition awards ceremony.
As president and CEO of award-winning H.G. Services, Inc., she is no stranger to surviving and thriving. She is a cancer survivor, an adoptive mom of two, and has been putting marketing puzzle pieces together for print clients since the year 2000, when the bricks and mortar printing plant co-owned with her husband morphed into the virtual printing plant it is today. H.G. Services, Inc. is a printing broker, using its vast network of suppliers to save clients time and money while finding optimal solutions to their marketing needs. There is much more to H.G. Services than just putting ink on paper, and that’s the exhilarating and endlessly fascinating aspect of the business that challenges Davis Huberfeld today.
When asked to describe her company’s competencies, Davis Huberfeld will reply that her firm is “a marketing company that uses printing as its platform.” While custom printing is the main product offered, services include direct mail marketing, targeted mail list acquisition, short-run packaging, graphic design, writing, editing, book design and publishing. Trade show displays, signage and other large format graphics are additional areas of expertise.
“Our aim is for quality to be high and our pricing to be economically competitive, while maintaining excellent levels of service with a keen eye on timelines,” she says. “We also offer creative solutions to customer needs and often take projects from inception to completion for our clients. Our bottom line goal is for clients to experience a positive growth ROI from the product we manufacture for them.”
Keeping the sales funnel filled today requires multi-channel marketing efforts. One of those channels should be print marketing, Davis Huberfeld believes, and it should not be left to the “lowest bidder.” The uninitiated frequently see print as a commodity, seeking the lowest possible price from online sources. Sadly, clients often get what they pay for, and H.G. Services has often been called to correct a poorly designed and produced piece of sales collateral. “Your branding is as important to us as it is to you,” she says. “We pay attention to details like getting the colors right, making sure your telephone numbers and web addresses are correct, that your graphics are high resolution and that your best foot is forward. Big box store print services and high-volume TV advertisers can’t compare with the levels of care and service we offer.”
A favorite case study involves a handyman who was trying to increase his business, because it cuts to the heart of how H.G. Services, Inc. works to provide great return on investment. This client had very little money to spend, but wanted to try a direct mail campaign. He felt the parameters for his mailing list should fall within all home owners of a certain income level and within a specified radius of his business address. “We added one more requirement,” Davis Huberfeld says. “We added children under 16 years old in the household; kids break things and parents are generally shuttling kids to activities on weekends. These folks need a handyman!” Little money was available for graphic design after list acquisition and accounting for printing and postage costs. So a carefully crafted message was mailed out on a bright yellow, jumbo post card. Six hundred cards were mailed to this targeted list, from which the client got 15 actual jobs. Word of mouth did the rest, and today this handyman has over 100 regular customers and is so busy it can be several weeks before he gets to a new project!
Print marketing works well in concert with web site, social media and e-mail marketing, because having prospects find your firm frequently starts with a piece of paper. A current client has taken an eye-catching event graphic designed for his organization by H.G. Services, Inc. and is using it in direct mail, social media, e-newsletter, trade show and print advertising. “We really want to help and enhance your marketing footprint,” Davis Huberfeld says.
Another area in which H.G. Services, Inc. excels is unusual short run requests. Recently, a pharmaceutical client wished to produce a samples bin for use in physician’s offices, but only needed 2,000 units to begin. In the world of packaging, 2,000 units is a blink and most packaging manufacturers find it’s not worth disrupting their production lines for a small order, so price them so high as to be unaffordable. H.G. Services, Inc. to the rescue! “Originally, our client requested a plastic bin as one criterion was that the product needed to last at least two years and have a front piece that could be changed to reflect the current promotion,” Davis Huberfeld says. “The tooling and timeframe required made pricing for a plastic product astronomical, so we suggested a corrugated and laminated product that could be printed in 4-color, shipped flat, constructed easily by the sales reps, and sporting an interchangeable front that attached to the base unit with hook and loop fasteners. We were able to design, print and deliver this product at a reasonable cost within the time needed.”
Print manufacturing has changed, it’s true. The advent of digital presses and computer-assisted production has made the industry more flexible, cost effective and responsive to niche markets and special situations. Davis Huberfeld understands this, and has developed the network of suppliers that fits today’s requirements while H.G. Services, Inc. continues to stand on the time-tested values of integrity, outstanding quality, attention to detail, and high levels of personalized customer service.
Contact Deborah for your printing needs by emailing her or visiting her website at www.hgservicesinc.com.