If Direct Mail Is Dying, It's Sure Taking Its Time About It

Source:  Forbes, Lois Geller

Taking Its Time About It

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This is a record year for catalogs jamming my mailbox. It’s great.
It’s great that I get them, at least 100 so far this season, and it’s even greater that so many companies continue to produce them.

 

Why do they do it in this era of ecommerce?

 

Lots of reasons, but the short version is that direct mail, catalogs in particular, work. They’re profitable and they bring in revenue the companies can’t touch with electronic marketing alone.

The enduring power of direct mail is connected to two often overlooked societal phenomena:

1. The mail is often the only reliable way to reach reasonably affluent males.
2. The over-50 crowd, already large and growing, has a lot more money than younger folks and they’re just as happy to deal with you in print as they are in the cyber world.

Most catalogers still offer every possible response method: by mail, phone, fax, in person at a store. But, as often as not, most people who order from print catalogs do it online. The word synergy is overused but it fits here.

Our creative director, who gets a lot of print catalogs, orders by phone and calls around 10 at night.

Which companies are sending out catalogs these days? All the traditional ones you’d expect like Harry & David the fruit people, Hammacher Schlemmer, Smithsonian, National Geographic, Tiffany’s, Art Institute of Chicago, The Met, and so on.

And there are always newcomers, some of which are showing staying power, especially in the fields of clothing, jewelry, food, flowers, nesting merchandise and gadgets.
Catalogs have always struck me as direct-mail-written-large. They’re expensive to produce and mail so they have to be carefully targeted.

 

The catalogers adhere to the basic rules of direct mail, one of the most important of which is ALWAYS HAVE A UNIQUE OFFER and make it clear.

 

I saw several potential gifts in the Smithsonian print catalog but no offer, and yet when I went online to look around, I found Free Standard Shipping (a $7.95 value) and that’s always compelling.

Basically, everything in a marketing communication but especially in direct mail has to answer one question right away: What’s In It For Me? If the answer is clear, the prospect starts to get interested and look around.

 

It’s quite a different process from, say, a customer at a retail store like Best Buy who walks in with a specific purchase in mind.

The great catalogers test all the time: different covers, different offers, different lists, different prices, different product placement on page, and on and on. They test and track the results and use the information to get more profitable every time out. (See The Ridiculously Inexpensive Magic of Direct Mail Letters for more about this.)

• Price offers can include discounts, specific dollars off, Buy-One-Get-One and variations on that theme. A 15% discount might very well bring in more bottom line revenue than a 10% discount but you’ll never know until you test.
• Flex-Pay. When QVC offers easy payment terms, they feature the monthly payment. Very popular.
• Samples are a terrific way to get people trying your product. Cosmetic companies have been doing this for years. Get the first one free, then once you like it: you’ll buy it again.
• Early Bird Offers often work for our hospitality clients. If you reserve during their quieter times, you get a discount on spa services, or complimentary breakfast. Airlines do this, too.
• Deluxe version of whatever you usually sell. We’re offering one at Kickstarter.com for our dog book. Sometimes the deluxe version can also be a free upgrade gift.

Online marketing is a terrific force and it will grow, even as states and cities force marketers to charge sales tax.

But direct mail is not going away. I get a couple of thousand offers by mail every year. They arrive all year long, trending heavier in the last few months and in January and the number is growing. The industry is still selling billions of dollars’ worth of products and services. It’s not hip and happening, not “now” but it is highly effective and very profitable.

Sen. Baldwin says bulk mailing rate amendment will help printing firms

Source:  The Business Journal

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) is championing an amendment to the postal reform bill that would curb large increases in postal rates for bulk mailers.

Baldwin visited Quad/Graphics in Sussex Wednesday morning and spoke with Milwaukee Business Journal reporters and editors Tuesday to talk about the impact of the amendment on Wisconsin’s economy. She outlined how the amendment would give postal customers “pricing predictability” and benefit forestry, paper and printing companies throughout the state like Quad/Graphics.

“Forty percent of the paper we produce ends up in the mail stream… any significant – beyond inflation increases in postage – affects our paper industry very dramatically,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin’s amendment strikes a section of the bill that would allow rates to be increased beyond the rate of inflation for bulk mailers.

“It’s pretty simple math for these folks that the postage is a significant part of their bottom line,” Baldwin said. “If it goes up, they are mailing less and nobody benefits. It’s a very important provision to get rid of.”

