GAMA 27

GRAPHIC ADVISOR

Your logo here

ISSUE TWENTY SEVEN

Hidden Treasures: More ways to make an impression with print

In this issue: Impress with vivid color • Print smart! • Add dimension to mail

MARKETING ADVISOR

Your logo here

ISSUE TWENTY SEVEN

Hidden Treasures: More ways to make an impression with print

In this issue: Impress with vivid color • Print smart! • Add dimension to mail

If you’re utilizing direct mail to deliver your message, consider a study by G.A Wright Marketing that found that the use of high-quality paper and color applications alone can increase your response rates by nearly 50%. Specifically, their study showed

The topic of color

that a four-color promotional mailer printed

seems simple until you find yourself

than a 40% higher response rate than an

in charge of a print campaign

identical three-color version printed on a

with thousands of Pantone colors

lighter matte paper stock.

to choose from. That’s when you

Boost Results and Make a Vivid Impression with Color

on a heavy gloss paper stock had more

The cost of custom color matching is a

realize that color selection requires

minor investment in a powerful resource.

specific knowledge, context,

Colors summon emotions and create

and imagination.

connections with the people surrounding

Experienced marketers know that color

your brand. Unfortunately for marketers,

sells—increasing brand recognition,

reactions can be quite subjective. Warm

improving readership and comprehension,

colors such as red, orange, and yellow are

and ultimately motivating consumers

associated with a range of emotions, from

to purchase one product or service

simple optimism and excitement to strong

over another. The United Parcel Service,

violence. Cool colors like green, violet, and

IBM, Home Depot, and Breast Cancer

blue can be calming and nurturing, but can

Awareness are all synonymous with specific

also be impersonal and antiseptic. Select

colors because their creative teams have

colors that will elicit a positive response

gone to great lengths to weave these hues

from your stakeholders, then balance these

into every facet of communication. Some

colors in a visually appealing way.

companies even trademark specific colors

The Color Wheel Using variations of a single color will create a visual effect that is classic and easy on the eyes, but not as vibrant as it could be.

Enrich the scheme by introducing analogous colors, selecting three colors next to each other on the color wheel. Examples include red/ orange/yellow, green/blue/purple, and yellow/yellow-green/green.

Consistently use one shade as the dominant color.

For higher contrast, select a complementary color scheme, choosing colors across the wheel from each other. This works best when you place a warm color against a cool color, such as red and green, blue and orange, or purple and yellow. Any tint can be used. Midnight blue and tangerine or royal purple and gold are effective combinations.

Most any color mix can work as long

as brand assets. Think Tiffany’s robin’s

as you retain harmony and richness in

egg blue.

your presentation and avoid the hues used by your competitors. Test

United Parcel Service

combinations until you find

IBM

the scheme that sends the

Home Depot Breast Cancer Awareness

photos ©dreamstime.com

Tiffany & Co.

message you want associated with your business. Your customers make split-second decisions based on color, so use it to your advantage.

2

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

Print works. It might not twist and

From Print to Smart Print!

data, or personalized printing), marketers can provide the same kind of personalized attention in

online media, but it’s effective. In

direct mail or any other printed piece.

spite of the many predictions that

You can talk to each person by name and

favor of online media—even after

personalize messaging or offers based on what you know about them.

the recession—as the U.S. economy

3. It’s multi-channel.

recovers, marketers are now flocking

Last year, J.C. Penney shocked the

back to print.

marketing world when it announced

It’s Not Yesterday’s Print But if you’ve noticed, it’s not yesterday’s print. Today’s print marketing looks very different from the “spray and pray” method traditionally used in the marketing world. This is smart print.

What makes it smarter?

1. It’s targeted.

Today’s print is being segmented into shorter but more targeted runs. Marketers are segmenting their mailings based on any variety of factors, whether age, interest, ethnicity, or other demographic. They may be marketing the same or similar products to each demographic group, but they are speaking to them on a more targeted basis.

This automatically makes the mailings more effective for very little additional cost.

2. It’s personalized.

We’re living in the “age of me.”

Consumers are used to personalized recommendations online and personalized discounts at the cash register. They have come to expect marketers to cater to them on an individual basis. photos ©dreamstime.com

called 1:1 printing, variable

spin and play interactive games like

print would continue to decline in

If you have noticed your mailbox filling up again, there’s a reason. After a long period of decline, marketers are starting to mail again.

