Allied Marketing Storefront Guide
Table of Contents I. Introduction... 2 Marketing Storefront Overview... 2 Benefits of Marketing Storefront... 2 Features of Marketing Storefront... 2 Accessing Marketing Storefront... 3 Registration... 4 Register... 4 Account Information... 4 Profile Setup... 5 Proceed to Login... 5 II. Home Page... 6 Global Tabs... 6 Home Tab... 6 Marketing Materials Tab... 6 Account Management... 7 Portals on the Home Page... 8 III. Account Management... 9 IV. Marketing Materials... 10 Accessing Marketing Materials... 10 Marketing Materials Global Tab... 11 Keyword/Form Number Search... 12 Icons And Links... 12 Ordering Marketing Materials... 13 Uploading a Customer/Prospect List for Direct Mail... 14 Checkout Process... 15 Page 1
I. Introduction Marketing Storefront is a marketing resource that allows you to order and/or download customized marketing materials for your agency. Marketing Storefront Overview Benefits of Marketing Storefront Easily order your marketing materials all in one location. Create and send direct mail to prospects using leads or targeted customers using your own or Marketing Storefront provided mailing lists. Download electronic forms and share them with prospects and customers instantly. Customize materials with your contact information to make them personal and targeted. Easy navigation within the site. Features of Marketing Storefront Search materials by a keyword, by a form number, by choosing a category, or by clicking on a promotional box. What s Hot? scroll bar keeps you current on the new items, promotions, and campaigns. Related items, item description pop-up windows, shopping cart, order history, and account management simplifies your shopping experience. Most popular items feature lets you know what items have been ordered the most in the last 30 days. Sorting features allow you to sort items by newest and popular items, view all items at once, and show capabilities such as which items have direct mail, customization or both. Form overview such as description, audience, and special notes provide hints and guidance for using materials. Contact Us and Help features offer to share your feedback and provide support and information. Page 2
Accessing Marketing Storefront 1. Log On to the Marketing Storefront Site There are two ways: Website - Go to www.alliedstorefront. com. Save this site in your Bookmarks or Favorites for easy future access. Agent Center - Select Agent Store Front under Agency Resources tab. 2. New Users First time users need to register by clicking on the Register box. Please refer to the registration instructions on the next page. 3. Returning Users If you are a returning user, log in using your Allied User ID and password. Note: Your Marketing Storefront password is the password you created at the time of registration. If you can t remember your password, there is a password reminder link on the log in page. Page 3
Registration Registration involves the following steps: 1. Register Click the Register box on the login page. Enter your Allied User ID and last name. Click Continue. o Contact the help desk for assistance if needed at 888-377-2929. If you are having problems registering, request access to the site by filling out and submitting the form. The link to the access request form is available at click here as shown on the screen shot. 2. Account Information This step sets up your personal account information. Fill out all the required fields marked with an asterisk (*). Email address field in this section is also used for your password reminders. Page 4
3. Profile Setup Shipping Profile Used for shipping materials ordered from Marketing Storefront. Customization Profile Information to be displayed on your marketing materials. Add photo/logo/signature Lets you add a photo, logo and signature to be placed on any of the customized marketing materials that allow this option. Images must be in a JPG format and in color. They must be no larger than 5 MB, with a maximum resolution of 300 dpi, maximum photo size of 1 W x 1.25 H, maximum logo size 2 W x 1.25 H, and maximum signature size 2 W x 0.33 H. Once the images are submitted, they will go through a 24- hour approval and you will be notified by email when they have been approved and are ready to be used for orders. 4. Proceed to Login You are now authorized to access the Marketing Storefront application for your agency level marketing needs. You will need to log in using your Allied User ID and password you just created. Page 5
II. Home Page The Marketing Storefront home page allows you to easily navigate to your account information, order the latest marketing materials, and update you on the new items, promotions, and campaigns. The name of the user logged on to Marketing Storefront displays by the welcome title. You can logout of Marketing Storefront by clicking on the logout link. Global Tabs The global tabs can be accessed at any time, regardless of your location in Marketing Storefront. Home Tab The Home tab brings you to the Marketing Storefront home page. The details of the Home Page will be discussed later in this chapter. Marketing Materials Tab The Marketing Materials tab provides you with the ability to order and download individual marketing materials. Page 6