Joel Quadracci, president and CEO of Quad/Graphics, spoke about the issue during committee hearings on the topic earlier this year in which he told the committee: As discussed, above-inflation postage rate increases cannot be part of this solution (whether they are from straight rate increases or reductions in work-share discounts). The rate caps enacted as part of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) have worked well to control postage rates and provide our clients with that much needed certainty.

Jeff Landin, president of Wisconsin Paper Council, supports the amendment.  “Now, unless changes are made to Section 301, an already difficult coated paper market is likely to see more damage due to further declines in mail volume,” Landin said. “Your efforts to provide predictable and moderate rate increases will not only benefit the paper industry in Wisconsin, it will help the USPS by providing more mail to deliver.”

More than 600 companies, retailers, nonprofits, newspapers and other organizations around the country support the amendment.
The bill is still in committee, Baldwin said.

THINK BIG!!!  GET YOUR BRAND OR BUSINESS NOTICED!!!

Big ideas, big dreams, big plans? Then you need big printing. Large, glossy, full-color wide format is increasingly a smart marketing choice for making a bold, clear statement. Think about the visual impact you could make in your business with banners, adhesive wall clings, car wraps, event signage, posters, window graphics, floor graphics. High quality design and signage is now affordable for every budget and versatile for every structure or medium. It is also easy to change up to reflect new information and stay fresh in the public eye.

Take a moment to look around at any of your large blank walls, windows or spaces in any public area of your business and you begin to realize how that visual canvas is not being utilized to represent your brand, your message, your mission. It is being seen… it should be getting noticed and remembered! And not all wall coverings need to be advertising copy or photography. Perhaps you can simply use shape and color to “brand” your walls or windows for visual interest, keeping them in accordance with your brand’s palette.

Consider what might very well be your most valuable advertising real estate: storefront windows, waiting room and lobby walls, even shop floors. They are encountered by every customer or client, and even others just passing by – you should be using that marketing opportunity to relay your message and reinforce your brand. When you start looking around you will discover many creative ways to use large-format printing:

• banners
• removable vinyl wall graphics & murals
• car wraps
• event signage
• posters
• floor graphics
• window clings
• mounted trade show displays
• sale announcements or information
• directional signage
• product exhibits
• decorative designs and murals to compliment your brand

Thinking big will grow your business and sales in the new year, and wide format printing is a versatile, affordable and smart component of that winning marketing strategy. It allows you to see your business with an artist’s or architect’s eye. Enjoy being creative with your marketing.

DIRECT MAIL IS KING AGAIN!!!

Direct mail continuously proves that it is king. DMA states the response rate of direct mail is more than 30 times higher than that of email, with an average response rate of 4.4% compared with the 0.12% of email. When consumers are exposed to nearly 3,000 messages a day, but only notice about 50 and remember just four, earning a spot in the “final four” is the goal. Marketers need to focus on personalization and relevancy to cut through the clutter.

The key to successful direct marketing has always been personalization. The data that drives a personalized approach is more accessible and useful than ever. A print production and media provider that truly understands data is your best strategic partner for driving sales forward.  An effective direct marketing campaign is like composing a great song and direct mail is the king in lead generation.

 

Creating A Brochure: Design Importance

Substance might be more important than style in many things but every good marketer knows that brochure design is just as critical as the brochure’s content, if not more so. Many a novice advertiser has made the mistake of scrimping on a brochure design, opting to stuff the brochure with information instead. With the kind of money that you spend on advertising materials, that’s one mistake you literally can’t afford to make.

Getting a Sneak Peak with your Brochure Design

First impressions last; so says a well-known adage. Customers often get their first look and their very first impression of your company from the printed material that you provide, which is why it is so important for you to invest in your brochure. Design elements from the smallest change in colors to the biggest product images could even make or break your company’s advertising campaign.

Visual and tactile quality should be one of your highest priorities when it comes to planning and designing your brochure. The final product should look and feel well-made and polished. Your brochure is practically your company’s calling card; it should represent what your company is all about and send a positive message to the customer.

Getting it Right with Brochure Design

Your target market is usually a good thing to consider when planning your brochure design. That, however, isn’t enough. You also have to consider where your brochures will be distributed and the kind of visual stimuli that can be found there.

