tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81472146337589854902024-02-20T10:48:30.157-08:00PROPELLING YOUR BUSINESS FORWARDwww.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-18785126571131099322014-01-30T08:40:00.001-08:002014-01-30T08:40:28.429-08:00<h2>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Online Ad Re Targeting is HOT in 2014!</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a marketing strategy that has really caught on recently. In a nutshell, it works by utilizing browser cookies to track the websites that users visit. Once a user leaves a certain site, the products or services they viewed will be shown to them again in advertisements across different websites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s fairly obvious as to why this technique can be so effective. With only <span style="color: #990000;">two percent</span> of web traffic converting on the first visit, ad retargeting works to increase the overall conversion rate by reminding consumers of the product or service they viewed. This keeps the brand and the product at the top of the consumer’s mind. There are even psychological studies that have shown that simple exposure to brand names and logos creates familiarity, which builds trust and makes consumers more likely to make a purchase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even if there’s no immediate purchase, this tactic can really pay off in the long run. Due to the success that many marketers have had with ad retargeting, we believe this marketing strategy will become more mainstream in 2014.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Source: DXM Marketing Group</span>www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-36845649910099017122014-01-30T08:40:00.000-08:002014-01-30T08:40:07.718-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt; margin: 0in 0in 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
Is No More B2B Or B2C: It’s Human To Human, H2H<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
used to be that marketing was segmented into two categories;
business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). This was done (I
assume), to separate specialties, audiences and segments in an effort to more
highly target the groups of people who ultimately would consume a brand’s
message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
it really did, however, was create an unnatural language for marketers – with
words like “synergy” and “speeds and feeds” – to tell the stories of products
to their buyers and partners. It’s become like one massive game of telephone,
where by the time a message gets to the person actually buying the product, the
things that make it special have been swallowed by marketing vernacular.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Consumers
are confused. Why can’t we make it simple for them to understand what we’re
selling, to share their experiences and the value they felt with others? More
importantly, why is it that what we’re marketing most often does not align to
actual consumer experiences?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
fact is that the lines are so far blurred now between the two marketing
segments that it’s hard to differentiate between the two anymore. We all need
to think like the consumers we are, putting ourselves in the mindset of the
buyer instead of trying to speak such an intensely sophisticated language full
of acronyms and big words, in order to sound smarter.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marketing
increasingly strives to become one-to-one, with solutions to collect and
wrangle the big data about us to serve up more personalized offers and
experiences. On the other hand, social has become a more public and vast
medium, where the things we share skyrocket quickly to a “one-to-many”
experience. The dichotomy between marketing and social has actually flipped…
and it’s out of balance. Social and marketing need to work together to
personalize individual conversations, as well as deliver shared global
experiences that crowds of common values can benefit from. This is what our
social and digital mediums have gifted us, and how humans interact and feel
more compelled take action.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, this is how I see it: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Businesses do not have emotion. People do.<br />
People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.<br />
People want to feel something.<br />
People want to be included.<br />
People want to understand.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
people are also humans, and with that come mistakes. Missteps. Failures. As
humans, it’s in our nature to say the wrong thing, get embarrassed, and not
realize the consequences of our actions. The rise of social media has given a
digital platform to the dark side of anonymity, both as individuals and as
crowds. I say it’s time to lay down the virtual pitchforks and torches and
bring this behavior back into balance. The delightful side of humanity holds
with it empathy, understanding, and forgiveness, and when remembered in our
communication, it ties us together as a common group.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Communication
shouldn’t be complicated. It should just be genuine and simple, with the
humility and understanding that we’re all multi-dimensional humans, everyone of
which has spent time in both the dark and delightful parts of life.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-37634578648272773822014-01-24T07:07:00.000-08:002014-01-24T07:07:47.529-08:00<h2>
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Online Ad Retargeting</span> Will Be Hot in 2014!</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a marketing strategy that has really caught on recently. In a nutshell, it works by utilizing browser cookies to track the websites that users visit. Once they leave a certain site, the products or services they viewed will be shown to them again in advertisements across different websites.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s fairly obvious as to why this technique can be so effective. With only two percent of web traffic converting on the first visit, ad retargeting works to increase the overall conversion rate by reminding consumers of the product or service they viewed. This keeps the brand and the product at the top of the consumer’s mind. There are even psychological studies that have shown that simple exposure to brand names and logos creates familiarity, which builds trust and makes consumers more likely to make a purchase.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even if there’s no immediate purchase, this can really pay off in the long run. Due to the success that many marketers have had with ad retargeting, we feel this marketing strategy will become more mainstream in 2014.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Source: DXM Marketing Group</span>www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-90153765868206644782013-12-06T08:55:00.000-08:002013-12-06T08:57:13.450-08:00<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If Direct Mail Is Dying, It's Sure Taking Its Time About It</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: Forbes, Lois Geller</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking Its Time About It<!-- Make individual group author appear --> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a record year for catalogs jamming my mailbox. It’s great.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do they do it in this era of ecommerce?