Account Management To access account management functionality, select from the links located in the top right-hand corner of the home page. Logout Logout link allows you to sign off from your account. My Shopping Cart Access items you have placed in your shopping cart. Review your order and shipping information. My Account Make changes to your personal account information such as change password, contact information, shipping profiles, and customization profiles. Refer to the Account Management chapter for complete information about the My Account link functionality. My Orders Click on the My Orders link to view orders placed within the last 30 days. Select View Details to view the details about a particular order. Select Order History to view orders you have placed over 30 days ago. Contact Us Provides the ability to send an email with your comments or feedback to a Marketing Storefront representative, or to seek help with the site. Help Provides informational and educational materials to assist with the website. Page 7
Portals on the Home Page Keyword/Form Number Search Allows you to perform a quick search for a specific item or a group of items. The keyword/form number search is located in the top right corner of the site. Promo Credits Shows the amount of promotional dollars you have available to use. Clicking on a Go button will list the items that can be ordered with the promo credits. Sales Process Allows you to narrow down the selection by your sales process. What s Hot? This portal highlights featured materials and programs, current promotions, campaigns and more. It provides a link to view a list of items or sign up to a promotion or an event. Featured Links Provides shortcuts to other related websites. Page 8
III. Account Management My Account The My Account section includes your personal account information. Click the My Account link to view your information. The information found in this screen pulls from your registration information and is used to contact you regarding Marketing Storefront activities such as order and shipping status. Select Edit to modify your account information and upload, delete, and replace a photo, logo, and signature. My Shipping Profiles Allows you to update or add addresses where your marketing materials will be sent. Select Edit beside the address you want to change to modify the information. Click on the Add a New Profile button to add multiple shipping profiles. My Customization Profiles Lets you update the information that appears on your marketing materials. Select Edit to modify contact information displayed on your marketing materials. Click on the Add a New Profile button to add multiple customization profiles. Click on the Change Password button to change your Marketing Storefront password. Page 9
IV. Marketing Materials Marketing Storefront s Marketing Materials provide you with a wide variety of tools to help market Allied Insurance products and services. They include: Advertising Customize and download a print ad and deliver to the publication of your choice, or place an order for a billboard. Promotional Literature Customize and order sales promotional literature such as brochures, posters, inserts, booklets, flyers, and doorhangers. Direct Mail Customize and order postcards, self-mailers, and letters. You are also able to upload a prospect or customer list and send customized mail. Merchandising Allows you to order merchandise such as key chains, can coolers, auto dash pads, and other. Electronic Marketing Customize and download electronic materials such as animations, e-banners, and e-brochures. Accessing Marketing Materials There are three ways to access marketing materials, all can be found on the Home Page: Access all marketing materials from the Marketing Materials global tab. Enter a form number or a keyword in the search box. Click on an icon or View materials> link in the Sales Process portal. These three methods provide flexibility to access all of the marketing materials. Each method will take you to the same materials, but will take you to a different step in the process of selecting your marketing materials. These methods are explained below in more detail. Page 10
Marketing Materials Global Tab Select a category: Advertising, Promotional Literature, Direct Mail, Merchandising, Electronic Marketing; or select a Sales Process stage: Prospecting, Point of Sale, Cross Sell & Upsell, Retention. These categories will narrow down your criteria of search into more specific categories such as business line, product, and form type. The right-hand side provides a list of most popular items ordered in the last 30 days. Hovering over an image will bring up an instant preview of description, title, and form number of an item. Other features include sorting options, number of items to display per page, promo code eligible items, item cost, and selection by capabilities of forms such as direct mail and customization or by payment types such as credit card, disbursement code, and promo code. Page 11
