Connect Dec 2012/Jan 2013

December 2012 / January 2013

Brains vs.

Brawn How thought leadership can build market share

INSIDE Marketing Insights | 4

Sell Benefits, Not Features | 14

Brains vs. Brawn | 6

Blend On and Offline Media For Optimum Results | 15

New Day | 10

publisher ’s letter

Seeking the Highest Return

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C

onsider the idea that money always finds the highest return. For example, investors always decide to put their money where it will generate the most cash. The wealthiest people in the world typically end up with more money. And companies usually keep the employees who provide the most return on effort. In other words, a dollar that finds itself in an unprofitable business eventually will find a home where profit exists. Subsequently, profitable brands are popular brands.

Brands that are not popular have lost chemistry with the marketplace. Complacency, a lack of intimacy and innovation all lead to the dilution of brands. In turn, great brands stand the test of time by engaging their right brains and working tirelessly to deliver value to the world. Great employees do the same. They realize that wealth and security come from productivity and ingenuity.

Great marketers understand you cannot rest on your laurels. They realize that market share is no longer a sustainable strategy by itself. There is no such thing as “too big to fail” anymore. Healthy companies derive their profit from being attuned to their client bases. They are part of their communities and, in some small part, define their communities. It is not enough to be known by name alone.

Consumers want to get a feel for whom the brand represents and the values the brand carries. Making people feel differently and think differently is at the core of great brands. Marrying market leadership with thought leadership is a powerful plan.

More important, it is a profitable plan.

Welcome to our final issue of 2012. We already have an amazing lineup of content scheduled for 2013. We have had lots of fun with content this year and believe that thought leadership is a powerful tool in the new landscape. In our cover

Publisher Gina M. Danner Managing Editors Rosanne Kirn Chris Lakin Art Direction Brent Cashman • Creative Director Jaime Mack • Graphic Designer Connect is published bimonthly by Mail Print 8300 NE Underground Dr, Pillar 122 Kansas City, MO 64161 copyright 2012 All rights reserved

clients. That’s why developing a meaningful brand depends on understanding the changing needs of those clients.

Profitable companies are a derivative of powerful brands. Powerful brands are a derivative of passionate and disciplined people. Don’t believe us? Just follow the money.

Great marketers understand you cannot rest on your laurels. They realize that market share is no longer a sustainable strategy by itself.

Warmest regards,

Gina M. Danner

article, “Brains vs. Brawn,” we detail the differences and synergies between market share and thought leadership. You can draw your own conclusions.

Our second feature, “The New Day,” attempts to define the new landscape within which marketers are operating. All great marketers want to get a feel for the multiple generations that are playing a role in our economy and how they may buy, view work or spend their time. Marketing is at the core of your relationship with your

Contents 3

Publisher’s Letter

10 New Day

4

Marketing Insights

14 Sell Benefits, Not Features

6

Brains vs. Brawn

15 B lend On and Offline Media For Optimum Results

For more information contact www.mailprint.com 866.938.3607

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

4

Marketing Insights

How do you read your emails?

27.4% to 36% The increase in number of emails opened on a smartphone or tablet.

• 80% of participants cited data driven messages as being an important practice for 2012.

Source: Printing Impression

• Personalized Printing/ Marketing has grown by at least 6% across all channels and industries.

Source: Direct Marketing IQ

• 46% The increased use of Variable Data Printing from 2009 – 2011.

Source: Direct Marketing IQ

•

31% The predicted

increase of Direct Mail spend from 2012 to 2016.

Source: DMA 2011-12 Edition, The Power of Direct Marketing

December 2012/January 2013 • Connect by Mail Print

What’s in a QR Code?

Funny you should ask…

Unless you’re looking for them, there’s a chance that you may have overlooked these small squares filled with seemingly-random black and white pixels. However, QR codes represent a lifeline for direct marketers looking to connect with an increasingly mobile, online audience.

What Are QR Codes?

In short, a QR code is a two-dimensional (2D) or “matrix” barcode containing data that can be read by scanners and mobile “smart” phones with cameras.

Some quick facts about QR Code technology:

Attribution: Richard Wheeler (Zephyris) on Wikipedia.

• QR Codes have a higher data capacity than other barcodes.

• QR Codes are often used to convey tracking information, urls, text, and other data.

• QR Code technology is public-domain, leading to many innovative uses.