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of reasons, but the short version is that <strong>direct mail, catalogs in particular, work</strong>. They’re profitable and <strong>they bring in revenue the companies</strong> can’t touch with electronic marketing alone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The enduring power of direct mail is connected to two often overlooked societal phenomena:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. The mail is often the only reliable way to reach reasonably affluent males.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i>synergy</i> is overused but it fits here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our creative director, who gets a lot of print catalogs, orders by phone and calls around 10 at night.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which companies are sending out catalogs these days? All the traditional ones you’d expect like </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harry & David</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the fruit people, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hammacher Schlemmer</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smithsonian</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">National Geographic</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tiffany’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Art Institute of Chicago</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Met</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and so on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catalogs have always struck me as direct-mail-written-large. They’re expensive to produce and mail so they have to be carefully targeted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The catalogers adhere to the basic rules of direct mail, one of the most important of which is <strong>ALWAYS HAVE A UNIQUE OFFER and make it clear</strong>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically, everything in a marketing communication but especially in direct mail has to answer one question right away: <i>What’s In It For Me?</i> If the answer is clear, the prospect starts to get interested and look around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s quite a different process from, say, a customer at a retail store like </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best Buy</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> who walks in with a specific purchase in mind.<br /><!--donotpaginate--><br /><strong>The great catalogers test all the time</strong>: 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 </span><a class="exit_trigger_set" href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/loisgeller/2012/08/03/the-ridiculously-inexpensive-magic-of-direct-mail-letters/" target="_blank" title="The Ridiculously Inexpensive Magic Of Direct Mail Letters!"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Ridiculously Inexpensive Magic of Direct Mail Letters</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for more about this.)</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Price offers</strong> 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.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Flex-Pay</strong>. When QVC offers easy payment terms, they feature the monthly payment. Very popular.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Samples</strong> 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.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Early Bird Offers</strong> 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.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Deluxe version</strong> of whatever you usually sell. We’re offering one at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kickstarter.com for our dog book</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Sometimes the deluxe version can also be a free upgrade gift.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Online marketing is a terrific force and it will grow, even as states and cities force marketers to charge sales tax.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 “<em>now</em>” but it is highly effective and very profitable.</span></div>
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www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-45254028035008299182013-12-06T07:39:00.000-08:002013-12-06T07:39:11.951-08:00<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Sen. Baldwin says bulk mailing rate amendment will help printing firms</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial;">Source: The Business Journal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baldwin’s amendment strikes a section of the bill that would allow rates to be increased beyond the rate of inflation for bulk mailers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“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.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">USPS</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by providing more mail to deliver.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More than 600 companies, retailers, nonprofits, newspapers and other organizations around the country support the amendment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bill is still in committee, Baldwin said.</span>www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-85544690727669830422013-11-01T07:31:00.001-07:002013-11-01T07:31:46.176-07:00<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>THINK BIG!!! GET YOUR BRAND OR BUSINESS NOTICED!!!</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">creative ways</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to use large-format printing:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">banners</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">removable vinyl wall graphics & murals</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">car wraps</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">event signage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">posters</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">floor graphics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">window clings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mounted trade show displays</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sale announcements or information</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">directional signage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">product exhibits</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">decorative designs and murals to compliment your brand</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywOzxGXtpDwSBrzFXEKQV0HMU-ld06WURs2pzPUzeZZxut8fATTWnWtWIU5GAAPeTSbjHQTRyRp8RtT7fxeVQSYA8zl_GnLXiVm6LMXGO3IJ9u0capmmIBw2p74SBypEv6z-iJ6CEg_s/s1600/DXM+truck+on+road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywOzxGXtpDwSBrzFXEKQV0HMU-ld06WURs2pzPUzeZZxut8fATTWnWtWIU5GAAPeTSbjHQTRyRp8RtT7fxeVQSYA8zl_GnLXiVm6LMXGO3IJ9u0capmmIBw2p74SBypEv6z-iJ6CEg_s/s320/DXM+truck+on+road.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-72067740246466858082013-09-05T08:19:00.000-07:002013-09-05T08:19:20.601-07:00
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">DIRECT MAIL IS KING AGAIN!!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN;">An effective direct
marketing campaign is like composing a great song and direct mail is the king
in lead generation.</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> </span></strong></o:p></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-41024386843544409132013-08-23T10:36:00.002-07:002013-08-23T10:36:58.525-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Creating A Brochure: Design Importance</span></h2>
