Direct Mail – Here Today - Gone Tomorrow?

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I don’t know about you, but I found 2012 to be a year of great experimentation regarding how we communicate with our marketplace. Growing our top and bottom lines has never been easy, but the more complex our marketing activities become, the more people and resource we have to throw at it. It gets harder and more expensive to get a reasonable return on our marketing investment.

This year has seen us fully integrate Social Media, cross channel communications with on-line and offline media, as well as implement new technologies and creative tools trying to increase the impact of our communications with constituency in order to grow our businesses.

Granted, we have opened up many new doorways to talk to our customers and prospects, but has all of that work yielded incremental top and bottom line growth for you or your clients? Is there a real ROI?

We are all chasing the Holy Grail hoping to get a leg up on the competition and again, I ask if we are really accomplishing that? When other industry participants implement these new technologies what choice do we have but to follow suite? We can’t miss the opportunity to get our share of the prize, can we?

To tell you the truth, I don’t have the answers to those questions, I wish I did, but, there is one thing I do know, all of the changes within our industry have not altered the basic fact that our customers and prospects want to be reached, recognized and understood. One tool that accomplishes this goal, never goes out of style and that consistently performs well is direct mail.

Direct mail that follows the core direct marketing tenants to create highly personalized, relevant and timely messaging has been and will continue to be the basic blocking and tackling tool of the industry.

When all else fails, we can count on direct mail to come through for us.

The effective use of internal and external data, has allowed us to greatly reduce waste and cost through precision targeting. Reaching just those that will truly benefit from our messaging has become a standard skill. Today’s small production runs are becoming just as cost efficient as yesterday’s million-piece jobs and believe me, this will only get better in the future.

In the end, this is a time of challenges, frustrations and new competition. We will continue to see innovation, new channels, and more ways to communicate with our constituencies. As Patrick Brand, President, Pitney Bowes, North America Mailing said in a recent post, “If the actions of market leaders are any indication, this is an exciting time to be in the print and mail industry. Even as we have seen an explosion of digital media—from email and Web, to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter—the unique attributes of direct mail stand apart. Today’s direct mail pioneers are embracing the data-driven, digital capabilities of the online world to deliver a stronger connection on paper that is more dynamic, more welcoming, and more personal. Direct mail will thrive.”

Bottom line? Yes, we can continue to count on direct mail. I believe this channel will be with us for a long time. As direct mail specialists, AccuLink has a 32 year history of producing results in the direct mail arena. Please give me a call to discuss some of the unique solutions we offer to improve direct mail results.

Ed Glaser
Chief Marketing Officer
252.321.5805
ed.glaser@acculink.com
Learn: www.intelimailer.com
Watch: http://youtu.be/He429Ylw3l8
Build: https://storefront.acculink.com/Promo/Login.aspx
 

Want to Increase Your Direct Marketing Response Rate?

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Response rates driven from relevant marketing campaigns are, on average, over 4 times that of responses to static, same-to-all messages. This is not my opinion; this statistic actually comes from the PODi’s digital print case study collection and the DMA’s 2012 Response Rate Report.

Depending on the segment, the increase in response rates due to personalized, relevant marketing ranged from a factor of 1.3 to 6.2.

These response rates do not magically occur when personalization is used. The critical factor is the offer, and how relevant it is to the recipient. If the recipient gets a marketing piece that offers them something they really want, just at the time when they want it, they will respond. Otherwise, they will not. It makes absolutely no difference how the piece was produced or what the price point is.

In our industry, the terms “personalization” and “relevance” are often used interchangeably.

While they have similar meanings, there are subtle but important differences that are necessary to understand. It might be easiest to think of personalization as a science and relevance as an art. Personalization often refers to variable data that includes the recipient’s name, appropriate images and a personalized response mechanism such as a pURL. While personalization results in what information goes where in a marketing campaign piece, relevance is the art of developing content that speaks to the recipient’s needs, at the right time, and delivers a compelling solution to their problem.

