Tag Archives: direct mail marketing

3 Ways to Shift Marketing Strategies in the Age of COVID-19

Posted On: Category: Dimensional Print Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing, Ideas & InspirationTag(s): , , , , Posted By:

The rise of COVID-19 has brought an array of challenges for brands, one of which is effective marketing. With a drop in on-site video and photo production, teams being asked to work from home, and businesses being forced to shutter indefinitely, it’s certainly pushing marketing teams to think creatively about how to cope with our “new normal”.

Here are a few ways to shift your current marketing strategy to help better equip your business during COVID-19.

Ditch the handshake: Unfortunately, we’re living in a world in which face-to-face interactions aren’t feasible for many of us for the foreseeable future. At a time when lead generation feels as though it’s being challenged, focus on engaging with the accounts that have the greatest potential for revenue. Refresh your LinkedIn page and increase your engagement with new or former customers. Set up one-on-one webinars to demo a product or service that can be shipped or installed in a safe environment. Create an immersive experience for prospects as soon as they visit your website or social media channels.

Shift dollars to dimensional: We all seem to be spending a lot more time in front of our screens than usual these days. Instead of investing in a one-dimensional marketing strategy, consider using print mailers to your advantage. Dimensional print pieces like the ones at Structural Graphics and Red Paper Plane stand out, deliver the message you want, and offer an interactive experience that’s sure to be remembered.

Communicate: We can’t think of a better time to strengthen your communications skills. Whether it’s updating internal staff on company news or sharing how your brand is pivoting during this time, consistent and engaging communication is integral to the longevity of any business.

How to Acquire, Retain, And Re-Engage Using Direct Mail

Posted On: Category: Dimensional Print Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing, Webkeys / QR CodesTag(s): , , , Posted By:

Believe it or not, many businesses can benefit from integrating direct mail into their overall marketing strategy. As brands look to gain new customers (and keep them), an omnichannel approach to how you’re delivering your message can help you drive more business and convert customers, regardless of what stage in the marketing cycle they’re at.

In fact, 9% of recipients from a house list and 5% from a prospect list respond to direct mail, according to the 2018 ANA/DMA Response Rate Report. That’s in comparison to 5.1% and 2.9%, respectively, shown in the organization’s 2017 report.

Here are some other key takeaways that relate specifically to direct mail response:

  • Letter-sized direct mail performed best for lead generation with 15.1% response rate.
  • The industries that used direct mail the most were Travel or Hospitality (80%), Nonprofit (75%), Publishing or Media (71%), Financial Services-Banks/Credit (67%), and Healthcare (63%).
  • The most popular methods of measuring response rates include online tracking (53%), code or coupon (45%), and call center or telephone (41%).

How can we continue to acquire new customers?

Don’t overlook what – and who – you already know. This is your opportunity to bring in other departments – your sales reps, social media manager, guest relations team, etc. – and analyze your current customer base. Glean information from your colleagues to determine your target audience’s demographics, geographic locations, interests and other relevant information. With a deeper understanding of your current customers, you can then better target your mailings to reach people like them.

When developing your messaging, use a call-to-action (CTA) in your mailings to keep a pulse on the campaign and each recipient who engages with it. Some ideas are QR codes, developing a personalized URL via a format like a Web Key or integrating voice recognition software like Structural Graphics Connect.

What’s the best way to effectively retain them?

As your brand seeks to expand its current customer base, it’s important not to forget about the ones who are already purchasing from and/ or interacting with you. Keeping these customers happy not only helps your business’ bottom line, but it also creates brand advocates in the process. Loyalty programs are a great way to encourage customer retention – and direct mail should be a part of it.

How can we win former customers back?

While direct mail can be helpful in retaining or enticing new customers, it’s also a powerful tool to re-engage with customers who may have lapsed. Seeking insight into when a customer left or stopped engaging with your brand can prove to be extremely helpful data, and direct mail can help with that. Surveys with incentives (think a 25% off coupon) or customized postcards with helpful products or services tailored to that individual can help customers feel valued and connected to your brand again.