<div class="entry">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Substance might be more important than style in many things but every good marketer knows that </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">brochure design</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting a Sneak Peak with your Brochure Design</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting it Right with Brochure Design</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sell It!</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Source: Print Marketing Inc.</span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-65532916511855107682013-07-30T13:18:00.004-07:002013-07-30T13:18:48.561-07:00<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Top 5 Trends in Direct Marketing</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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! </span>www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-71205219175944183112013-07-15T05:29:00.001-07:002013-07-15T05:29:55.576-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Hey! Where’s Direct Mail in This Survey List?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heidi Tolliver-Walker</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> on July 13th, 2013 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="entry">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I clicked through, and the data from was Experian (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Digital Marketing Report 2013</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). 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 . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey researchers, let’s not forget about one of the most powerful tools marketers have!</span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-48257913298577969762013-06-27T09:17:00.000-07:002013-06-27T09:17:33.373-07:00<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Interactive Storefront Let's You Redefine Window Shopping</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">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 <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">social media</span> or email.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">This <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">isn't the first
time</span> 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.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjWAEwaK1jK3uyYBBg-IVVaBYcPSIwIQgqS0Nnp8GT7PD98CkusVWd6kUK3Gch7lBakkPFcsT13hPyv5T9J-wzge__GnULL4Zbk2ZBtxD2iJCXZZHuMudZhSaSGW51Gcrpp5pgQjH7x4/s749/sms-630-interactive-storefront-adidas-630w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjWAEwaK1jK3uyYBBg-IVVaBYcPSIwIQgqS0Nnp8GT7PD98CkusVWd6kUK3Gch7lBakkPFcsT13hPyv5T9J-wzge__GnULL4Zbk2ZBtxD2iJCXZZHuMudZhSaSGW51Gcrpp5pgQjH7x4/s400/sms-630-interactive-storefront-adidas-630w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-30328075006719955632013-05-22T06:54:00.000-07:002013-05-22T06:54:31.339-07:00<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Trade Show Planning: Plan B</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your
spiffy display wasn’t delivered to the venue or assembled<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your
technology isn’t working properly or you’re missing essential components<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You
have less room than you expected<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your
partner unexpectedly ditches you<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You
forgot to bring the sales guy basics<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There’s no doubt that events like these things can make your
life difficult. But don’t despair, because you’ve planned ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-24463295699275900372013-04-22T07:57:00.001-07:002013-04-22T08:02:35.681-07:00<strong><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">SMARTER DIRECT MAIL:</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">ADVANCES IN PRINT BOOST ROI</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So where is the next realm of postal efficiency and savings going to come from? </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been seeing more brands incorporating digital print - also known as print on demand - in their communication and marketing mix. Here's why:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Increased customization</strong> 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. </span></li>
<br />
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Time and cost savings</strong> 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.</span> </li>
<br />
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Deeper postal discounts </strong>thanks to electronic, automated mail piece commingling that is done <em>prior </em>to printing. </span></span></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Decreased time to market </strong>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.</span> </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
The bottom line is that the latest digital presses allow rapid-response, highly targeted, personalized mail campaigns without the penalty of higher postage.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charley Howard, Harte Hanks</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-39554299478907564262013-03-29T09:07:00.000-07:002013-03-29T09:07:59.160-07:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 15.0pt;">
<b><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 18pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: #c00000; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial;">4 DesignTips
for Mobile Email Marketing</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">1. Design for Your Audience</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">2. Design for Touch</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">3. Design for Legibility</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Consider these factors to ensure your message is legible:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 39pt 6pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Contrast</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">: 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 39pt 6pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Text size: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 39pt 6pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Imagery: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 39pt 6pt 0.75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Layout: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">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<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #5e6a71; font-size: 11pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: Arial;">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter">
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0">
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1">
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2">
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1">
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2">
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0">
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0">
</v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">4. Design for Reality</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 39pt 6pt 0.75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Keep it simple with