For example, if you intend to place your brochures in a typical brightly colored fast food restaurant, using similarly loud colors will be a losing battle for you. People passing by can easily mistake your brochures as part of the décor, and the brochures won’t attract the attention they were supposed to. Opt instead for paper colors and brochure designs that are a stark contrast and will really stand out against the given background.

Sell It!

Brochures are your opportunity to introduce your company and your product to a likely customer, but it shouldn’t stop there. Your company’s brochure should also sell your product to the reader. Don’t just let the reader know about your product; make him or her want to buy it.

Although specifications and technical data are definitely helpful, photos and product comparisons are more powerful when it comes to persuading customers to buy. Give them an idea of how the item will look when they’ve purchased it. Give them an idea of how it looks like when used. Give them an idea of the advantages of your product over others. Emphasize those points in your brochure design and be as explicit about them as possible.
You can improve the selling power of your brochure design by adding images. If pictures are indeed worth a thousand words, they have the value of a thousand sales pitches when used in a brochure. Provide prominent, detailed and attractive photographs of whatever you’re selling. Dazzle the customer with all the colors and variants available. Make your product look like something that the customer would and should buy.

Never, ever forget to give the customer a way to contact you or buy the product – a phone number or email address would suffice. Relying on the customer to seek out your store – especially if you’re a yet unknown brand – will defeat the purpose of using brochures in the first place. Remember, the point of brochures is to make customers buy. You may as well make it easier for your customers to do so.

Source:  Print Marketing Inc.

Top 5 Trends in Direct Marketing

1. Hyper-local and hyper-targeted marketing The use of Smartphones and Tablets has redefined direct marketing. Now you can target ads to the consumers most likely to respond to the offer based on their age and proximity to your location. Not only does SMS (short messaging service, or text messaging) offer hyper-targeting, it also enables you to create time-sensitive offers and announcements – giving you the best possible response and ROI.

2. Direct mail Old school tools re-emerge with better direct marking applications. With the price of digital printing rapidly declining, postal drops return as an inexpensive way to reach customers and encourage them to interact with your brand. Using a tie in to your website or Facebook page can energize your campaign and engage both potential and existing customers. Putting something in someone’s hands can be extremely powerful, and the use of clever creative coupled with dimensional mailers are still powerful tools.

3. Targeted digital couponing As with hyper-local and hyper-targeted marketing, brands are able to target coupons directly to consumers most likely to redeem them – as quickly as real time. Direct marketers are able to target shoppers with new products in the store, offers over and above shelf tag discounts, or when they are at the point of purchase to encourage them to spend more.

4. Big Data It seems to be on every direct marketing professional’s lips – Big Data, and when you think big, you should think FAST, too. With all the hyper-personalization of information being received, the direct marketing trend is to make sense of it quickly and segment it into groups. With information being collected from online and brick and mortar transactions, social media, and mobile devices, providers are in a hurry to package the data and get it to direct marketers to use it ASAP.

5. Retargeted Ads What better way to hit your target than to advertise to someone who has already visited your site? With retargeted ads, when someone visits your site and then leaves, they get a retargeted ad the next time they surf the web. By using retargeted ads, your message can be a subtle, “hey, come back and see us sometime” to a hard-hitting, “act today and you’ll get the best deal available”. Either way it encourages others to interact with your brand and revisit your site!

Hey! Where’s Direct Mail in This Survey List?

By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on July 13th, 2013

I was browsing email subject lines and one about Millennials using print caught my eye. Every now and then, you see data showing that direct mail and other print media carry weight — and influence — among this coveted and digital-media-heavy demographic.
I clicked through, and the data from was Experian (Digital Marketing Report 2013).  It did show Millennials using print, but it was newspapers and magazines. In a seven-day span (“seven-day platform reach”), the chart indicated, approximately 70% of 18-24-year olds were reading newspapers and magazines.  Nice to know, but . . .

Television, mobile phone, radio, newspaper, home computer, magazine, work computer, game console, MP3 player, tablet, e-Reader. Those were the categories included, leaving magazines and newspapers the print representatives.

Where was direct mail? Despite the power that print continues to show in influencing consumer decisions and as part of consumers’ preferences, somehow it was not included in the media mix being studied.  How did direct mail get overlooked?