Keyword/Form Number Search The keyword/form number search is located in the top right-hand corner of the site. Keyword search allows you to perform a quick search for a specific item or a group of items. Search for items by using a keyword or form number. Examples: o To view all items available in Spanish, type: Spanish. o To search for all that can be mailed directly to your prospects or customers, type: postcard. o To view items related to a specific product, type the product name: auto, home, boat, etc. Search for items by an incomplete form number. o Example: 156 will display all materials with a form number containing this number sequence such as 15601, AP01564, D15631, etc. Icons And Links Click on an icon or View materials> link on the home page. This will bring you to the same process as searching by categories using Marketing Materials global tab. Refer to the previous page. Page 12
Ordering Marketing Materials Once you have identified the marketing item that interests you, select it and you will be taken to a detail page for that item. The detail page includes: PDF Preview: A preview of the item. Product Availability: List of states where the product is available. Item Description: Type and size of the item. Key Message: Overview description of the item content. Audience: For whom the item is intended customers or prospects. Cost Language To order: Select language (if applicable). Select your customization preference (if applicable). Choose quantity. Select the profile (if multiple profiles available) you wish to use for customizing this item. The customization is pre-filled with the information found in your My Account section under My Customization profiles. Verify customization information. You can edit information in the customization profile and save the updated information by checking the Save Changes to Customization Profile box. Note: the website doesn t support non-standard symbols such as registered mark, trademark, etc. If available, you can add a photo, logo, and/or signature by checking the Use my photo for customization, the Use my logo for customization, and/or Use my signature for customization boxes. If the document has other customizable items, such as a header, text, or photos options, you will see a Continue button and then be prompted through additional customization steps. Preview the customized PDF (required step for customized items) by clicking on the Customized Preview button and review information for accuracy before proceeding! Proceed to Shopping Cart. Page 13
Uploading a Customer/Prospect List for Direct Mail For direct mail items, you can upload a mailing list and send a customized mail campaign to customers or prospects. Step-by-Step process: Select your list type: Upload your own list. Select button from the detail page. Choose your delivery date. Your mail will be delivered in the date range shown in the dropdown. Choose your language preference for your piece (if applicable). Upload your prospect list by clicking on Browse button. Your list will need to be in the same format as the template provided. Do not remove rows 1-9. o To obtain a copy of the mailing list template, click on the here link directly above the Browse button. o Your list must contain at least 25 contacts. Accept the conditions for using the list by checking the box. Click button. A message will pop up letting you know the list uploaded successfully and you will need to click the link to review the details. Select your profile for customization. You can edit information in the customization profile. Remember to save the changes to the customization by clicking the Save Changes to Customization Profile Page 14
box. Your address will be added in the list by default. If you do not wish to be included in the mailing list, uncheck the Add me to the mailing list check box. If the document has other customizable items, such as a header, text, or photos, you will be prompted through additional customization steps. Preview the customized PDF by clicking on button to ensure your customization information is correct (this step is required for customized items). Select to add the item to your shopping cart. Checkout Process Shopping Cart Review your order for accuracy before proceeding to the Shipping step. o You can adjust the quantity in the shopping cart, if needed. o You can apply promo codes if available. o The estimated shipping date will be listed. If you need to adjust your shipping method, you will do so in the shipping step. Page 15
Shipping Select the shipping location for any material that will be sent directly to your agency. Information can be edited on the Shipping Profile. Remember to save changes by checking the save changes box before proceeding to the Checkout step. Choose your shipping option. Be sure to note the estimated delivery date. Continue to Checkout. Page 16
Checkout Review your charge summary. Provide your billing information, if required. Provide your credit card information, if required. Place order. You will receive an order confirmation email at the email address you provided in your My Account section. Page 17