Here are three tips to make your direct marketing copy more relevant:

1. Put Critical Ideas at the Beginning. Most consumers skim their mail and only read the first few messages. Take advantage of established reading patterns when organizing content and put your most important information at the top. 
2. Have a Conversation with Your Prospect. The goal with any relevant direct marketing piece is to “speak” to your audience. Show that you understand their specific problem and provide the solution with a timely call to action.
3. Make the Call to Action Clear and Easy. Not only should the call to action be relevant, it should also be convenient to respond to. Don’t make your prospects jump through hoops or click too many times to follow through with an offer.

The most successful marketing campaigns are a product of personalization and relevance. Despite their subtle differences, both strategies used in tandem can turn a direct marketing campaign’s offer from interesting to irresistible.

Please let me know if I can help you develop a great marketing campaign using both personalization and relevancy.

 

Ed Glaser
Chief Marketing Officer
252.321.5805
ed.glaser@acculink.com 

Learn: www.intelimailer.com
Watch: http://youtu.be/He429Ylw3l8
Build: https://storefront.acculink.com/Promo/Login.aspx

Track for Increased Response

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Given all of the issues we hear about the USPS recently, it has become difficult to predict, with any degree of certainty, the time line for delivery of a direct mail piece. Delivery could take a few days or it could take a few weeks depending on the class of mail and the distribution of the pieces across the country. We mail campaigns every day and the only way, up until now, we were able to determine the delivery time was by seeding the list or waiting for responses to come in. Why would you want to know when a mail piece is being or has been delivered? What could you do with that information?

1.    Begin measuring response rates and ROI

2.    Prepare your team to expect and respond to inquiries

3.    Send an imminent delivery email notification to the recipient that raises their interest level in anticipation of receiving the forthcoming direct mail piece.

So how can you know when a mail piece is or will be delivered? Look no further than the Intelligent Mail Barcode. The Postal Service has mandated that we all switch to the IMB in January 2013. At this point, in the transition to IMB, over 95% of all mail is being scanned and “clocked in” when it enters the postal system and at several points along the delivery path including the “stop the clock” final delivery point facility just before it goes into the carrier’s hands for delivery to the mail box.

By identifying the date of actual delivery, sending an email to alert the recipient that an important mail message is coming today or tomorrow could mean a significant increase in response rates. The anticipation of knowing that a personalized, highly relevant mail piece is being delivered can become a strong marketing message.

Tracking the IMB is not something that all marketing organizations are prepared for or adept at yet. Paying for tracking and notification from some service providers can be expensive and restrictive. Be sure your provider knows what they are doing tracking the IMB and not just guessing at the delivery date.

AccuLink has linked the InteliMailer and other direct mail products to the IMB scanning by the USPS so we can successfully track mail pieces all the way to the “stop the clock” delivery point.

If you would like more information, give me a call. Let me help you set up a marketing campaign that includes email notification when the delivery of the mail piece is imminent. These campaigns have real teeth and get much improved response rates.

Ed Glaser
Chief Marketing Officer
252.321.5805
ed.glaser@acculink.com

Website: www.intelimailer.com

Storefront: https://storefront.acculink.com/Promo/Login.aspx

InteliMailer Video: http://youtu.be/He429Ylw3l8

Selling “Print” in the “Digital” Age

Tweet Bringing today’s technology to your clients can be rewarding and profitable. Selling technology can be daunting and difficult due to many hurdles that must be overcome. If printers are to survive and succeed we must tackle this challenge. With everything in our industry becoming commoditized it is very difficult to maintain profitability selling print alone on such thin margins. Don’t just sell print. Sell solutions. Technology is the key.

Print is the necessary evil all business people must buy to communicate. The first challenge is to get beyond what they think they need based on their understanding of print. You must also get beyond their perception of your role in their business as a printer. You must become a communication solutions provider.

