5-Step Checklist Before Refreshing Your Marketing

Mid-year is always a good time to re-evaluate your marketing strategy, especially when there has been a period of downtime. Whether you are using direct mail, email, mobile, or social media, here is a quick checklist to make sure that, as you look forward to the rest of the year, you are hitting all of the basics.

1. Make a plan.

What are your marketing objectives? They are likely somewhat different than they were at the beginning of the year, and that’s okay. What are your goals now? Re-engage your audience? Recapture lapsed subscriptions? Build your e-commerce engine or delivery services? Have specific goals and apply numbers to those goals to help you measure success.

2. Target emotion.

How do you grab attention and get your audience to act? Now more than ever, people respond to how products make them feel rather than the details of what those products do. Insurance makes people feel secure. Freedom to travel makes people feel adventurous and independent. Developing personas rather than just demographic data can be a great investment.

3. Understand the journey.

Some sales happen quickly. Others are the result of a process that includes discovery and education before the decision is made. This is called the “sales journey.” Take the time to understand what your customers’ journey looks like. Also, take the time to understand the benefits of each communications channel. Where does print fit? Email? Social media? Video? Which channels work best to move your prospects from one stage of the sales journey to the next?

4. Market to the generation of “me.”

This is the “me” generation, so tailor marketing content to your target audience. This can be done through personalized communications that match images, messages, and offers to individual recipients. Or it can be done through strategic targeting and segmentation.

5. Create a timetable.

When and how do you intend to deploy the components of your marketing strategy? Success depends not just on getting the right message in front of the right audience, but on getting the right message in front of your audience at the right time. Create a plan for what content to deploy, using which channel, and when.

Miss something on the checklist? Need help with implementation? Give us a call. That’s why we’re here. 

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


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Got Myths? 3 Misperceptions About Print

Print continues to receive a lot of attention from marketers. Why? First, because it works. Second, it’s simply less annoying. (According to PrintIsBig.com, print is 43% less annoying than the Internet.) Less annoying or not, there are many misperceptions about print that cause marketers to overlook its value. Let’s look at three myths about print marketing and the reality behind them:

1. Print is all or nothing.

Many marketers think that either you live in the age of print or the age of digital, but not both. The reality is that print and digital channels work together. One study found that 51% of consumers prefer companies to communicate with them using a combination of physical mail and email. Even if buyers do end up purchasing online, 39% say they tried a business for the first time because of direct mail.

2. Consumers prefer digital communication.

Sure, consumers love to connect with brands digitally, but they also want to connect with brands through print. They want to communicate across both print and digital. According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), 92% of shoppers prefer direct mail for making purchasing decisions. In part, this is because print continues to have a trust factor. It also motivates people to buy. The DMA found that for every $167 spent on direct mail, marketers sell $2,095 of goods. There is something about print that spurs consumers to action.

3. Personalization only works for email and online.

Print can be personalized, too. Personalized direct mail can increase ROI by 3x to 10x. Furthermore, 40% of consumers say they buy from retailers who personalize the shopping experience across channels.

Don’t fall for the myths. Know the real value of print marketing.

Want to learn more? Just ask!

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


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Why the Digital Generation Loves Mail

You’d think that the first digital generation, Millennials, would stick their noses up at direct mail in favor of electronic alternatives, but the opposite is true. Millennials love mail! Studies show that Millennials are more engaged with direct mail than other generations. According to “USPS Mail Moments,” for example, Millennials are more likely than non-Millennials to do the following:

• Scan their mail (71% vs. 66%)
• Organize and sort their mail (45% vs. 40%)
• Read their mail (36% vs. 35%)
• Show their mail to others (24% vs. 19%)

Millennials also show a greater preference for direct mail over email in some key areas. For example, 64% would rather look for “useful information” in the physical mail than email, and while the average person spends 8.4 minutes sorting their mail, Millennials spend 9.2 minutes doing so.

Why do digital natives love engaging with direct mail? In part, it’s because they are inundated with digital media. Physical mail stands out in Millennials’ otherwise electronic worlds. This generation is also geared toward visual content, and direct mail caters to the physical senses.

If you are marketing to this audience, try connecting the physical world to the social media world to create relevance. For example, members of this generation are massive consumers of social media like Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, so consider designing to your direct mail be “Instagram-like” or “Snapchat-like.” Try incorporating print-to-mobile and print-to-video tools like QR Codes and augmented reality. Turn direct mail into an experience.

Even when direct mail graphics are static, use those graphics creatively. For example, one direct mail piece uses an image of a surfer riding a wave several stories high. At first glance, you might think this was for surf products or Caribbean cruises. In fact, it was for mortgage refinancing. The text read, “Ever feel like your home mortgage is like 60 tons of water ready to crush you and your family? We can help!” Instead of focusing on interest rates and mortgage terms, it used images to show what it feels like to be crushed under debt.

When targeting Millennials, incorporate direct mail. But understand how this audience thinks, then design campaigns intended for this audience in a way that they are most likely to connect with.

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

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