Tag: postcard printing
The Keys to Successful Direct Mail
Whether it’s called direct mail, direct marketing, or mail marketing, the use of database marketing and the U.S. Postal Service can be a cost-effective way to find new customers. One major caution though, direct mail without proper preparation and a solid follow-up process may not only fail, it can be very costly.
If your printing, or related graphic arts company is like most, your customers may be scattered all over specific region or a an area no bigger than a single zip code. If you are a larger, more specialized firm, your customers may be spread across the nation. Identifying and locating new prospects and converting them into customers cannot always be done efficiently with a sales force alone. This is where a well planned, creative, and sustained mail marketing program can be very successful.
The first thing to do before considering the use of direct mail is to determine whether the markets and/or industries your company serves will respond to mail marketing. If the answer is yes, then you must identify the prospect’s “hot buttons”. In other words, what will get their attention and cause a response. This is where the creative aspects of direct marketing meet the science of direct mail. I have seen many perfectly executed direct mail campaigns fail because they lacked a creative, attention getting hook.
Why Print – Part 2 of 5
Continued from previous post: Part 1 of 5 on Why Print
Print is interactive.
Personalized magazine bingo cards let readers send for more information with quick check offs. Or, use postcards and use a direct mail campaign to drive prospects to a personalized website where they can tell you their aspirations and expectations.
Print drives a higher ROI.
Printing is particularly persuasive as direct mail. According to research by the Direct Marketing Association and the Wharton Economic Forecasting Associates, print’s performance through the mail can be measured in dollars and cents.
The DMA researchers found that U.S. advertisers spend $167 per person in direct mail marketing to earn $2,095 worth of goods per person, scoring a return on investment of 13 to 1.
Why? Because people gravitate toward print. A total of 38% of households surveyed by the U.S. Postal Service in 2006 found direct mail pieces interesting. That study also found that 85% of mail is either read or visually scanned by recipients.
And direct mail is also a great way to expand business relationships and keep customers loyal. A study by the Rochester Institute of Technology Printing Industry Center found that 67% of respondents like getting flyers and postcards about new products from companies they do business with.
Print is beautiful.
Why do they call it the graphic arts? Because print is beautiful and printers continue to consider every job they do a personal masterpiece. And now, advanced printing techniques, like high-fi color and advanced screening, make their work more appealing and more compelling.
Postcards Yield Plenty for You and Your Clients’ Business
Marked by their simple effectiveness and affordability, postcards have carved their own niche in the world of marketing with a number of valuable applications. First, they allow you to hone your target demographics to a specific, usable cross-section of what is first a looming amount of data. Next, Postcard Printing establishes an instant connection with prospective clients and customers because postcards aren’t hidden or encumbered by envelopes like their direct mail counterparts. These benefits, however, will only befall the marketing entity that knows how to effectively market their products and services on a postcard. Without a definitive direction, specificity, and a powerful image, it is very difficult even for postcards to avoid the waste bin.
Establishing Your Direction
Before diving into the tonal elements of the picture itself, you must first establish a definitive direction. This is based on the reaction that you want your postcard to have on the consumer and as such should act as a guide for the rest of the decisions involved in production of every aspect of your marketing message. Whatever your exact approach is, the general goal is that the consumer is intimately acquainted with your brand or brands, and will contact you or physically come to your store.
Offering an Incentive
Once a distinct direction is established, you must positively condition potential customers to complete the above mentioned steps by offering incentives to do so. The exact nature of how this is done can vary depending on your customer base but adheres to a general structure.
Great Postcard Designs
Direct mail has been a useful form of marketing for businesses for decades. Even with technology and email marketing taking the lead in the marketing world, many are still seeing great benefits of using direct mail. Postcards are a cost effective way for businesses to reach their potential consumers. In addition, post cards can be used to announce events such as an upcoming wedding or as thank you cards. Continue Reading…