Monday, June 19, 2017

3 Tips for Optimizing Your Multichannel Marketing

Want to energize your print campaign? Combine print with other media to amplify its effect.
The most common channel pairing with print these days is email, but you might also want to consider text messaging, banner ads, social media (such as Facebook), and search engine advertising, as well. Each channel has different benefits depending on your marketing goals and the target audience you are trying to reach.
No matter which channels you choose, here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind:
1. Maintain consistent branding across all channels.
Different media have different requirements, so you can’t maintain 100% cross-channel consistency all the time. But whenever possible, use the same images, color schemes, primary messaging, and offers to maintain a consistent brand image and a consistent brand message.
2. Think strategically.
Know what role each channel is supposed to play. If you are going to combine email with print, what are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to create awareness and anticipation of the print piece? Are you using email as a reminder to respond? Maybe if you’re driving traffic to a campaign-specific website, you might want to consider banner advertising in demographic hot spots.
3. Create appropriate channel-audience pairings.
Ensure that you are selecting the best combination of channels to communicate with your target audience. You’re not going to reach as many retirees with text marketing as you are Millennials, for example, and social media preferences vary, as well. Sixty-five percent of GenXers and Baby Boomers say their favorite social media network is Facebook, and while Millennials overall prefer Facebook, too, among younger Millennials (ages 18-24), the favored social media network is Instagram.   
There is a learning curve associated with multichannel marketing, but the ability to amplify and reinforce your marketing message can be invaluable. Need help matching your channels to your marketing goals? Just ask!

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Paper Coupons Are Alive and Well

Despite the popularity of mobile coupons and discount apps, consumers are slow to give up their paper coupons.
eMarketer estimates that 52% of adults will use digital coupons in 2017, up from 51% in 2016 and 48% in 2015. Growth is expected to continue through the forecast period (2017-2021), although that growth will gradually slow from 3.8% in 2017 to 2.1% in 2021.
Consumers clearly love the convenience of digital coupons, particularly mobile ones (eMarketer estimates that, of digital coupons users, 93% are using mobile versions), but slow growth points to deeper challenges that paper doesn't seem to have.
Why do consumers love paper coupons? According to eMarketer:
  • They love the familiarity.
  • They like finding all of their coupons in a single place (circulars) rather than having to wait for them to show upon on their phones or go hunting for them when they want them.
Take one retail category where coupon use is heavy — grocery. A February 2017 survey by Market Track found that when it comes to deals on grocery items, 59% of adult consumers search print circulars compared to only 32% using digital coupons, 23% using the circular’s digital version, and 12% downloading coupons from the retailer’s site.
Although growth in digital coupons may be slow, it is growing. By 2021, 55% of the U.S. consumer population is expected to be using digital coupons.  
However, while consumers may not be ready to switch from paper yet, don’t be exclusive, either. Not every consumer wants to use coupons the same way, and paper and digital coupons will continue to share the stage for some time to come. Continue to give consumers a choice!

URL: https://retail.emarketer.com/article/emarketer-forecast-us-consumers-slow-let-go-of-paper-coupons/

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Study Tests Effectiveness of Mailing Formats

What happens when you create a marketing promotion from a fictitious travel agency to test the effectiveness of different mailing formats? RAPP Germany, a multichannel marketing agency, hired Neilsen to find out.
With all other factors equal, RAPP wanted to know, which techniques would be most successful? It tested five mailing formats: standard envelopes, printed envelopes, self-mailers, wrappers, and email. It found that envelopes have a tremendous impact on the effectiveness of the direct marketing piece, especially if they are personalized.
According to the study, while custom-manufactured envelopes have the highest open rate of all of the marketing techniques tested (85%), personalization is key to success. For example, recipients who received non-personalized mailings were three times more likely to throw the mail in the trash or delete it than recipients who received a personalized mailing.
Even when recipients were predisposed to the marketing message, recipients of personalized messaging were more likely to indicate that they intended to investigate the travel offer further. Forty-four percent of those receiving the personalized mailings said they would investigate the travel offer compared to 37% of those who received static mailings.
Mailings received via a personalized, printed envelope were also more likely to be passed along to friends and family. According to the survey, marketing messages mailed in personalized envelopes were twice as likely to be passed along to others (14% vs. 8%) than personalized emails.
Want to increase your response rates? Personalize your message inside and out!

Source: “Consumers Value Physical Mail, Even In This Digital Era,” Print in the Mix (www.printinthemix.com)

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