Direct Mail Vital to Lead Generation and Social Media Strategies

Please understand that today’s Direct Mail, thanks to sophisticated marketing techniques and digital printing, does not have to be the impersonal and boring messages that are quickly tossed from the mailbox to the trash can. Today’s savvy marketers are personalizing messages and engaging targeted prospects like never before. CMOs around the country are realizing that Direct Mail is a critical component in their cross-media strategy. Two area that we are seeing Direct Mail’s increase use are in Lead-Generation and driving Social Medial growth. Here are just a few ways Direct Mail is being used in those efforts:

• Announce company activities (webinars, new website launch, contests)

• Actionable items such as QR Codes, downloadable coupon, etc..

• Encouraging consumers to go to a website, blog or ‘like’ a social media platform

• Reaching out to existing clients and prodding them to provide interaction through online platforms such as Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and LinkedIn

• Opening channels for customer feedback through surveys

Once a connection can be made through Direct Mail then online channels can be further developed by marketers to communicate through e-Newsletters, Blogs, and an assortment of Social Media platforms. If they see a drop of in this online contact then Direct Mail can be used again to reestablish lines of communications.

Well thought out direct mail pieces that are part of a continuous flow of communications are highly effective at provoking prospects and leads. No wonder that big companies like Dell, Google and even Facebook keep Direct Mail in their marketing mix.

Nontraditional Traditions

QR codes are popping everywhere – in magazines, on real-estate signs… even on tubes of toothpaste. As more and more businesses start to incorporate QR codes into their marketing strategies, they tend to use them in the same traditional way: to direct potential customers to their websites. However, J.C. Penny is adding a new dimension to QR codes; they are using them to differentiate the gift giving experience.

This season, J.C. Penney shoppers will receive a “Santa Tag” sticker with each purchase. These stickers contain individualized QR codes that can be scanned with any QR code reader to record a personalized voice message. Gift recipients can then scan the codes to hear the recorded voice message when they open their gifts.

The program offers their customers a little extra incentive to shop at J.C. Penney during this very important part of the retail-shopping season.

How will you use QR codes non-traditionally to make the most of your business’ holiday traditions?

Please contact us to learn more about uses for QR Codes.

Ho Ho ….Wait a Minute! That time already!

As of today there are only 2 months left in 2011. One thing this means is that the typical last minute rush to print company holiday cards and 2012 calendars is now upon us. If you are just now realizing this then you are not alone since most people seem to equate Halloween as the time to start preparing for the upcoming holidays. We do have some of those clients that are super-planners and they are already well into their 2012 printing schedule. However, this is certainly not the norm. Every year at this time printers know they will have to juggle and rush to meet last minute demands. We really do want to help you so it will be one less thing for you to worry about in December letting you actually enjoy your holidays.

Let Customers Decide How, When, Where and in What Format You Communicate with Them

Redbox recently offered a smart texting promotion to generate extra visits to their units. Each Monday, subscribers received a text with a code for a free rental.

Response rates were through the roof, and more often than not, redeemers also rented other movies while standing at a Redbox machine.

The point isn’t that text messaging is the future of marketing, but its growing ubiquity is a reminder that customers are increasingly able to decide how, when, and what we will be allowed to communicate to them. They’ll decide, not us.

Print is the ultimate non-disruptive communication. It gives the recipient complete control as to when and how they want to digest the message.

Businesses that give folks the most communication options and the best reasons to grant them “permission marketing” access will have real competitive advantages.

Whether you use texts, email, or good ol’ postcards and phone calls, the question is how are you building your permission-marketing database? And what value are you providing those customers to continue to earn that privilege?

Out of sight is out of mind. Try to make sure you’re not either for very long.

Printing Plays Well With New Technologies

Traditional marketing practices, such as print, are being adapted to include the integration of digital tools to maximize response rates and initiate conversions with the end customer. For example, many retailers are testing QR codes in catalogs to drive sales. By placing QR codes next to the products in printed catalogs, or magazines, consumers can gain instant access to additional product information. Retailers are hoping this ultimately increases sales. Even point-of-sale retailers are trying QR Codes to engage consumers while in the stores. It is believed that if all the customer’s questions are answered on the spot they will be more likely to complete the purchase process. By incorporating QR codes with direct mail, and print, marketers are able to achieve more accurate campaign tracking and it also provides them with the opportunity to clean up the customer database via landing pages for gathering information. Additionally, by blending newer digital technologies with traditional marketing, the marketer starts to gain insight into their customers’ preferences. And with all the relevant data from the program now available the marketer is able to develop even better subsequent marketing campaigns. While some marketers would certainly like to turn back the clock, others realize this is an exciting time since so many new tools and opportunities are available. The challenge is keeping abreast of all the technologies and discovering which ones are appropriate for use. Since everything is moving so fast sometimes it takes some trial & error to find the right formula for success. Now is certainly not the time to shy away from change.

