Are you looking for fresh, original methods to engage with your clients? Think PRINT for your summer and fall messaging!
An efficient print marketing campaign can boost ROI, brand recognition, conversion rates, and client retention. This blog post will give you insider knowledge of print marketing, which may serve as inspiration for your subsequent print marketing campaign or assist in the updating of an existing one.
Only communicate with your target market and existing consumers in a method that is worthwhile and engaging to them. 👏
In 2023, we are constantly aware that internet advertisements can be annoying and frequently disregarded. Because of this, it’s important to do it in a way that feels natural and sparks curiosity so that you can make a long-lasting impression on your customer. By engaging with and pleasing target markets through print and direct mail, print marketing is able to help companies’ results across the board.
This post includes some suggestive print marketing tips for 2023, which we believe clients will find valuable. Our choices are based on what was popular with our clients in 2022 and what we believe will tie into this year’s summer and fall marketing efforts.
The Benefit of Running Print Marketing Campaigns
Print advertisements keep your company ahead of the competition by offering durable marketing materials, as compared to oversaturated digital marketing advertisements.
Through brand storytelling, print has the ability to enthrall customers by spreading small acts of delight and affection.
70% of consumers feel that direct mail is more personal than online contacts, did you know that? Additionally, 54% of customers claim they prefer receiving direct mail from brands they like.
What then is the key? Finding the ideal print products that consumers will desire to read and keep.
Have we convinced you already? If so, submit a request below 😉
If not, keep reading!
What To Know
Any physical correspondence (letter, pamphlet, brochure, catalog, magazine, booklet, or postcard) that a business sends or shares with customers or prospects with the intention of luring them to use its goods or services is known as print marketing. These print marketing tools include brand messages that describe your business or yourself, as well as a call to action that directs customers to you.
Keep in mind that print marketing efforts have a much higher likelihood of influencing consumer behavior than digital advertisements or emails. For example,
- Direct mail has a considerably greater brand recall rate since processing it requires 21% less cognitive work.
- Direct mail is economical, with a median household return on investment of 29%.
What’s Happening This Summer?
Compared to last summer, consumer expenditure on goods has increased by 10%.
Despite increasing gas costs and concerns about inflation, the July prediction for retailers shows that consumers are still making purchases, though where and why they are making purchases may be changing. While sales of department stores and appliances are declining, those of clothing and recreational items are rising year over year.
If consumers are purchasing, your business should be marketing. And, not just online!
You might believe that just digital advertisements will do in today’s world. Results of a 2019 USPS research, however, contradict that.
In reality, millennials are the generation most likely to act after receiving direct mail. Participants who were millennials reported that 67% of them “frequently and occasionally use marketing mail as a prompt to go online.” especially if there is a discount or promotion included in the direct mail piece!
Since direct mail doesn’t require an opt-in, it is effective. Direct mail can be sent to recipients without their consent, unlike email and text messages.
With the increase of digital privacy and the decline of online cookies, it is becoming more and more difficult to access and retarget the online users who have visited your website in the modern world.
However, you won’t have to worry about that with direct mail! The receiver cannot opt out of receiving your mailings or report you for spamming. Even if a person unsubscribed from your email list, brands can still reach them by direct mail. Get the physical addresses of everyone on your email list so you can still contact them if they decide to unsubscribe.
Another Summer Trend: Combining Print and Technology
It goes without saying that flyers and other similar materials are functional, but it’s time to upgrade your advertising strategy using modern technology. The concepts of augmented print can be used as a very effective technique to make a great impression on customers. It grabs your attention and is eye-catching, and it enables you to get a full 360-degree perspective of the product or service being advertised.
For regular postcards and other smaller direct mail pieces, you can seamlessly add a QR code to your design prior to printing. This will help drive the direct mail recipient straight to your campaign landing page.
We also encourage pairing your direct mail campaign with an aligned digital marketing strategy. This lifts campaign results greatly. Marketers can see up to 40% in conversion rates and a 60%+ increase in both website visits and response rates. (Compu-Mail, 2020)
Planning A Summer Campaign
- What is your goal for this print marketing project?
- How many pieces do you need printed?
- What budget do you have for printing?
- Are you going to be printing and mailing?
- What’s your timeline?
- What paper stock do you want to use for your project?
- Will your print piece need any extra services like saddle-stich binding, die-cutting, or shrink wrapping?
- If you’re mailing, do you have your own demographic data list or will you need to gain access to one that fits your needs?
- Are you interested in adding a parallel digital marketing solution to pair with your print campaign?
These are all important questions to answer up front before jumping straight in because they will all have an impact on your budget.
Your commercial print provider will be able to provide you with a quote estimate and quality service that will help your business bring its print vision to life.
What does your design feature? Images? Text? Both? Depending on the key features of your design, you’ll want to select a stock and coating that upon completion will achieve your campaign’s desired effect.
Finishes
Soft Touch: This type of coating creates a finish that gives the paper a velvety, soft texture.
Varnish: This is a clear ink that coats the entire print piece – adding shine and vibrancy, especially to photographs and images.
- It comes in three different finishes: gloss, satin, and matte.
- The coated layer of the gloss varnish is able to reflect light which makes featured images entirely more vibrant.
- Matte varnishing serves to soften the print piece with its smooth, dull finish.
- The satin varnish is similar to matte because it has a smooth finish. However, it is still able to add depth to your print piece’s featured images.
- Varnish is great for magazine covers, flyers, and brochures.
Aqueous: This is a transparent, water-based coating that dries quickly. Its purpose is to protect printed pieces.
- The water-based feature makes it the most eco-friendly coating.
- Aqueous finishes include gloss, satin, matte, dull and soft touch.
UV: This is a clear, shiny coating applied to the stock that offers an elegant, luxurious feel for your print piece.
Spot UV: This coating is the same clear, shiny coating as UV, but it is applied only to select areas of your print piece.
Other UV options include gloss, matte, dull, textured and glitter.
The Science Behind Print Marketing
The Center for Neural Decision Making at Temple University and the Office of Inspector General at the United States Postal Service teamed up to investigate the effectiveness of print and digital marketing.
The study found a correlation between customers’ subconscious responses and three stages of the buying process:
- The body’s response and emotional reaction to print.
- The speed and accuracy with which the brain recalls a print advertisement.
- The action (value and desire) taken after viewing the print advertisement.
Customizing each direct mail piece (whether it’s a postcard or a package) can increase your response rate by 135% (Compu-Mail, 2020). Personalized brochures are said to have one of the highest conversion rates. They also provide great real estate to share your brand’s message, products, services, and latest news. Always be sure to include a call to action and a phone number or URL to drive your customer to.
Commercial print providers will also be able to help answer any questions before, during, and after your print campaign has started. Just reach out with specs!
Don’t be afraid of sending dimensional mailers. They often have the highest response rate out of all direct mail pieces.
Preplanning for Fall
Making your customers feel valued can encourage positive word-of-mouth recommendations and keep them coming back for more. Use branded print marketing materials to stay in touch with them and keep your business in their minds.
We strongly advise you to start preplanning your print marketing efforts for the current and forthcoming year. Once fall arrives, the holidays will be just around the corner. Preplanning will enable your print service provider to guarantee that they can meet all your print marketing requirements.
Whatever print marketing product you’re looking for, Solo Printing makes it easy to produce and deliver right to your customer’s door.
If you’re just starting off and are unsure of how to reach your local audience via direct mail, check out Every Door Direct Mail by USPS, it’s the best way to reach your neighborhood! This service is great for small businesses, local restaurants, small political campaigns, and real estate agents. You can choose between two service offers – EDDM Retail and Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU).