• QR Codes are one of more than forty 2D barcode types, however today they are the most common for consumer uses.

The amount, in billions, that retailers will spend on local digital advertising in 2013, according to a BIA/Kelsey report.

The amount will account for 11.2 percent of total local ad spending. The report found that the automotive, general services, restaurant and financial sectors will each account for more than $2 billion in local online campaigns.

Marketing Insights

ways to measure your content marketing success So your website has all this great content. But do you know if it is reaching anyone? The best way to approach any creative, analytical or research task is to ask a series of questions that are organized into key categories. The process will help you pinpoint the areas of your content strategy that are working well, and those that are not. To help out, author and marketing coach Roger C. Parker offers seven ways to measure your content marketing success. For more on this topic, visit the Content Marketing Institute at www.contentmarketinginstitute.com.

1. Consistency – Because your content marketing projects a professional image, and builds comfort, familiarity and trust, it requires consistency and predictability. Rate how consistently you share your content to attract new prospects, and retain existing clients and customers.

Remember: Consistency boils down to the existence of a detailed schedule (think editorial calendar) and your ability to keep it current.

2. Relevance – Rate your content’s ability to help your market solve its most pressing problems and achieve its most important goals. To answer this question, review your reader website visitors’ personas and compare them to benchmark metrics like comments, re-tweets, “likes,” referrals, landing page visits and conversions.

3. Style – This is a measure of your tone or ability to provide helpful, relevant information in an authoritative, yet conversational way. One of the best ways to engage your markets’ interest is to use stories to which your audience can relate to. This provides a context for the information you’re sharing.

4. Efficiency – Being efficient eliminates the needless frustration, stress and burnout caused by constantly struggling to meet deadlines. Efficiency measures your organization’s ability to choose topics, delegate responsibilities, produce and edit/obtain approval for each topic in a timely manner. Signs of trouble include an undue emphasis on meeting deadlines, frequent last-minute meetings, multiple phases of rewriting and ruffled feathers all around. The goal is to create a process that resembles a well-oiled machine.

5. Influence – This is a measure of the cumulative impact of your individual content marketing projects.

Although the metrics associated with individual projects (articles, blog posts, events, etc.) may change, influence refers to the long-range view of your firm, relative to its competitors. As with efficiency, your firm’s influence should reflect continuing improvement each month.

reports, research projects or white papers. Ideally, individual content marketing projects should be viewed as building blocks that can be repackaged and used as elements in future major projects or new business initiatives.

7. Challenge – Avoid complacency. Content marketing never should become so routined that your staff fails to challenge themselves by addressing new topics and ideas. Predictability can be deadening. If your staff is bored because your content constantly readdresses the same topics, just think how your audience feels.

5

That’s what he said … “ Social media is just one traffic source. It can be very targeted, but it is also usually something that works better at the top of the funnel to solidify your reputation, and help in the product-research stage. Social media is the hot new thing right now, but conversion rate optimization is the gift that keeps on giving.”

– Tim Ash, CEO of SiteTuners, on understanding the power and promise of social media

6. Goals – Your content marketing should support both short-term and longterm goals. An overemphasis on deadlines and specific projects can get in the way of completing major projects, such as premium books, major

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Brains vs.

Brawn H

By Michael J. Pallerino

e called it the “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.” And during the 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco, Douglas Engelbart introduced his prototype to the world. Using a totally primitive 192 kilobyte mainframe computer located 25 miles away, Engelbart astounded attendees with how he was able to control everything on the screen with the touch of, well, a mouse – the name the device eventually would embrace.

The interactive, user-friendly information access systems that Engelbart unveiled during the conference would forever change the computing world. The mouse. Windows. Shared-screen teleconferencing. Hypermedia. GroupWare.

While seemingly light years ahead of his time, Engelbart was a thought leader before thought leader was the term we affixed to people who incite change.

Joel Kurtzman, now with the Milken Institute, coined that term and

the definition for a thought leader in 1994 as a theme for a series of interviews he conducted as editor-in-chief of Strategy + Business magazine. Kurtzman defined this person as someone who had ideas “that merited attention.”

“Thought leaders have a critical advantage, because if they’re guiding the discussion in their industry, people are obviously drawn to them,” says strategy consultant and author Dorie Clark. “But you also have to have a solid strategy to

How thought leadership can build market share

December 2012/January 2013 • Connect by Mail Print

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Content is a game changer for thought leadership positioning of a company or organization. Brands now are able to communicate directly to their customers.