Yes, postal volumes are dropping, but direct mail is still a powerhouse in terms of marketing influence. Every time media influences are studied, direct mail shows tremendous power influencing buyer decisions. Response rates to personalized mail are consistently high. Studies show that especially for certain products (high-end, financial, health, and other categories deemed to be more personal) consumers overwhelmingly prefer marketing by print rather than email. The list goes on. So how did direct mail get overlooked here? If it was intentional, it was a really unfortunate (and inaccurate) message to send.

Hey researchers, let’s not forget about one of the most powerful tools marketers have!

Interactive Storefront Let's You Redefine Window Shopping

Window shopping has just been redefined by Adidas with the rollout of its new interactive storefront window. The window is a fully functional touchscreen that lets you drag life-size products directly to your smartphone, which acts as a shopping cart. With the security of a one-time PIN, each shopping session is linked in real time to the display window. As with most online shopping carts, you can save products for later, edit product details, and even share your purchase with friends over social media or email.

This isn't the first time Adidas has looked to virtual wall technology for shoppers, but this interactive storefront also lets you play dress-up with a life-size mannequin, complete with product details and action poses. But before you run out to your local Adidas store to play Barbie with its virtual mannequins, note that this service is currently only available in the City of Hamburg, Germany as a six-week pilot test.

Trade Show Planning:  Plan B

It’s likely that we all agree that trade shows are extremely visual events. They are unique events, where hundreds—even thousands—of brand representatives cram into a convention center, hotel lobby, or expo hall to compete for the attention of new potential buyers or clients. As we outlined in past posts, it’s essential that you differentiate yourself at these events and deliver a message that is persuasive, memorable, and consistent. But you already know this, you’re a polished professional, and you’ve meticulously prepared your material and created the perfect trade show display. That’s fantastic, and you’re an inspiration to us all—but what happens when something goes wrong?

When the unexpected occurs at your trade show, you need to implement “plan b.” Hopefully you’ve got one. It’s critical to have a contingency plan for any of the unexpected pitfalls that can occur at your event. Of course there are several things that can derail your plans, here are just a few:

• Your spiffy display wasn’t delivered to the venue or assembled
• Your technology isn’t working properly or you’re missing essential components
• You have less room than you expected
• Your partner unexpectedly ditches you
• You forgot to bring the sales guy basics

There’s no doubt that events like these things can make your life difficult. But don’t despair, because you’ve planned ahead.

Arriving to the venue and finding out that the crazy awesome display that you requested your team to send hasn’t shipped is disheartening to say the least. In fact, that situation might cause an emotional breakdown for lesser professionals, but not you. That’s right, you’re okay because you planned ahead and brought along your pop-up banner stand. Oh yeah, you also have the extra banners that you packed in your carry-on bag — just in case. What’s more, you have that spare table drape with your company logo printed on it packed in your bag at the hotel.

Getting midway through display set-up in Cleveland and realizing that the thumb-drive containing your amazing presentation is sitting on your desk back in St. Paul might cause an acute anxiety attack in many people. But again, you’re more prepared than most because you planned ahead and uploaded your game-changing presentation to the cloud. And for good measure, you also packed printed collateral and product catalogs (just in case Murphy and his dreaded law decided to make an appearance).

Here’s the point, it’s important to plan for worst-case scenarios. Bringing extra materials such as banners, display stands, and product literature is a great way to make certain that you can market yourself, maintain a professional appearance, and maintain a positive attitude.

A few weeks before the show, take some time and create a checklist. Analyze, identify, and develop a back-up plan for potential areas where things could go wrong. Then put together a resource kit and include things like pens, notebooks, table drapes, banners, cell phone chargers, USB cords, power strips, and printed collateral. Make sure to save copies of any presentations in multiple locations, or better yet make them accessible to people using mobile devices like cell phones and tablets. This ensures that even if your planned technology fails, you can share your message through different platforms.

 

SMARTER DIRECT MAIL:
ADVANCES IN PRINT BOOST ROI

There are many sources of pressure to reduce or minimize the cost of postage in hardcopy mailings with commensurate hurdles at every turn. Over the years, postage has been mitigated with workshare discounts that depend on mailing list density, file hygiene, currency of the mailing list and mailpiece shape and design. As the USPS attempts to remove unnecessary costs and employ automation to the max, mailing requirements increase—such as heavier more expensive paper, more tabs or glue, and other creative and preparation demands that can increase costs.