Ussery Set For Growth

‘When you are through changing, you are through.’ – Bruce Barton.  Isn’t that the truth?  And at Ussery, guess what we are doing again, changing.  We have a new President, and recently hired more talent, all in order to ‘keep changing’ with the times.  Many printers are bemoaning the decline in traditional print markets but we are excited about print being more relevant than ever when combined with such innovations as QR Codes, Personal URLs, Landing Pages, Social Media tie-ins, and more. We welcome change.

Ussery Printing Announced the Appointment of Joe Trizza as President August 1st, 2011. Below is the press release that was issued:
Ussery Printing Company, Inc., a 57 year old integrated printing, marketing services and ad specialties company based in Irving, is pleased to announce that it has appointed Joe Trizza as President. According to Fran Ussery, Ussery’s CEO, “We are very fortunate to have Joe Trizza, an industry veteran with over thirty years of printing experience, join us as President effective immediately. Over his career Joe has built a stellar reputation throughout the North Texas marketplace.” Fran went on to say that, “Mike Lamb will assume the position of Chief Operating Officer and will continue in his role as a Director of Ussery.”

Joe Trizza in accepting his appointment as President said, “I am delighted to not only be a part of Ussery because of its quality standards and reputation for exceptional customer service; but to have been given this opportunity to work closely with Mike, Fran, and the other members of the Ussery senior management team.”

Mike Lamb remarked, “Everyone at Ussery joins me in welcoming Joe into his new position as a member of our senior management team and we look forward to working with him as we continue to build the finest printing and marketing services company in North Texas.”

A Picture of Success….Repetition!

 

An article by B. Eric Rhoads, a consultant specializing in helping artists sell, says that the power of marketing lies in repetition.

Rhoads cites studies suggesting that a person is not likely to act on a marketing message until they have seen it 7 to 10 times and that it could take hundreds of “impressions” over many months for a person in an artist’s target market to see that message.

He uses folks like Norman Rockwell and Ansel Adams as examples of artists who became “brands,” garnering great demand for their products through continuous exposure. Sure, they were talented artists, but many are. What helped separate them was their level of exposure (marketing messages) over time.

So, you may have to have several conversations with customers for your message to sink in, and they may need to see your messages many times before they are spurred to action.

Creativity is important, but repetition gets results. A little of the former and a lot of the latter can make you the picture of success.

BBFF – Best Business Friends Forever

If you’re looking to boost engagement on your company’s Facebook page and turn your “friends” into “best friends”, a new report from Buddy Media has some key findings for you!

Be timely: Brands that posted outside of business hours had 20% higher engagement rates.

Be concise: Keep it short and sweet. Posts with 80 characters or less earned 27% more page-views than posts that were longer. But interestingly, posts with the original URL (versus their shortened bit.ly, or tinyurl counterparts) had three times the engagement, most likely because users knew where they were headed when they clicked on the link.

Ask for participation: Ask for a “like” or a “share,” and research shows you will get it. And if you put the request at the end of the post, you will get 15% more engagement than if it is buried in the middle.

The lesson for us is to engage our friends and rally our fans. When we do, we will be on our way to becoming Best Friends Forever.

Where’s The Beef?

Content is the heart of an effective web presence. No matter what your business is, it’s compelling, up-to-date and relevant content that attracts and engages users. If your content isn’t right, your customers simply won’t engage with it in the way you hope.

The rise of search and social marketing has not changed this basic truth about the way that the web works. When people link to you, they’re linking to your content. When they share via social networks, they’re sharing your content. It means that great content should be just as important to marketers as it is to the people using the internet to talk, learn and buy.

So in the end, it’s not the newest, shiniest social network that will propel your business forward. It will help, but it won’t rule. It turns out that content is still king.

Print, A Disrupted Industry?

I just got back from an eye-opening seminar where Dr. Joe Webb discussed his latest book entitled ‘Disrupting the Future.’ The book, and his talk, both start with hard economic data about where the Printing Industry was ten years ago and at current projections where it will be in ten more years.  Right off I have to say that only by flipping the book upside down will any of the charts look positive.  However, as the discussion deepens, it is evident that there are many opportunities if one pays less attention to the past and looks with fresh eyes toward the future.  Printing may have a lesser share of the total marketing pie now than before, but when used correctly it is a powerful tool for companies of all sizes.  As Dr. Webb described it, ‘Print is a strategic marketing choice that provides predictable ROI’ and used correctly can greatly enhance the effectiveness of all other marketing channels. That is why you see companies like Google and Facebook using targeted print campaigns to lure companies to advertise on their platforms.  They have probably determined that print is the best vehicle to reach the exact person they need to with a medium that will get attention.

I have been to several other events and conferences over the last few months and one common theme has emerged, and that is that there is still a lot of experimentation going on with all the media choices that now avail themselves to marketers.  For instance Dr. Webb today asked ‘have you seen any employment ads asking for someone with 10 years experience in Facebook?‘ Even experts are learning as they go. We are in the midst of a bit of chaos and struggle in the advertising world and and as Albert Einstein said “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”  I couldn’t agree more.  With the enhanced tools a printer now has (purls, qr codes, personalization, etc.) this is an exciting time and I personally think using print intelligently may be a marketers best friend.