– Lori Rosen, Executive Director, Custom Content Council

steps to o w ning thought leadership Former presidential campaign spokesperson and branding expert Dorie Clark knows a thing or two about how thought leadership is created through exciting and relevant content. Here are her five tips for branding yourself as a leader.

1 3

Start a blog

Start a video blog

It’s the easiest way to demonstrate clear expertise.

Video is prioritized by search engines (and as broadband has become ubiquitous, customers often prefer it).

2

Create a schedule Content creation often slips, as more urgent business needs take over your day. Build a schedule to make it happen.

Leverage Twitter It’s a great way to publicly acknowledge your customers, colleagues, and other stakeholders by sharing their content or giving shout-outs.

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5

Make it the responsibility of everyone in your company

Sure, it’s great to have a “voice” for your Twitter account. But you should get everyone involved in one way or another. For example, film a fun video about what it’s like to work in your warehouse, showing off exactly how efficient the company is and how customers can expect overnight delivery.

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

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Brains vs. Brawn

How to become a market leader The late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, holds that rare air of being both a thought leader and market leader. The secret to his success is no secret at all. When asked how a brand can own its market, he offered three simple steps.

Step No. 1:

Own and control the relevant technology in whatever market you serve, either patents or other proprietary protections

Step No. 2:

Immediately adopt and implement better technologies whenever they become available, regardless of whether another organization currently is using them

Step No. 3:

Be the first to use a technology or create a category for a product; then, make it an industry standard

monetize and harness the potential for growth.

To bring it to the level of an individual, you can be the smartest tech blogger in the world, with a huge readership, but unless you can figure out how to translate that into income (advertising on your site, speeches at conferences, a book deal, etc.), you’ll stay poor. The same goes for companies that are thought leaders in their industries. Apple is the extremely obvious one, for elevating their ethos of design excellence.”

Perhaps few individuals lived this out more than Steve Jobs, who became an example of what is was like to be a thought leader in everything he did. It was no secret: Steve Jobs wanted to change the world. That he did it on such a grand scale is what history will continue to record. Channeling the words of Wayne Gretsky, Jobs once likened his vision for Apple to the hockey legend’s vision on the ice: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

Evidence of Jobs’ thought leadership is apparent in the many products he helped pioneer, from the Mac, to the iPod and iTunes. Revolutionary and standard setting – that is where his thought leadership mojo pushed him to be.

Jobs understood long before we did how important “devices” would be to our future. Staying two steps ahead of the curve transformed Apple into a market leader, eventually setting the foundation for brands such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and the list goes on.

As the CEO of Clark Strategic Communications, Dorie Clark has helped companies such as Google, the Ford Foundation, Yale University and the National Park Services enhance their reputations as industry leaders. The former presidential campaign spokesperson understands the lines between what makes a market leader and thought leader. “A market leader is the ‘big fish’ in an industry, leading in sales or overall size.

I’d define a thought leader as a person or company that is setting the tenor of debate: What’s important? What’s innovative? Where’s the edge?

That’s what the thought leader contributes.”

Clark says that, while market leaders may also be thought leaders, it is not always the case.

“As the theory of disruptive innovation suggests, it’s easy for big, established companies to get languid and complacent, and that gets them supplanted. Real thought leaders create high-quality, useful content on a regular basis. Whether it’s blogs, podcasts or a great, curated Twitter feed,

December 2012/January 2013 • Connect by Mail Print

they pinpoint key issues and developments in their field and help others see the future.”

Taking the bulls by the horns

Branded as a thought leader in your industry is a major step toward increased credibility for your business and its products/services. It also can help you stand out from your competitors.

Are you more likely to trust and purchase from a company whose leaders are recognized as industry experts or from one whose leaders you know nothing about?

Lori Rosen believes the strongest attribute your company or brand can have is being considered a market leader or thought leader, preferably both. Rosen, founder and president of The Rosen Group, a Manhattan-based public relations firm, also is the managing partner of Swiss eTailer Blacksocks U.S., and executive director of the Custom Content Council.