With data-driven print (also

It’s time to smart print: print that is targeted, personalized, and part of a larger multi-channel marketing campaign.

that it would stop printing its “Big Book” catalog in favor of slimmer, more targeted specialty catalogs. And there has been yet another collective marketing gasp as the giant retailer has announced that it will cease printing its specialty catalogs, too.

Multichannel Merchant called the move “nuts.”

In fact, the retailing magazine reports that, after shutting down the Big Book last year, J.C. Penney has admitted that “ceasing [production] hurt total sales more than it had expected in the second quarter of 2010” (MCM, November 2010).

Now the cataloger wants to stop mail order altogether?

Consistently, research shows that print and online media have a symbiotic effect.

When print and online channels (email, social media, Web) are used together, sales go up. When print is dropped in favor of online channels alone, sales go down. This is why print should always be part of any serious marketing strategy.

In September 2010, commercial printing shipments were $7.58 billion, up 3.4% from one year earlier. According to Dr. Joe Webb, director of WhatTheyThink's Economics and Research Center, this continues the consecutive gain in current dollar shipments for six months.

So forget about old print. It’s time to smart print: print that is targeted, personalized, and part of a larger multi-channel marketing campaign. Talk to us about making your print smarter!

4

To that end, there has been a growing trend toward “dimensional” mail. Dimensional

can either be literal (a product sample) or

the promotional message, “Working with us

Here are some general guidelines for dimensional mail campaigns:

mail is also known by the more

is a no-brainer”).

• Be relevant. The lump should

descriptive term “lumpy mail,” indicating that the idea is to provide something a bit more substantial—or “lumpier”—than a flat postcard or letter. The “lump” itself—the object(s) included in the package—is an

will cost more per unit to produce, assemble, and mail than a regular direct

be practical (a product sample) or relate directly to the marketing message. Bewilderment is not the sort of attention you want.

mail campaign, so it’s important to narrow down and target the recipients more carefully. Dimensional mailing campaigns

• Research production and mailing

costs. Return on investment is crucial, and when developing

integral part of the “design” of the

a dimensional mail strategy, be

of something fairly expensive—a long-term

realistic in your expectations. Case

campaign.

consulting contract, an insurance policy, a

studies can provide guidance and

Examples of lumpy mail can include:

real estate transaction, an expensive piece of

useful item bearing the client’s logo

equipment, etc.

Another challenge, especially in this time

• a package containing product samples

of heightened security, is to not frighten a

• candies or other treats or gifts

recipient with an unmarked package, lest

offer an idea of the response rates obtained by the kind of campaign you are considering.

• Consult with the Post Office to ensure that you are not violating regulations or mailing something

it be perceived as containing something

the USPS (or other carrier) would

dangerous. Be sure that recipients are not

deem unshippable, or that you are

symbolically, the campaign’s marketing

in a business (government, for example)

paying more to ship something than

message

that might have concerns with mysterious

accompanying promotional material • a physical object that ties into, perhaps

• basically, any object the designer and client see fit to include The idea is that everyone likes receiving something unique—especially when there

packages. One way around this is to integrate the marketing message on the outside of the envelope or package.

Be sure to check with us if you have any

you should. Your campaign should be postally economical.

• Test your campaign by mailing test samples to yourself or to colleagues to gauge the impact and condition of the package. Does it

is an appealing gift in the box aside from

questions about producing, assembling, or

get wedged into a small mailbox

something promotional. This increases the

shipping a lumpy mail campaign.

and mutilated? Does it survive the

likelihood that the recipient will not only

mail stream at all?

open the package but also respond to the

• Track and measure the results.

package’s message. The nature of the lump

Establish a realistic benchmark for success.

• Be creative!