Another option is dimensional print. While designs like Pop Up Cubes, SleekPeeks® or The Flapper® mail flat, they also possess that unique “wow factor” that encourages discussion, sharing and longevity to keep your brand top-of-mind for days, weeks or even years to come.

How to Create Higher Ed. Marketing that Works

Posted On: Category: Custom Design & Printing, Direct Mail Marketing, Ideas & InspirationTag(s): , , , , , , , , , , Posted By:

Statistics show that high school and college-aged students like direct mail. Our direct mail is dimensional, interactive and engaging. With other colleges and universities soliciting the same top-prospect students that you are, direct mail from Red Paper Plane and Structural Graphics will make sure your message gets noticed and stays top-of-mind.

Here are a few ideas to get you started.

UC Riverside chose this dimensional folder to send out information about its different colleges to accepted students. The piece starts off as a seemingly flat printed folder, but when you open it up, an intricate pop-up immediately rises from the center. Each corner of the piece featured individual mini folders, each containing step-by-step instructions on how to get started with enrollment.

Our flat-cube is one of our most dynamic and exciting designs because of its ability to immediately make an impact with recipients. This one was used by SUNY Adirondack Community College to send information about its college to prospective students. The cube immediately pops up when you remove it from the mail sleeve.

University of Canterbury used our Flapper to recruit students to its school and to promote its Product Design program. They chose the tablet-sized Flapper and displayed their information in a portrait layout. The inside of the colorful Flapper featured bright graphics that represented the key aspects of its product design program.

This clever Extendo mailer went out to prospective MBA students from the Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business. When you pull on one of the sides, the other sides pops out automatically – revealing a series of business jackets, each detailing one of the 4 MBA programs and 18 specialized master’s programs.

Rutgers School of Business used the Exploding Page design to deliver information about its business program to prospective students. The self-mailer appears to be a standard looking direct mail piece on the outside, but when opened up, it expands to twice its original size. The inside of the mailer contained information about the different programs offered by this prestigious school.

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Death of QR Codes Is Greatly Exaggerated

Posted On: Category: Custom Design & Printing, Marketing Insights, Technology, Webkeys / QR CodesTag(s): , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Posted By:

Have you have fallen prey to the urban myth that QR Codes are dead? There are plenty of designers and industry pundits who think these 2D mobile barcodes clunky and out of date, but if you look at the data, the death of QR Codes couldn’t be farther from the truth. Consumers are actively using QR Codes to get coupons, access detailed product information, watch promotional videos, and take other steps that move them toward a purchase. And the companies which are finding the right list of banner sizes and placing their QR-codes on them have seen a constant rise in the chatter and sale of the company product. If you’ve “moved on” from QR Codes, you’re abandoning a critical tool for building your business.

Let’s look at three facts about QR Codes that every marketer should know.

  1. QR Code scanning is on the rise.

According to ExactTarget, 34% of smartphone users in the United States have scanned a QR Code while shopping in-store (ExactTarget Mobile Behavior Report 2014). This rises to 46% of those who own tablets. This doesn’t include people scanning QR Codes on direct mail, posters, in-store displays, packaging, and magazines. In fact, when ExactTarget asked about scanning coupons or QR Codes, it found that 43% of consumers had done so.

Can we quote Mark Twain here? “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” As you watch the data, sure, the growth rate of QR Code adoption is slowing. But that’s not unusual for a maturing technology.

  1. QR Code scanning frequency is on the rise, as well.

In 2014, Scanbuy data showed 4.0 scans per person. In 2015, this rose to 4.3.  That’s growth of 7.5%.

  1. Among the most common uses for QR Codes are accessing coupons, downloading mobile apps, and accessing product information.

ExactTarget found that 56% of men and 39% of women have scanned QR Codes to gain quick access to information. Scanbuy found that when consumers are interested in a new product, 20% will scan a QR Code.

We could go on and on, but you get the point. QR Codes remain a cost-effective way to reach a high percentage of the mobile population. Here’s how to do it right:

  • Make the code highly visible on the direct mailer, in-store signage, packaging, or other channel.
  • Provide instructions on using the code, and perhaps more importantly, the value the consumer will gain from scanning it
  • Offer real, tangible on the back end.

Check out some examples of QR codes in our own clients’ print marketing campaigns.