“In today’s competitive landscape, you need to be a market leader and a thought leader,” Rosen says. “Some of the most successful brands today – Google, Apple, Nike, Wal-mart, Microsoft, Facebook, Coca Cola, McDonald’s – are all market leaders, and in varying degrees, and for better or worse, thought leaders. I believe that thought leaders and market leaders are becoming more and more one in the same.”

Rosen believes that, to be successful and to create long-term capital and value for your company, you must be both. “Thought leader companies have gravitas; they are viewed as more substantial; they are perceived as bringing more than just a product; but ideas, substance and several layers. They are more human and, as a result, they are able to bring an emotional element to the company, which has intangible benefits.”

All about the content…

In an ever-revolving marketing landscape, ideas of substance are built on the information a company and/or brand provides – and how often.

“Content is a game changer for thought leadership positioning of a company or organization,” Rosen says. “Brands now are able to communicate directly to their customers through magazines mailed to their homes, online content delivered through email, blogs, video, and of course, social media, which provides additional and varied distribution channels.”

Take BMW, whose eight-part, 10-minute BMW Film series featured actors such as Clive Owen as the “Driver.”

The breakthrough series, started in 2001,

9 Thought leaders have a critical advantage, because if they’re guiding the discussion in their industry, people are obviously drawn to them.

– Dorie Clark, CEO, Clark Strategic Communications

generated headlines around the world for its innovation in branded content. More recently, the Clean Break web series, sponsored by Schick Hydro, gave three men who wanted a break from their routines the chance to get away, reevaluate and recharge their lives on a branded entertainment journey, which featured a trip to Hawaii, where they surfed, dove with the sharks and skydived. The new reality series, which aired on Fuel TV and online, never mentioned or showed a razor, just the branded message: “Presented by Schick Hydro.”

“Today content is pervasive in all forms and the success lies in presenting it in smart, thoughtful and often breakthrough ways that provide engagement with your audience,” Rosen says. “An ideal thought leader is someone who takes the word ‘thought’ seriously. For example, organic food market leader Whole Foods and its CEO John Mackey, which extend its brand beyond stores and into being an advocate of healthy living. Founder and CEO of Zappos Tony Hsieh was an early adopter of Twitter and a market leader in the ecommerce world.

He was able to communicate the company’s positioning, underscoring its generous return policy, through lots of tweets and subsequent speeches and interviews.”

Clark says the strategy to extend your brand into a market leader and thought leader is critical in today’s evolving marketing landscape.

“As mainstream media has fragmented and declined (you can’t count on everyone at work having watched the same sitcom and seen the same TV ads the night before), you have to attract attention based on providing truly interesting, valuable information. People are no longer willing to be bombarded with ads – they choose what they seek out. And as a company or an individual, your success is predicated on becoming the source they choose.”

Joe Pulizzi is a leading author, speaker and strategist for content marketing. As founder of the Content Marketing Institute, he has become an evangelist for doing content marketing the right way. From where he sits, being a market leader refers to a company being the leader in overall sales/revenue for its particular market. A thought leader is a firm or individual who is moving the market in certain directions from an attention standpoint, not necessarily revenue.

Who will be the winners on the new landscape? “I believe that those companies who best capture the attention of the market from the information they develop and distribute position themselves for the best chance to capture revenue,” Pulizzi says. “Still, even though thought leaders have a better opportunity at market leadership, it all comes down to product selection and execution. The market leaders who don’t put the processes in place to become thought leaders may lose their leadership position.”

Your five-step plan to great content Joe Pulizzi, author, speaker and founder of the Content Marketing Institute, believes that great, consistent content is the key to branding yourself as a thought leader in your marketplace.

Here is his five-step plan to great content.

Clearly define your target audience Define what their pain points are as they relate to the products or services you offer Create your content strategy by sharing with your customers information that’s not about your products and services and will solve their pain points Develop relationships with key influencers in your industry to help distribute your content I ntegrate your content into all of your marketing and continually listen to customer feedback; then repeat

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In the new marketing landscape, marketers are creating content that potential customers want to read or watch in and of itself. – Daniel Burstein, Director of Editorial Content, MECLABS

December 2012/January 2013 • Connect by Mail Print

11

New Day

By Graham Garrison

How companies and organizations can adjust to the new realities of marketing, branding and their own workforces

T

he pie is the same, but the slices are different.