Another pressure is to mail only to those that return an adequate return on the cost of the mailing among existing customers, while at the same time allowing for the prospecting of potential new customers. Add to this the alternate media channels that may be employed in each campaign and the pressure on hardcopy mail increases as does the difficulty in meeting minimum requirements for postage discounts. Nevertheless, direct mail remains an important and viable part of virtually any brand's multichannel mix.

So where is the next realm of postal efficiency and savings going to come from?  There are current solutions out there that have been developed to meet precisely this challenge; commingling, co-mailing, co-palletization to name a few. All of these combine pre-existing mailpieces at some level to achieve better penetration and lower postage rates. They are useful for many marketers - but they may not be applicable for all.

Some brands recognize a more urgent need to communicate in a targeted way that drives improved results; (still) qualify for maximum postal discounts; and, importantly, increase speed to market.

For these marketers, achieving higher returns from direct mail may lay in the capabilities of the latest digital print technology. New high-speed digital color presses increase customization, maximize operating and postal savings, and automate the marketing process while allowing customers to craft personalized offers and messages quickly and easily.

I've been seeing more brands incorporating digital print - also known as print on demand - in their communication and marketing mix. Here's why:

• Increased customization with 100% variable content delivered at full press speed and quality - customers (and prospects) can receive differentiated images, text and offers based on available intelligence derived from data about those customers.


• Time and cost savings because of less waste and spoilage, and there is no needed plate changes and no preprinted stock inventory to be stored. Production processes are far more efficient, and overages are absent.


• Deeper postal discounts thanks to electronic, automated mail piece commingling that is done prior to printing.


• Decreased time to market via a complete high-speed digital production process that starts with white paper and ends with fully customized mail - in line and without job stops and starts. In some vertical markets - retail, real estate, financial services, for example - speed in communication matters, depending on the purpose of the communication. Having such speed in hardcopy communication can elevate customer engagement and response.

With this latest advancement in personalized direct mail variable data print, direct mail makes a serious impact. For example, the HP T230 Inkjet Digital Press, HP pigment and inks and HP print heads produce sharp text, images, graphics and 100 percent variable content in high-quality, four-color (CMYK) production print. (Other manufacturers have similar offerings as well.) That's not something printers could do 10 years ago.

Today's digital presses can create offers that are unique and relevant for each individual, print short runs at no extra expense, receive maximum postal discounts with up-front commingling, print personalized URLs and QR Codes for a multichannel strategy, require no plates and no film—it's all digital—and what used to take days can be done in hours. They save money by reducing on-hand inventory storage and get pieces into the mail stream faster with end-to-end processing.

With single card or simple folded self-mailers, these presses also allow multiple versions to be imaged with complete piece-to-piece personalization effectively commingling the mailing on press. This retains list density that allows for better postage discounts and drop ship entry discounts.

Nearly all brand executions with digital print interact with content management systems, where both creative assets are stored and the analytics-driven business rules and triggers that tap these assets. Such centralization and intelligence enables many benefits: corporate marketing control, the ability to leverage and time multiple contact across channels, trigger campaign capabilities, cloud-based technology for API interface with scalable assets, and individual customer/prospect mapping for location, messages, images and offers. Also, imaging digital interfaces, such as a QR Code, on a personal basis is no challenge at all.  These gains are going to have a profound effect on the future of direct mail, and they are already making a huge difference in what's in consumer mailboxes.

The bottom line is that the latest digital presses allow rapid-response, highly targeted, personalized mail campaigns without the penalty of higher postage.

Source:  Charley Howard, Harte Hanks

4 DesignTips for Mobile Email Marketing

The mobile inbox is a powerful tool if used the right way. We know that smart phone penetration in the US has reached 55% and mobile email open rates are over 40%. Almost half of your database is opening email via their mobile phone. Are you designing your emails to display correctly?

You could be leaving money on the table by not designing effective mobile email. Actually, you ARE leaving money on the table. Here are four design tips to help you design for the mobile inbox. Need more tips?

1. Design for Your Audience

Know your audience—it’s the most basic of all marketing principles. If your brand’s mobile audience is at or above 10%, it’s time to start optimizing for mobile. Weigh the effort required against your content and production timeline, then choose an approach that makes sense for your brand— as it pertains to mobile aware design, responsive design, or a combination of the two.