direct content.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 39pt 6pt 0.75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§ </span></span></span>Be incredibly clear the steps for a the call-to-action.</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">§</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Be brutal with your editing. Keep the message short and concise.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">Source:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kyle
Lacey</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-40904376761393678152013-03-22T07:36:00.000-07:002013-05-22T07:08:15.387-07:00<h2 style="text-align: left;">
</h2>
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Marketing: It does not have to be complicated.</span></h2>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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?" <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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>"</i>I am absolutely
positive," she states decisively, flattening her hands on the table for emphasis.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Finally one little boy says "I can do two things ... I can wave my
head ..."<i> </i>while he starts waggling it from side to side, "and
wave my arm ..."<i> </i>It makes me dizzy just to watch him.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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—?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">As AT&T states, "It's not complicated"—so why are so many
marketing efforts such a chocolate mess?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are the 2 marketing rules I always try to live by:</span></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Make It Easy:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> 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).<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Demand Quality:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> 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.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">If you make sure you incorporate those principles into your marketing
workflow, you might be surprised at the difference it can make.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-59953000091838526192013-03-20T08:15:00.001-07:002013-03-20T08:15:40.526-07:00<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Postal Delivery: Which will it be 5 day or 6 day delivery?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">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."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">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 <i>real</i> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">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?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-55852035928787943932013-03-13T05:24:00.000-07:002013-03-13T05:24:08.213-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">How Does Collaborative B2B Decision-making Affect Personalization?</span></h2>
<br />
<div class="entry">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">according to IDC</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, the number of stakeholders for each purchase decision has grown by 40% — from five in 2010 to seven in 2012.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From a digital printing and personalization perspective, the impact of the expanding number of stakeholders could be significant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Source: Digital Nirvana</span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-76266140155532095882013-02-21T13:06:00.001-08:002013-02-21T13:06:29.845-08:00<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How To Put Direct Mail Marketing To Work For Your Business</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In order for a </span><a href="http://www.dxmgp.com/direct-marketing" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">direct mail marketing campaign</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few suggestions to consider:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consider The Newsletter</span></strong></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t Forget Free Offers</span></strong></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Test Different Formats</span></strong></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: Ryan Cote</span>www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-58933860184827334972013-01-31T07:54:00.003-08:002013-01-31T07:54:52.696-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;">5 Ways to Reach
Customers in the Digital Era<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Source: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kamal
Tahir <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="display: none; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hide: all;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">5</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Predictive:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Personalized:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Permission powered:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Peer reviewed:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Proactive:</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Kamal Tahir is senior manager of
product management at </span><a href="http://www.experian.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Experian</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">. </span></span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-82163662795214297352013-01-23T06:05:00.000-08:002013-01-23T06:05:05.091-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;">Educating Your Audience About QR Codes<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 30pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Get your audience over any fear they might
have.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> By providing them information, you are showing that you are
reliable and trustworthy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 30pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Start simple and remember that different
people learn differently.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 30pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t assume you are dumbing things down too
much.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> 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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 30pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Make your videos and blog posts readily
accessible. </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">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.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt 30pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stay on top of QR code news and share with
your audience.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Digital Nirvana<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-28203004698407551732012-11-08T05:37:00.001-08:002012-11-08T05:37:31.445-08:00<h2>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">In Case You Missed It… USPS is Driving Marketers to Make Print
Interactive!</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first time that someone thought to write on a tablet that could be lifted
and hauled rather than writing on a cave wall, print became the ultimate
portable media. Today, mobile media devices such as smartphones and iPads have
become a primary source of portable media from which we can obtain information
and communicate with one another. In fact, the average consumer has three things
with them at all times-car keys, a wallet/purse, and a cell phone.
