Two companies, one business plan

Clem Goldson discusses Spectra True Color and Spectra Dynamic, two companies with one business plan. Clem Goldson is a partner and a sales advisor for Spectra True Colour printing, and he is an owner and secretary for Spectra Dynamic marketing, both at 414 Rivermont Drive, near the Zoo just off I-26.

Spectra True Colour

Spectra True Colour is in the digital printing business in a big and sophisticated way. It's a full-service print and fulfillment provider. Goldson is managing a system of print services, as he put it, rather than print alone.

The operation prints, mails and fulfills all materials associated with promoting the client's business. Take Continental Tire, for instance, one of Spectra True Color's major clients. Continental attended a trade show in Las Vegas recently, and they wanted Spectra True Color to prepare and ship brochures and marketing parcels all over the world to the trade show attendees and other prospects. Besides printed material, the parcels might include logo pennants, labeled T-shirts, and highball glasses with the company trademark.

Norman Lloyd and Stephen Chavis check the color on brochures they have created.

Spectra True Color works under the principle of just-in-time deliveries to its shop on Rivermont, and Spectra True Color's clients work the same way. The client stores very little in anticipation of a mailout, while Spectra True Color keeps its clients' promotional material on the shelf for shipping. But nothing stays on the shelf any longer than necessary.

As the company's brochure puts it: "We are a leading single-source provider for online print management, commercial and digital printing, flexographic label printing, mailing, fulfillment and print warehousing services. We promise to deliver the widest array of high quality printed products, services and solutions designed to achieve the lowest possible cost while offering the highest true rewards for you... and we do this all under one roof."

Spectra Dynamic

Danny Hooker prepares parcels for mailing. Photos by Mimi M. Maddock Spectra Dynamic is run by Leigh Anne Neal, vice president of strategic services, and her marketing director, Reagan Taylor. They operate on a one-to-one basis across many industries. Eight one-to-one tactics are utilized:

(1) Intelligent data: Created through existing client data and additional data obtained from national list companies and surveys.

(2) Direct mail: Deliverables include highly-relevant messages driving recipients to a personal URL (PURL) and/or call center.

(3) PURL: Personalized Web page extends message from direct mail, includes links back to the corporate site, collects survey data, and builds a prospect base through a referral feature.

(4) Market research: Includes Web surveys, call center interactions, focus groups, and pilot studies, all to identify the target audience.

(5) Email marketing: Includes sending text, HTML, or rich media messages to a permission-based targeted list.

James Stroman moves products to the distribution room. (6) Website usability/SEO marketing: Includes evaluation of the effectiveness of the site from the end-user. Search engine optimization (SEO) enhances a Web site to boost its rank in the top results of a search engine.

(7) Loyalty reward programs: Rewards external audiences to increase purchases. Internally, program can reward top sales staff and performers.

(8) Tracking and reporting: Results determine return on investment (ROI). Results can be measured and tracked in real time to drive marketing initiatives.

Spectra True Colour's senior sales advisor and partner, and Spectra Dynamic's president, is Walter Kohn, formerly with Kohn Printing.

Goldson led The Columbia Star last week on tour of his facilities and explained the production techniques and marketing strategies. For further information on Spectra True Colour, look up www.spectratruecolour.com. And for Spectra Dynamic, visit www.spectradynamic.com.

Reagan Taylor, marketing director of Spectra Dynamic, discusses strategies.