“As a marketer, you used to have your pie list – PR, advertising and maybe digital marketing, events or direct mail,” says Drew Davis, author of the book “Brandscaping.” “You had five or six big slices that you focused your energy and effort on. What’s happened today is that the pie is ever-more sliced. Now you’re focusing on social media, video and LinkedIn strategies. On top of that, you’re trying to master SEO and SEM, update your website, etc. You’re essentially overwhelmed. Vendors and service providers are offering you services you think you might need toward the activity of the day. You feel

like you should be doing that you think you’re missing out on.”

Davis says there is a deep desire to simplify, and that’s what people have to look toward in the future: “Build a better framework of understanding of what our marketing efforts are and then what tactics might flow out of those.”

In short, take a deep breath and evaluate. What are the new realities for marketers, branding and the people who put the initiatives in place? We spoke to several experts to get a handle on the new landscape and how companies and individuals can adapt successfully.

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

12

New Day

Branding

With the explosion of social media platforms, customers recognize and engage with a company’s brand like never before. But how should companies position themselves, and communicate, with their brands? Davis says the confusion over branding involves the mix of corporate brands with the brands of employees/personnel who may have their own audiences.

“How do I leverage both to the greatest efficiency?” Davis asks. “It’s one thing to have a digital strategy that’s based around your corporate brand, but it’s hard to have a social interaction around your corporate brand.”

Davis says what ends up being successful are social interactions within the brand. “If you’re the CMO of GE, and you’re on Twitter, you can build a huge audience of people who respect what you’re doing. It’s hard to get a relationship with a logo-type GE on Twitter or Facebook.

I think there is a real conflict there that people are struggling with. It’s one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the digital space. Everyone today has an audience – that’s your employees, partners, and vendors. All the people who work at those institutions have audiences of their own on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. The more you can message those personal brands to build real relationships, the more successful your business will be.”

Relying on the ‘old’ way of interacting with customers because ‘that’s what’s made me successful’ will likely drive many Millennials away.

– Thomas DeCarlo, Ph.D., Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Business

Marketing

The old marketing strategy was almost apologetic in its attempt to gain attention. That’s changing, says Daniel Burstein, director of editorial content, MECLABS, an independent research lab focused exclusively on marketing and sales. “The biggest shift I’ve seen in the marketing landscape is from interruption-based marketing to inbound marketing built around quality content.”

Interruption-based marketing involved the traditional practice of latching onto someone else’s quality content, he says. “So, for example, I read The Wall Street Journal every morning,

and on page 3 of the newspaper every day there is an ad for Tiffany & Co. Now, I’m not reading the WSJ to learn about a really nice pair of diamond earrings, but Tiffany hopes they can interrupt my interaction with the newspaper long enough to get my business.

“In the new marketing landscape, marketers are creating content that potential customers want to read or watch in and of itself,” he continues. “You see this on blogs, videos, social media, etc. Customers are coming to you, hence the term inbound, because they want to hear what you have to say.”

December 2012/January 2013 • Connect by Mail Print

Burstein says a need for that interruptionbased marketing will always exist, because it is hard to get customers to come to your content.

But that interruption-based marketing might be better used to promote something of value to potential customers that invites customers into your content, he says. “For example, instead of showing an ad with diamond earrings and a price, what if Tiffany was promoting a diamondearring buying guide on their website to me?

‘Learn from our 175 years of experience crafting legendary diamonds.’ I might be much more likely to engage with them.”

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People

Success also lies in how companies communicate with their own personnel – usually a mix of Baby Boomers, Generation X, and increasingly more Millennials (also known as Gen-Y). The younger workers deploying these new strategies will require different motivations, says Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Millennial Branding, and author of the best selling book, “Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future.”

Millennials aren’t driven as much by money like older generations, Schawbel says. They want to make an impact on society and feel like they are making a difference. Research shows that they would choose that over a higher salary.

“Managers who want to motivate Millennials will have to become their career counselors, offering them constant feedback and advice for getting ahead,” Schawbel says. “They will have to trust them with bigger and bigger projects and allow them to become more ‘intrapreneurial.’ They need to show Millennials a clear path forward, or they will leave to work somewhere else or start a company. Managers should also ensure that Millennials are paired together to collaborate on projects, and they are given the ability to pitch new ideas freely without consequences.”