2. Design for Touch

Do not focus solely on click-based interaction—instead, try to think in terms of swipes and taps? As with any good design, grid-based layouts ensure content is easy to read and digest. Your finger isn’t as precise as a cursor, so elements like buttons and text links need to be a large enough that the user doesn’t accidentally tap the wrong link—or miss entirely. To design a button that’s easy to press, shoot for a height of at least 0.33” (44px or more).

3. Design for Legibility

Consider these factors to ensure your message is legible:

§  Contrast: As we age, less light enters the eye, making it more difficult to see color contrast. Computers and mobile devices also allow users to alter contrast settings, so carefully consider your color choices to ensure the text and images stand out properly against the background. Avoid reversing out small text on a dark background.

§  Text size: We recommend using text of at least 13px for body copy. In order to avoid having to zoom in, try starting at 15-16px (depending on the actual font) and preview it on your mobile device. Be generous with margins and whitespace to ensure text is readable. When it comes to copy, remember that less is more.

§  Imagery: Bold, beautiful imagery is slowly taking over our inboxes, as we take cues from Pinterest and social hubs like Facebook and Twitter. Images help tell your brand’s story, so consider taking the time to choose artful shots that complement your message. For B2B emails, think outside the realm of traditional stock photography to make your messages are unique.

§  Layout: A one-column layout works best in both aware and responsive design. If you have a multi-column layout, carefully plan how elements shift or stack, using a grid to ensure the technical aspect is possible

4. Design for Reality

Circumstances affect accessibility and attention span, so your message may be viewed on a small screen out of consumer preference or sheer convenience. It could be competing with distractions of all kinds, like a small data plan, a business meeting, spotty Wi-Fi connections, or a long line at the grocery store. Tailor your messages accordingly:

§     Keep it simple with direct content.

§ Be incredibly clear the steps for a the call-to-action.

            §     Be brutal with your editing.  Keep the message short and concise.

Source:  Kyle Lacey

Marketing:  It does not have to be complicated.

I love the new AT&T television campaign with the cute guy talking to the group of first graders. If you've been living under a rock and missed them, the guy poses a simple question to the kids like, "What's better? Doing two things at once or just one?"

The kids pause for a moment, consider their options, and then all shout out "TWO! TWO!" with some thrusting two fingers into his face. "You sure?" he asks innocently to one little girl. "I am absolutely positive," she states decisively, flattening her hands on the table for emphasis.

Finally one little boy says "I can do two things ... I can wave my head ..." while he starts waggling it from side to side, "and wave my arm ..." It makes me dizzy just to watch him.

I always laugh out loud at these spots because it reminds me of so many of the focus groups I've witnessed over the years, and the commercial's message, "It doesn't have to be complicated," could be the lesson for many marketers these days.

There are plenty of large, complex brands out there that require lots of intricate strategies and tactics against many different audiences. But many smaller brands have yet to heed the old KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) message that we learned in marketing class many moons ago.

I recently received a direct mail package that directed me to a URL to download a whitepaper. Since I was interested in the topic, I visited the URL. But when I arrived, I couldn't find any mention of the whitepaper, even though I scoured the home page.

Yesterday I clicked on a link in an email to download another whitepaper and it took me to a dedicated registration page that asked four or five simple questions before I could download. So far, so good.

But after completing the form, I ended up on another, differently designed page, asking for most of the same information before I could complete the download. Huh?

Last week I got a phone call from a sales rep telling me he was following up on the package he sent me. When I told him I had no memory of receiving it, he mumbled something that sounded like "damn marketing people" and then said he'd have to call me back. Wha—?

As AT&T states, "It's not complicated"—so why are so many marketing efforts such a chocolate mess?

Here are the 2 marketing rules I always try to live by:

• Make It Easy: Think about your target and what you want them to do. Then make it easy for them to do it. That includes forms (I once challenged an insurance client on the # of questions required on an app for a quote and was able to reduce it from 26 to 6).
• Demand Quality: Always proof (don't get me started) and impose a rigid QC process. For example, test blast your emails and check all the links before you launch the program to your customer/prospect base. If I get one more email addressed to "Dear (Client)" or "Dear Marc," I'm going to scream.

If you make sure you incorporate those principles into your marketing workflow, you might be surprised at the difference it can make.

 

Postal Delivery:  Which will it be 5 day or 6 day delivery?

