Proof That Personalized Content Marketing Works

While push marketing remains an important component of any customer acquisition or retention program, pull marketing has become even more so.  Often times, consumers have already done much, if not the majority, of their research before reaching out to a salesperson. This is why content marketing has become such a critical part of any marketing program.

One of the most common forms of content marketing is the customer newsletter. It educates, creates thought leadership, and presents the company as a valued resource. Adding personalization makes this content even more compelling. One community-based healthcare system found out just how much.

After sending a traditional newsletter for years, the organization began matching the content to what it knew of patients’ health conditions. After about a year, it conducted a readership survey to find out how the new approach was being received.

The results?

• 93% of respondents felt the articles were relevant and of interest.

• 73% read the entire newsletter every time it came in the mail.

• 77% said it was easier and quicker to read.

• 95% said they became aware of services that were previously unknown.

Not only did the healthcare system solidify its relationship with existing patients, but nearly every one of these patients learned about some of the provider’s services they didn’t know about before. That’s great cross-marketing!

Because the organization tracked which articles patients received as well as patients’ usage of services, it was also able to calculate ROI on its efforts. ROI on individual articles ranged from $50 to $444 per dollar spent.

Would you like to add personalized content into your company newsletters? Talk to us about how!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.

Share on LinkedIn

Are Your Fonts Like a 1970s Suit?

On one hand, using multiple fonts in a print layout can open you to a world of creativity. On the other hand, if you use too many fonts (or if the fonts you choose don’t work well together), you don’t end up with creativity. You end up with a mess.

Type often obeys the law of engineering “form follows function.” That is, a typeface should be appropriate to what the typesetter designed it to do. At the same time, that form needs to be aesthetically pleasing. The basis of good typographic design is balancing the two.

For example . . .

Bell Gothic was designed in 1938 to improve the legibility of phone directories, as well as provide economy of space.

Frutiger was designed to make airport signage easy to read from a distance.

Courier inspires a sense of nostalgia.

When choosing a font, choose a font appropriate to the task at hand. Think of fonts like clothing. What we wear should be appropriate to the weather as well as to the context (formal versus casual), but also be attractive. Likewise, some fonts look dated and scream “1970s,” the typographic equivalent of a plaid leisure suit.

Like everything else, typefaces go in and out of fashion. While it’s tempting to think that no one really pays close attention to fonts, there is often a subconscious visceral reaction to bad type, not unlike the subconscious reactions that we have to poor color combinations or out-of-date clothing.

Understanding how font choices affect the perception and reception of documents is one of the crucial elements to good design. You should not treat it lightly. If you need help, just ask. You can use one of our in-house designers or we can recommend a good designer to assist you. 

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.

Share on LinkedIn

Visual Differences Between Digital and Offset

Gone are the days of debating the benefits of digital vs. offset printing. With the quality being nearly indistinguishable between the two, most marketers hardly think about it anymore. However, there are still production differences between digital and offset printing, and it’s always good to know what they are.

Most digital presses use dry toner. Consequently, one of the visual differences between digital and offset is how the toner impacts the brightness of the print.

Toner tends to sit on top of the sheet rather than soaking into it like offset ink. This results in a vivid image that can be slightly shinier than offset. Some digital presses use toner suspended in liquid (sometimes called “ink” and other times “liquid toner”) that creates a slightly softer image.

If you will be coating your pieces, the visual difference between offset and digital disappears. This is because the coating masks any difference in gloss between the two. While many marketers prefer the bright, glossier image of toner-based digital, if you are among those who prefer the softer look (and are not using liquid toner printing), you may want to consider a matte coating.

Another difference between offset and digital is how the presses handle large areas of solid color. Although digital presses can print 100% solids, if your design will be using large areas of solid color, it is recommended that you build your solids using color blends. If you are printing black, for example, instead of using 100B, you might use 40C, 40M, 40Y, and 100B.

There are other subtle differences between digital and offset, but in the end, what’s most important is whether the printed piece achieves your marketing goals. We’re here to make sure that, regardless of which process you use, the answer is unequivocally yes!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.

Share on LinkedIn