Obviously, a dimensional campaign will cost more per unit to produce, assemble, and mail than a regular direct mail campaign, so it’s important photos ©dreamstime.com

t fin e g ct at are y h s l s l T a a ttr glo ted — a , n n i g o to pr tin ati a z n i i the l p l a pr he on rom ters s f o r t pe ut rke ed o a to n d g e M i n v . s sta mail ha de et s e r g c e . to pie the sign g f ed n c e o i i t t ot ir d va n res e o es th nn g i d a e an ess nu i m t n g co tin e rk a m

Obviously, a dimensional campaign

are best suited for trying to generate sales

• an envelope containing a pen or other

w e N n l a sio i d Ad imen ct Ma l is ai D ire m lor ct D o e r C i to oal of d ention. ishes,

symbolic (say, a foam rubber brain, tied into

to narrow down and target the recipients more carefully.

6

MARKETING ADVISOR

MAILING INFO HERE

Printer Name Phasellus porttitor elit In hac habitasse platea Donec tempor nonummy

QR CODE FPO Need a QR code?

Call Great Reach Communications at 978-332-5555

About Us

About This Issue

One or two small paragraphs about

Programs used: InDesign CS Illustrator CS Photoshop CS

you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

Paper used: What paper did you use to print this issue?

Ink used: What kind of ink did you use to print this issue?

Coating used: What kind of coating did you use to print this issue?

Computers used: iMac Press used: What kind of press did you use to print this issue?

Bindery used: What kind of bindery did you use to print this issue?

GRAPHIC ADVISOR

MAILING INFO HERE

Printer Name Phasellus porttitor elit In hac habitasse platea Donec tempor nonummy

QR CODE FPO Need a QR code?

Call Great Reach Communications at 978-332-5555

About Us

About This Issue

One or two small paragraphs about

Programs used: InDesign CS Illustrator CS Photoshop CS

you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company. One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

One or two small paragraphs about you and your company.

Paper used: What paper did you use to print this issue?

Ink used: What kind of ink did you use to print this issue?

Coating used: What kind of coating did you use to print this issue?

Computers used: iMac Press used: What kind of press did you use to print this issue?

Bindery used: What kind of bindery did you use to print this issue?

One of the biggest

Putting Data to Work

Places Where Data Hides

misconceptions about 1:1

Pellow suggests three ways you can put

Before you can leverage data, you have to

(personalized) printing is that

your data to work right away:

find it. Where is your data hiding? In more

marketers don’t have the data to

• Resuscitate a dormant customer

places than you might think. Here are some

drive it. This might be true in some

relationship. If a retail customer hasn’t

places to start:

cases, but it also can be more

ordered from you in a period of time,

• Transactional data (both brick-and-

perception than reality.

send him a personalized postcard with a

Often, marketers have more data than

: g n i t e k n r a a h M T e er k s i a n s i b a h a E T t a s ’ D It You

they realize. Maybe their data is not in great shape. Maybe they don’t know how

coupon encouraging him to come back into the store.

• Proactively cross sell and upsell. If

mortar and from the online store) • Web contact forms • Customer care (found in your CRM system)

to access it. Maybe the data preparation

you are an auto dealer and know a

process seems too overwhelming. Whatever

customer’s lease is about to expire on a

the reason, marketers can have trouble

Toyota Corolla, send her a personalized

getting started.

brochure trying to upgrade her to a

• Responses to e-mail campaigns

Toyota Camry.

• Trade shows/events (get those “card

The first step is understanding that finding, accessing and preparing your data

• Create continuity of purchases through

• Business reply cards • SMS/cell phone marketing contacts

swipe” responses back into your system

are all worth the effort. In a What They

a loyalty program. If you are a local

after post-show follow-up)

Think Webinar, Barbara A. Pellow, group

winery, before visitors leave following a

• Customer and prospect surveys

director for InfoTrends, observed:

facility tour, ask them to sign up for a

The business market today is changing

wine club. Try to obtain birthdates and

rapidly. Those who properly understand

anniversaries of their family and friends

how, what and why customers make

so you can use the information to trigger

purchases, and those [marketers] who

personalized reminders for gifts for

influence buying decisions with highly

special occasions later.

targeted marketing efforts, are those who will come out on top. . . The ultimate goal is to identify the best prospects and use strategic direct marketing campaigns to

Any good database house can combine these elements into a comprehensive marketing tool. If you require additional data, you can append it with external sources, such as lists from Acxiom, Experian or InfoUSA to get a more holistic picture of your audience.

Need help with the process? Give us a call and ask!

photos ©dreamstime.com

cross sell, upsell and resell.

10