The next step is to introduce and help them understand how technology can cut some of their internal expenses associated with buying print or gain better ROI in a marketing campaign. With that you can justify a higher margin because what you offer is an overall better solution that achieves the goal. The question shouldn’t be “what print items do you need?” It should be “what are you trying to accomplish?” What obstacles are you encountering along the way?” these are the types of questions that can get you an entire body of business rather than just an order for business cards, forms or envelopes.

Probing questions help you to understand the client and gain a larger perspective on what benefit you may be able to offer them. Through this you are better prepared to recommend solutions to minimize their pain and achieve their goals more quickly. It is no longer just selling ink on paper. You must sell yourself as a knowledgeable, trustworthy business partner in fulfilling their business communication needs and objectives. Do this well and you will also succeed in your objectives.

Now for more about the technology part. Maybe you don’t feel you know enough about how to use it to help your clients. PURLS, Storefronts, QR Codes, oh my. Perhaps you feel a bit overwhelmed yourself. What do you do? You must educate yourself about Industry trends and new technologies constantly as these things are changing daily.

Relax though and remember, it is more important that you learn the benefits of these technologies than the details of how it all works. There are many great resources available to assist you with the details so you can sell the benefit and the print. One great place to start is this blog and our website www.acculink.com.

Embrace technology as the powerful tool it is. Be creative or look to those that are and learn from them. Learn all you can. Demonstrate the benefits to your clients of working smarter and more efficiently. The value you bring and the savings you show your customer in these new solutions allow you to increase your margins justifiably. You will no longer be selling commodities. You will be selling solutions.

R.O.I Case Studies - Part 1

Tweet Today we bring you part one of a four-part series highlighting successful cases from our portfolio of client work.

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National Auto Part Franchise Turns Problems Into Profits:

Challenge: A nationwide auto parts retail franchisor identified wasteful inefficiencies in its attempts to supply franchisees with up to date business cards, stationery and promotional printed material from its in-hose printing facility and business card vendor. The franchisor wanted to turn the money losing operation into a profit center where all expenses and revenues could be accounted for.

Solution: AccuLink designed a web based e-commerce system where business cards are created, proofed, ordered and paid for on-line by individual franchisees. Each order results in a commission payment back to the franchisor as well as an accounting trail of the charge card transaction. Other corporate identification items (stationery) and marketing materials (flyers, brochures and POP displays) are included on the ordering site in pre-approved templates so franchisees can customize according to their individual locations under the confines of the franchisor’s marketing guidelines. Again all pricing is predetermined by the home office and revenues are accounted for and managed by the e-commerce system designed by AccuLink.

Result: Problems with inconsistent quality have been eliminated. Delivery time on critical promotional materials has been reduced from weeks to next day service on most items. Unaccounted costs and wasteful overhead has been replaced by detailed monthly activity summaries, instant secure charge card payments and profitable royalty payments on every order.

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Tune in tomorrow for part 2: Consultant Focuses On Niche, Avoids Moving.

The power, the benefits, and the effectiveness of VDP

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We work with many different types of clients – distributor partners, advertising agencies and customers who have worked with us for years as well as new ones we are forming relationships with. We have been given many opportunities to work with these clients on variable data publishing campaigns and often get asked about our rationale behind why we find value in these types of communications offerings. This can be summed up in three main categories – the power, the benefits, and the effectiveness of VDP:

The Power of VDP
· Design and production of customized messages is no longer time- and cost-prohibitive
· An exciting convergence of databases, digital publishing tools and digital output
· Resonates and motivates recipient to take action

Benefits of VDP
· More effective and profitable communications
· A value-added service
· Allows you to differentiate yourself
· Create long-term strategic partners
· An advantage in highly competitive environments

Effectiveness of VDP
· Raises response rates (36% over traditional campaigns)
· Increases customer purchases per transaction
· Increases customer retention
· Increased ROI on marketing investment

Through this rationale, we have been able to help our customers get their message across in new and exciting ways. Just another way ‘we put it all together’!