<br /><br />According to comScore, the U.S. saw a 55% increase in smartphone
subscriptions between 2011 and 2012. There were a total of 98 million smartphone
subscribers during 2012, accounting for over 40% of all U.S. mobile users.
Meanwhile, ScanLife reported that QR code scans increased by 300% between 2010
and 2011. Nellymoser, a Massachusetts-based mobile marketing and technology
company, indicated that QR code usage jumped 617% from January 2011 to December
2011 in the top 100 magazines.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were a total of 98 million smartphone subscribers during 2012,
accounting for over 40% of all U.S. mobile users.</span></blockquote>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The USPS is Driving Mobile Marketing</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On October 29, 2012, the U.S. Postal Service released its promotions calendar
for 2013-offering discounts on first-class and standard mail by integrating mail
with mobile and emerging technologies. There is a clear drive on the part of the
USPS to make print integral to the direct marketing mix by making it
interactive. The 2013 USPS promotions include direct mail mobile coupon and
click-to-call, emerging technology, and mobile buy-it-now. All of these
promotions are pending approval from the Postal Regulatory
Commission.<br /><br /><em><strong>Direct Mail Mobile Coupon and Click-to-Call
Promotion</strong></em><br />This promotion encourages mailers to integrate direct
mail with mobile technology. The USPS is offering business mailers two ways to
participate and achieve greater value in the mail that they create and produce.
To be eligible for a 2% postage discount, mailers can use a mobile barcode or
other technology on their mail pieces, leading the recipient to a digital coupon
or a site that initiates a one-touch phone call on a mobile device. According to
the promotion description, high growth in digital coupons (mobile/online) is
expected to continue as Internet and smartphone adoption increases, consumer
comfort with technology rises, and newspaper circulation declines. This
promotion seeks to drive awareness and increase the value of direct mail coupons
in today's digital world. The physical mail piece must be a coupon. The
promotion runs from March 1 through April 30.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 2013 USPS promotions include direct mail mobile coupon and click-to-call,
emerging technology, and mobile buy-it-now.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Click-to-call is a web-based communication tool in which a person initiates a
phone call by clicking a button, image, or text to connect with another person.
Click-to-call can be initiated by hyperlinks on websites and e-mails or through
any other Internet-connected object including 2D barcodes. This promotion runs
from March 1 through April 30.<br /><br /><em><strong>Emerging Technologies
Promotion</strong></em><br />This promotion is designed to build on the goals of
past mobile barcode promotions and to continue to promote awareness of how
innovative technologies (e.g., near-field communication, augmented reality, and
authentication) can be integrated with a direct mail strategy to enhance the
value of direct mail. This promotion runs from August 1 through September
30.<br /><br /><em><strong>Mobile Buy-it-Now Promotion</strong></em><br />As mobile
technology continues to evolve, the USPS seeks to reinforce direct mail as a
relevant part of the marketing mix and to ensure the long-term value of the
product. This strategy provides substantial advantages and opportunities for
innovation in future years. The USPS is seeking to demonstrate how direct mail
combined with mobile technology can be a convenient method for consumers to do
their holiday shopping. This promotion, which runs from November 1, 2013 through
December 31, 2013, provides business mailers with an up-front 2% postage
discount on standard mail and first-class mail letters, flats, and cards
(presort and automation) that include a two-dimensional (2D) barcode or
print/mobile technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device. The
technology must directly lead the recipient to a mobile-optimized webpage that
allows the recipient to purchase an advertised product through a financial
transaction on the mobile device.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This heavy focus by the USPS provides evidence that integrating print and
mobile technology has a place in the U.S. market. I firmly believe that the
marriage of print, QR codes, and mobile technology are the ultimate in
multi-channel communications. While some are running away from print and putting
all their eggs in the online basket, savvy marketers will consider going offline
and getting their brands in front of the consumers on the street. They will
reach consumers who are unchained from their home computers and connect with
them via signage, packaging, interactive magazines and newspapers, catalogs, and
direct mail. Graphic communications service providers need to understand how to
harness the energy around mobile marketing and make print interactive!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Contributor: Barb Pellow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">November 2012</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-77725277761230640092012-11-02T06:27:00.000-07:002012-11-02T06:27:25.148-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Why Are We Still Talking About Response Rates?</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heidi Tolliver-Walker</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="entry">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been thinking about response rates, and you know what? I’m starting to wonder why we use them. They are in every case study. Every Webinar. Every presentation slide. Yet they don’t really tell us much of anything.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Response rates simply tell us whether the basic marketing elements of the piece are compelling enough to get people to take an initial first step. The respondent makes a phone call. They scan a QR Code. They log into a personalized URL.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If they do, great! But you can have an 80% response rate and the campaign can be a money-loser. Why? Because simply taking the initial action doesn’t necessarily translate into a purchase. If they make the call, scan the code, or log in but don’t actually make a purchase, sign up for the loyalty card, or take the other desired action, the response rate didn’t do you much good at all. That’s why we need to know conversion rates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the same time, you can have a high conversion rate but the campaign still loses money. Why? What is the cost to develop and execute the campaign? How much did it generate? If it costs $2.00 each to send the postcard, but each postcard only generated $1.80 in revenue, you’re going to lose money no matter how high your response rate and conversion rates are. That’s why we should look at metrics like dollars per sale and ROI.</span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-15419029754938893242012-10-18T05:56:00.001-07:002012-10-18T06:00:57.273-07:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;">1:1 Print: One Channel Among Many<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">By