In order to attract the new workforce, companies will have to start acting more like startups if they want to compete against startups for talent, Schawbel says. “I wouldn’t say that 10 years ago, but now it’s true. A million more Millennials enter the workforce each year, and by 2025, 75 percent of the global workforce will be Millennials, so it’s imperative they switch their culture now, before it’s too late. They should allow for more casual work attire, telecommuting, etc.”

Thomas DeCarlo, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Business, and Ben S. Weil Endowed Chair of Industrial Distribution, says companies that embrace technology will be more attractive to the new workforce, and the shift also will have a positive influence on customer communication.

“Because Millennials have grown up using technology and think of it as an extension of how they communicate and how they brand themselves, companies should attempt to immerse new hires into not only using technology in their training programs, but also foster a culture of advancing opportunities for use of technology in new and different ways to grow the business,” DeCarlo says. “Relying on the ‘old’ way of interacting

re o m ter n llio ls en ach i A m nnia rce e 025, lle rkfo y 2 e i M o , b of th d w e n the ar, a cent forc so ye per work nials, y e 75 bal llen h t i e glo e M rative ultur l b pe ir c e l i w im the for e e. t’s tch with i b t tner, , customers i a w l w because s no oo ing Par ‘that’s what’s t Manag ding s ’ made me t i awbel,ial Bran successful’ will likely drive many Millennials away.”

Sch lenn an Mil D –

Solutions

A shifting landscape doesn’t mean a company should abandon its foundation. Davis actually recommends companies focus on the assets they own, rather than the time, space or relationships they rent when developing marketing and branding strategies.

“By that I mean, if you’re creating white papers or video content or podcasts or e-mail newsletters – those are assets that you can own, and then you can use those as leverage to figure out what distribution channels you might use to increase the consumption of those assets,” he says.

“I challenge people to look at their marketing assets, rather than their marketing tactics, and spend more time understanding what they’ve probably got and leverage it to their fullest extent. [I challenge them to find] what they need and where they should fill in some gaps. That seems to be an effective way of getting out of the ‘slice of the pie’ game and focus on the assets you have to be more successful.”

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columnist

Sell Benefits, Not Features

By Martha Guidry

W

hy is developing and launching a new product or service so hard?

It takes time and resources ­– both human and financial – to make it happen. According to various research studies, between 50 percent and 80 percent of new products launched each year fail, costing companies and shareholders billions of dollars. While the concept is not always the only reason a product or service fails, a winning concept is an essential cornerstone for all successful marketing communications.

Without it, you’re simply using resources with little to no productive results in the market.

A concept fundamentally is a representation of an idea for a product or service. With a definition that simple, it might seem surprising that so few professionals can craft a great concept. One of the biggest challenges in creating concepts is making sure the customer is the focus and that it offers a meaningful and relevant benefit. All too often, those developing new ideas sell product features rather than true customer benefits.

Customers buy benefits, not features – so find a benefit with a strong hook.

Two fundamental types of concepts exist: core idea concepts and positioning concepts. Most concepts comprise some elements of each. A core idea concept simply describes the product or service. For the most part, it’s a relatively concise description of what’s being offered to the end buyer. The purpose of a core idea concept is to determine whether the idea is of interest. Typically, a core idea concept doesn’t attempt to sell any benefits to the potential buyer; it simply elaborates on all the key features the product or service offers.

In contrast, a positioning concept attempts to sell the benefits of the product or service to a potential buyer. The positioning concept must tap into real consumer beliefs that provide a relevant context for the product idea. A positioning concept focuses on the rational or emotional benefits a buyer will receive or feel by using the product. Your positioning concept identifies the winning customer approach – the foundation for a communications strategy used to execute your advertising, PR, sales materials, website, Facebook page, etc.

Sell a meaningful customer benefit, and you’ll have a lot more marketplace traction.

You’ll better own a position in the marketplace that can be leveraged through all your communication touch points.

Customers buy benefits, not features – so find a benefit with a strong hook.

December 2012/January 2013 • Connect by Mail Print

Benefits come in several shapes and sizes.