I just had a great exchange with my letter carrier (as I sometimes do) while at my mailbox today, and I wonder how many times a day my carrier is interrupted in her work, as I interrupted her, to politely chit-chat. Of course, I brought up the likelihood of five-day delivery come August, to which she gave a candid response, "Well, we've been losing money."

Most Americans—and maybe even some carriers—don't know the full story—or any story—about how the United States Postal Service endures pre-funding retirement benefit mandates from Congress, as well as other cost-drivers that have nothing to do with the digital age, electronic bill payments and multichannel communication trends. Nor do they know that both The White House and Congress spend these mandated monies on their own programs, even as the federal deficit spirals.

That's why it's easy to be indignant when some members of Congress, perhaps predictably, jumped onto the current appropriations bill (a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond March 27) with mandates for six-day delivery. Yet, one has to ask, where are the means for real relief from some of the costliest demands of the 2006 postal reform law? Making the Postal Service stick with Saturday delivery isn't the action we need Congress to take.

Is it really enough, or correct, to just counter USPS management efforts to cut costs and right-size the network? Why not delve deeper into the ills that Congress and the Administration—both parties involved here—have heaped onto the Postal Service's bottom line? Why not revisit real postal reform? How many more years must the Postal Service get squeezed, and default on payments, before Congress and the President take seriously its cause, its future, its sustainability?

How Does Collaborative B2B Decision-making Affect Personalization?

In the world of personalization, we rely on data on individual recipients to target and personalize content to be relevant and meaningful to them. But in the world of B2B, decision-making has been more collaborative. In fact, according to IDC, the number of stakeholders for each purchase decision has grown by 40% — from five in 2010 to seven in 2012.

From a digital printing and personalization perspective, the impact of the expanding number of stakeholders could be significant.

As the number of stakeholders in any B2B decision grows, this will impact the ability of marketers to use personalization to promote their products and services. But for the better or the worse?

On one hand, we could say that it makes personalization to the individual less relevant. Stakeholders can range from IT to product management to finance, all of whom have differing agendas and motivations. Even the best, most sophisticated personalization efforts cannot span them all. The higher the number of stakeholders grows, the more watered down the impact of any individual marketing effort to any individual person on that team becomes.

On the other hand, every project often has one individual champion within the organization who advocates for the decision and propels it forward. We never know which of those 5–7 stakeholders on the team it’s going to be. Sometimes all it takes is one. The recipient of that 1:1 marketing piece could be the person who makes the difference.

Source: Digital Nirvana

How To Put Direct Mail Marketing To Work For Your Business

In order for a direct mail marketing campaign to be effective you should see new customers, a return of old customers or an increase in repeat customers. Additionally, you should realize bigger returns on your direct mail campaign investment. If you structure your campaign more effectively you will increase the odds of your direct mail campaign being successful.

By recognizing who your potential customer is, you can tailor a campaign to both generate new customers and bring back repeat customers. Maybe it means offering an incentive to buy from you again, or offering a discount for new customers you want to attract. By understanding exactly what you want to accomplish with your mailing, you can better structure your campaign and pinpoint your audience.
Here are a few suggestions to consider:

• Consider The Newsletter

When you send a newsletter packed with valuable information to existing or potential customers, you might see new business. Make sure the information is timely, relevant and really useful to your reader. Focus on creating a professional publication and you will have found a lasting, successful marketing tool.

• Don’t Forget Free Offers

This is still one of the best ways to attract new business. The lure of the free item, especially one perceived as valuable, will result in people sharing all kinds of useful information you can utilize. Information such as their opinions, interests and contact information which can be very important for personalizing future campaigns. Try tying in your free offer with an up-sell for higher ROI.

• Test Different Formats

Direct mail marketers can utilize various types of formats, such as postcards, booklets, self-mailer, envelope packages, catalogs and more. With so many choices, the best way to determine which format will appeal to your target audience, is to “test the waters”, so to speak. You can assume that a postcard would be best for a retail mailing…or a #10 package would be best for a B2B mailing…but you really don’t know for sure until you get a campaign in the mail and track results.
When your goal is to engage your customer and start a conversation, a professional, targeted and strategically-designed direct mail marketing campaign is still one of the best ways to accomplish that goal.