</span><a href="http://thedigitalnirvana.com/author/heiditolliverwalker/" title="Posts by Heidi Tolliver-Walker"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Heidi
Tolliver-Walker</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"> on October 12th, 2012 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">When
we talk about how digital print fits into today’s marketing trends, we often
talk about multi-channel marketing. Increasingly, 1:1 printing doesn’t stand
alone. It works in concert with other channels like email, social media, QR
Codes, social media, and opt-in text messaging.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">But
just how many channels are we talking about? Is one channel enough? How about
two? Or do you need three? It depends, perhaps, on how easy you make it for
your customers to deploy them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">MindFire
has been tracking growth in the use of multi-channel elements by its customers’
end users (marketers) and its data show just how quickly a marketer’s
multi-channel programs can expand when the addition of channels is simplified.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In
2009, Marymount University, which uses the MindFire platform, began using a
multi-channel strategy. Over the next two years, it rapidly expanded its number
of channels used. Because it tracked and monitored each channel, it knew where
its efforts were most effective.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Over
time, it increased its total number of mailers by 15.5%, increased its email
component to nearly 100%, increased its graphics versioning from one version to
six, and added SMS text reminders, personalized QR Codes, and
mobile-optimization.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0in; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 594px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><tbody><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fall
2009</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Fall
2010</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fall
2011</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">23,144
Total Mailers<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 25,928
Total Mailers<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">26,736
Total Mailers<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">50%
w/Email <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 96%
w/Email<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">96%
w/Email<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12,201
In-House Names<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 14,145
In-House Names<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12,635
In-House Names<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">10,943
Outside </span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Names(Postal
Only)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 11,783
Outside Names(Multi-Channel) <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">14,101
Outside Names(Multi-Channel)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1
Direct Mailing<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1
Direct Mailing<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1
Direct Mailing<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2
Email Follow-Ups<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2
Email Follow-Ups<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2
Email Follow-Ups<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4-Page
PURL Microsite<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 4-Page
PURL Microsite<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4-Page
PURL Microsite<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1
Graphics Version<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1
Graphics Version<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6
Graphics Versions<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1
SMS Text Reminder<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1
SMS Text Reminder<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Website
Banner Ads<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Website
Banner Ads<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Personalized
QR Codes<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 2in;" valign="bottom" width="192"></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 153pt;" valign="bottom" width="204"></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td nowrap="" style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; width: 148.5pt;" valign="bottom" width="198"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mobile-optimized
Site<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
</td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What
kind of things did Marymount learn? In its 11 cross-media campaigns with PURLs
between February 2011 – April 2012, it found that . . .</span></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">10% of
people responded after the direct mail launch but before the first email<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">69% of
people who responded did so only after receiving the first email follow-up<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Multi-channel
prospects are 4.5x more responsive than single-channel responders — 1.32%
average single single-channel response rate vs. 5.87% average
multi-channel response rate.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">These
are powerful insights.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">You
don’t get results like these by looking at sales figures at the end of a
campaign or end of a season. You get results like these by monitoring each
channel individually, then wrapping those lessons around to the next campaign.