It’s important to find a specific type that best leverages customer needs and perceptions of your brand or company, while still being unique and ownable among your competitors. It generally is easiest to divide your potential benefits into four categories as follows:

• Equity

Derived from the heritage benefit of the brand (i.e., Robitussin® tablets for the same relief you trust in a new form)

•E fficacy

Grounded in formula – or service-based claims (Tylenol® gives you effective pain relief that won’t irritate your stomach)

•E xperience

Based on appealing to the senses of sight, smell and touch (i.e., Use Downy® to get softness and a freshness in your washables)

• Emotion

Based on personal feelings about the process or final outcome (i.e., Send Hallmark® cards when you care enough to send the very best)

Known as the Concept Queen, Martha Guidry is the principal at The Rite Concept, which helps marketers, product developers and market researchers win in the marketplace. To understand more about positioning your products and services within your target market, check out her book, “Marketing Concepts that Win! Save Time, Money and Work Crafting Concepts Right the First Time.” For more information, please visit www.TheRiteConcept.com or www.ConceptTalk.com.

blog.mailprint.com

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Blend On and Offline Media For Optimum Results When it comes to marketing and branding, make sure not to forget the traditional methods that have worked for decades. Some customers still prefer the tactile experience of reading a direct mail postcard or printed piece. The more places you advertise and promote your business to your targeted audiences, the better your exposure and marketing penetration. Here are statistics and brand experts’ thoughts about blending online with traditional offline media.

• C onsumers are 50 percent more likely to buy or use a product when TV ads work together with Internet marketing. Source: ATKearney

• E nhance your print advertising and direct mail campaigns, socially, by using QR Codes® to track how people are getting to your website. By using trackable URLs in social media posts, you can gain a firm idea of user entry points to your website.

• S ocial media marketing and traditional marketing go hand in hand and should be blended, according to D. William Jones, social media enthusiast at Builtitz.com. By using social media exclusively and ignoring traditional media, you risk killing your market reach. 35 percent of US consumers still get their news offline. Advertising, TV, and direct mail are still extremely important and valuable.

• T alk to your customers about how they want to be reached. For some that will be via social media and for others that will be through traditional media. Many nonprofits, such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes, send their volunteers donor receipts through either the mail or email based on preference.

• N early one in five smartphone users makes a purchase after scanning a QR Code®.

Source: Print in the Mix

• W hen consumers were asked about the acceptable channel for marketers to contact them, direct mail is the only channel where an unsolicited message isn’t viewed as inappropriate. In fact, it is preferred. Source: Print in the Mix

• N othing can beat the speed of response with a post on Facebook or Twitter, which makes these social channels ideal for responding to a crisis situation or angry customer. However, nothing beats the credibility and professional recognition of traditional media, which makes it ideal for branding and product believability.

Scan the QR Code to learn about Fellowship of Christian Athletes and how they saved over $25,000 a year by honoring donor receipt preferences.

“Our research into marketing-inspired purchase behavior illustrates that we live in a multi-channel world where brands that can execute campaigns across both mass and direct media will have a distinct advantage over their less coordinated competition. Today’s consumers are cross-channel communicators, and they’re ready to reward those brands that abide by the unique rules that govern each channel.”

– Exact Target, 2012 Channel Preference Survey What channels do you find mix for the best results?

Visit this post on our blog and let us know. http://mprnt.co/channelpreference

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

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8300 ne underground dr pillar 122 kansas city, mo 64161 www.mailprint.com 866.938.3607

ADVANCED VARIABLE DATA PRINTING

NEW INVESTMENT. NEW OPPORTUNITY. Looking for a long-run letter solution with the flexibility to change at a moment’s notice? Are you tired of wasting shell inventory and throwing money down the drain? With Mail Print’s new HP T200 Inkjet Web printing capabilities, we give you great flexibility for testing a variety of messaging formats without breaking your budget.

Every marketer wants to use variable data to test letter copy and layout, but in the past, cost has been prohibitive for longer runs, so you’ve been stuck with printing shell inventory and managing multiple versions of black imprinting. Those days are over.

Printing up to 200 ft. per minute in full color, the HP T200 can handle whatever size project with ease. And with the 100% variable capabilities, every piece can be customized to your recipient without the high costs and creative confinement of shell printing.

So let your imagination run wild and take testing to the extreme by creating a truly unique campaign that allows you to speak in a relevant manner to each individual person on your list.

What does this mean for you?

• Mail to thousands or millions of recipients • Customize and send personalized pieces to each one of these recipients • Segment and test to the extreme within the same production run • Still maintain effective production costs

o learn more about taking T your direct mail to a new level visit www.mailprint.com/t200 or call Mail Print at 866.938.3607 to learn more.