Source:  Ryan Cote

5 Ways to Reach Customers in the Digital Era

Source:  Kamal Tahir

Marketers have grown up with the foundation of the four Ps of marketing: product, price, promotion and place. These are as relevant today as they were when first coined for both online and offline efforts. However, as time passes and the discipline of marketing becomes more complex and more enabled, additional factors come into play to augment and enhance the foundation, especially as marketers navigate a fragmented marketing structure encompassing online and offline data and tactics. Here are five key factors that have the power to impact marketing performance:

5

Predictive: Using modeling and predictive analytics, marketers can better determine who is likely to purchase a certain item, and also when they're most likely to purchase. This is helpful in increasing the effectiveness of campaigns and reducing waste. It also prevents a company from generating negative customer sentiment due to undesired contact or content.

1. Personalized: This goes hand-in-hand with using predictive analytics, but incorporates what's known about customers. Factors range from the preferred mode of communication (e.g., are they more likely to respond to email or direct mail) to the type of messaging that resonates with them. Take for example two people living in the same neighborhood who are in the market to purchase an SUV. Perhaps the same vehicle would fill the needs of both people, but customized communication tailored to their interests and needs would result in one being more outdoor-focused, featuring messaging and images as such, while the other features the same vehicle being used to haul materials for business. Don't forget to customize delivery to a preferred channel — email for one, Facebook for the other. Doing so further creates a personalized experience based on the user's preference.
2. Permission powered: A key way to engage customers and prospects is to have them opt in to receiving communications from your brand. Permission-based marketing is getting more specific in terms of types of products, mode of communication, frequency, etc. Review current personalization capabilities being provided to customers; they provide a detailed road map to help deliver more effective campaigns.
3. Peer reviewed: Peer reviews are important for specifics about a product's performance. The value of peer reviews increases with factors such as location or keywords used by a reviewer to describe themselves. Customers may be more interested in the perspective of a fellow reviewer who is more like them than someone who is less similar to them. Enable shoppers to sort or select the reviews by ratings and various criteria about those providing reviews.
4. Proactive: Being proactive in implementing one or all of the factors above is important. Don't wait for customers to tell you what they want, as they may do so by going to your competition. Don't wait for a "critical mass" in your competitive set to start following these guidelines. Use it as a competitive advantage for better customer engagement and higher return on investment. Listen to your customers, anticipate what they want and when they want it, then deliver it.

Adding Ps to the marketing mix may seem complex and time consuming. While there is an element of complexity present, better planning and proactive solutions take time. The returns, however, can be great. There are a growing set of solutions available to marketers which can help even the smallest of businesses become better engaged and drive better results. It's no longer for just the big companies.

The final P? Stay positive. While trends and buzzwords will come and go, the movement towards better engagement with the factors noted above is a win-win for businesses and buyers.

Kamal Tahir is senior manager of product management at Experian.

Educating Your Audience About QR Codes

When you are in the thick of all things marketing, staying on top of the latest in mobile marketing and how to interconnect your print and online media, it’s easy to forget that your average consumer does not stay on top of such things.

Here are some tips on how to teach your target market how to use QR codes so you can have a successful QR code campaign in the future.

·         Get your audience over any fear they might have. By providing them information, you are showing that you are reliable and trustworthy.

·         Start simple and remember that different people learn differently. Offer your instructions in different formats. Create a white paper or a series of blog posts for those in your audience who like to read step by step directions. Create a downloadable audio file with those same step by step instructions for those who like to listen, especially on the go. And then don’t forget to employ some videos that show everything broken down into steps.

·         Don’t assume you are dumbing things down too much. By creating your instructions in a series of blog posts and videos, your users can pick and choose what they want to read or watch. So they can skip over anything that is too simplistic. But don’t make assumptions that your target market knows how to do even the most basic of things. Not everyone knows they need a scanning app.

·         Make your videos and blog posts readily accessible. Don’t let them get buried under newer offerings. It’s okay to promote them every so often to remind your audience that you can virtually walk them through the process of getting a scanning app on their mobile device, how to scan that app and what to do from there.

·         Stay on top of QR code news and share with your audience.

You can post about QR codes you find in everyday life, on mailers, at the store, you name it. It shows that you keep your fingers on the pulse of how others are using QR codes, when they’re working and when they’re not.

And a great side benefit is that while you are sharing with your audience and helping them to learn more ways on how QR codes can bring them discounts, information and more, you are also learning some great marketing techniques (or maybe learning from the failures) yourself.

Source:  Digital Nirvana