It’s added time, but as Marymount University clearly discovered, it’s worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-74498341472741333692012-10-05T07:18:00.001-07:002012-10-05T07:18:25.356-07:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="font-size: 24pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;">Critical Insight for QR Code Success<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">By
<span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Barb Pellow and Kaspar Roos</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mobile
technology is ubiquitous on a global scale, and it has become an important
aspect of many consumers’ everyday lives. As a result, awareness and adoption
of mobile barcodes is growing among consumers, marketers, and print service
providers. Quick Response (QR) Codes are the most recognized type of mobile
code due to their prominent use in marketing, advertising, and media. QR Codes
are being used on monthly statements to encourage customers to take action, in
printed real estate magazines to deliver more information, and on retail
packaging for brands that want to engage with consumers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Challenges<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There
are a number of challenges associated with mobile barcode interaction related
to phone functionality and mobile application availability. The <span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Flemish Innovation Center for Graphic
Communication</span> (VIGC) conducted a variety of tests using various QR Code
applications, software packages, and mobile devices. No matter what technology
is being used, delivering a bad experience is detrimental to the recipient. It
also creates a cloud of scrutiny around those companies that are trying to
deliver great experiences to end-users. As a result, QR Codes must be tested on
various devices and operating systems. Proper creation and printing of QR Codes
can help ensure a positive consumer experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Research<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In
concert with the VIGC, InfoTrends recently released a report entitled <i><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">How to Be Successful with QR Codes</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">.<b> </b></span>Key findings from this
in-depth guide included:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">While
there are a variety of mobile barcode technologies on the market today, QR
Codes are most recognized by consumers and the most prominently used by
marketers. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Common
QR Code applications include URLs, geotagging, calendar events, SMS
messages, and vCards. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Close
to 90% of marketers report some level of familiarity with mobile barcodes.
Meanwhile, 24% of marketers are using them today and another 43% have
plans to use them in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Among
consumers who have interacted with QR Codes, the number one issue is poor
print or display quality. The size of the code is also a common complaint.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Some
consumers don’t know how to scan or interact with QR Codes, and this
remains a clear barrier. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There
are a variety of free and paid applications for generating and scanning QR
Codes. Nevertheless, not all software applications work across all QR
Codes or mobile devices. Testing is therefore essential. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Tips and Tricks<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Integrating
mobile technology with print and other media types can deliver an interactive
and engaging experience for consumers while also creating new opportunities for
marketers, advertisers, mobile technology/service providers, and print service
providers.<b> </b>Key recommendations for marketers and service providers are
as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t
forget the fundamentals.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Mobile technology is driving
the next communication revolution due to its increasingly capability,
intimacy, and immediacy. Marketers and advertisers of all types must be
thinking about how to get active in the mobile channel. Many have rushed
into using the newest technologies, only to find out that they didn’t
deliver the expected results. Tie the use of QR Codes back to specific
marketing goals, and don’t forget to stick to the marketing fundamentals.
Great creative, a strong call-to-action, a valuable offer, and a response
mechanism are all required to be successful with integrated mobile
campaigns. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">QR
Codes represent a new services opportunity.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Printers have a unique opportunity to help marketers leverage mobile
technologies that are being integrated with print and other media types.
Print service providers that explore mobile marketing methods will likely
find ways to expand, enhance, and diversify their service offerings. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Follow
best practices.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Quality assurance testing, linking to mobile-friendly
content, adding instructions for interaction, and providing opt-out
options to recipients are just a few best practices that marketers and
advertisers can employ. <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ul>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8147214633758985490.post-20162963783526621772012-10-05T07:14:00.003-07:002012-10-05T07:14:42.825-07:00
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<b><span style="font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;">Five Essential Truths About
Wide-Format Inkjet<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">By
</span></span><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Dan
Marx</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Wide-format
digital printing is the current star of the printing industry. What started
nearly 20 years ago as an upstart technology has become a force to be reckoned
with, bolstering the robust specialty graphics industry and adding strength to
the bottom lines of many commercial printing companies. As an industry
representative for companies that use wide-format inkjet as their primary
imaging technology, I've been witness to a full-blown revolution: a complete
movement away from old-school analog technology. The adoption rate for digital
technology in our industry segment is around 99%. While I've watched this
revolution take place, I've been able to draw out some "essential
truths"-real kernels of wisdom-that can benefit any company looking to
enter wide-format or grow their existing efforts in this area.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1. It's All About the Product<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">When
getting into the wide-format market and making your first or next capital
investment in a piece of equipment, you must first answer an absolutely
critical question: What do you intend to make with the machine? The reason this
question is so important is that the product you produce will ultimately
dictate the equipment you will acquire. A secondary question-before you make
your purchase-is, How do you plan to grow beyond your initial plans? As an
example: If you decide to enter wide-format with a low-cost solution that
allows you to make signs for your customers, and want to branch out into
vehicle graphics or window graphics, will the machine you've purchased print
acceptably for those product areas?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Intended Use Is Essential<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The
wide-format graphics industry, much like the screen-printed graphics industry
that preceded it, is incredibly diverse. Companies in this segment are using
the technology to print or decorate everything from circuit boards to
skateboards, and from silk scarves to wrapped cars. This high diversity in end
products leads us to a wide variety of choices regarding materials and ink sets
as they relate to the desired durability and performance of the printed piece.
Will the piece be displayed indoors or outdoors? In full sun or in a shaded
area? Will it be regularly touched or handled? Each of these questions-and
more-can guide you on your path to specifying the right tools (substrates, ink
type, overlaminate, etc.) for the job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">3. The Printer Is Important, But…<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In
terms of image quality, nearly every wide-format inkjet device on the market is
capable of producing beautiful work, suitable in quality for color-critical
applications such as countertop cosmetics displays. Regardless of the machine
used, a skilled operator (well-versed in color management tools and the RIP
software associated with the printer) can achieve great results, and the
machines are becoming increasingly easy to use. Because of this "relativity"
in print quality, the print itself has become somewhat of a commoditized
product. Luckily, in this industry segment, we're not selling
"print," we're selling products, and that's where differentiation
comes in. The strong opportunities in the wide-format segment come from using
the print in conjunction with wise material choices and the use of finishing
technologies to create a unique product.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Speed Is Relative<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">For
commercial-printing companies accustomed to presses running full bore, inkjet
technology may seem slow. In fact, among some commercial printers, there is a
perception that wide-format inkjet technology is too slow to be profitable. But
speed is relative, and so is price. Not surprisingly, both are relative to each
other. You can pay $30,000 for a small, excellent machine that runs at a
moderate rate of speed, say, 125 square feet per hour. Conversely, you can pay
$3.5 million for the fastest machine currently on the market, which can churn
out quality prints at more than 5,000 square feet per hour. The real question
at play is, How much throughput do you need? Which machine will fulfill the
needs of your wide-format plans, at the quality you expect, in the timeframe
you expect, and allow you to do so profitably (and make your payments on the
machine)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">5. It Requires a Different Approach<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial;">As
commercial printers have changed from fully analog to a mostly, or fully,
digital workflow, they have been forced to change their mindset about the
nature of print. As run lengths got smaller and they began to understand and
implement some of the inherent differences of digital printing technology, they
faced a moment of reinvention. The very same has happened in the wide-format
graphics industry where print was priced based on runs of hundreds or thousands.
In wide-format digital, it is not uncommon to have a run length of one. This is
versioning on an extreme scale-mass customization writ large. Making it
profitable required a new approach, new workflow models, new pricing
structures. It's a whole new industry-really-and one that is robust and ripe
with opportunity for those who find their sweet spot.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
www.dxmgp.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16463983029248443195noreply@blogger.com0