Setting Expectations for Personalized Print

There is not doubt — we love personalized print. We love it because it works. What’s important, however, is understanding why it works. Personalized print doesn’t boost response rates simply because it’s driven by data. 

When you look at the case studies and Webinars for these campaigns, you will often see phenomenal response rates.  In one report, they ranged from 6% to 75%, with an average of 21%. These are some powerful numbers. However, in order to understand why and how individual campaigns achieve such high numbers and whether yours is likely to do the same, you need to ask certain questions.

• What was the application? Different applications tend to bring different response rates. 
• What kind of mailing list did the marketer start with? Highly targeted, moderately targeted, or undifferentiated lists will yield different results. 
• Did recipients have a previous relationship with the company? 
• What is the value of the product? 
• Did per-order value go up with personalization, and if so, by how much? 
• How is the marketer evaluating success (on a campaign-by-campaign basis or lifetime customer value)?

The answers to such questions can have a dramatic impact on ROI. For example, if you are asking respondents to log into a personalized URL to fill out a survey or provide information to a company they already do business with, you can expect higher response rates than if you are doing a prospecting campaign. 

So before setting your expectations for your next personalized print mailing, talk to us about your goals, your expectations, and the data you are working with. Setting realistic expectations is a critical component to making your 1:1 print program a success.

Multi-Channel Leads Marketers’ Strategies

If you like multi-channel marketing, here is some good news. According to a survey conducted by WoodWing Software, you’re about to get more of it. 

In a survey of publishers, advertising agencies, and in-house marketing departments, WoodWing found that in terms of their marketing mix, 59% favor a combination of print, web, mobile, tablet, and social media. 

Which channels do publishers look to first? 

• 22% favor a print-first strategy
• 6% favor a web-first strategy
• 5% favor a mobile-first approach
• 2% favor a social-media-first strategy

Respondents’ main reasons for using social media? Brand awareness. When it comes to communicating the marketing message, however, print remains king. 

Why does print remain the dominant form of marketing? Perhaps for a reason no more complicated than people still like going to the mailbox. Unlike email inboxes, which can fill up with hundreds of emails in a single day, the mailbox delivers a handful of mail that most people enjoy sorting through. It’s like a treasure hunt. You never know what’s in there. 

Unlike an email subject line, envelopes deliver interest and engagement before they are even opened. Colors, windows, and on-envelope messaging and personalization all offer forms of engagement. Then there are the benefits of other mailing formats, such as postcards, trifold mailers, and three-dimensional mail, which offer even more engagement. 

The takeaway? For best results, use social media for branding. Tap into email for reminders, follow-ups, and short-term offers. But keep print as the foundation and bedrock of your marketing. 

Position Yourself as an Expert

No matter what business you’re in, you are the expert in something. Establishing yourself as an authority gives you a coveted status that places you head and shoulders above your competition. It also builds loyalty with your client base and generates interest from prospects. But how do you establish expert status? Here are a few ideas. 

Believe you are an expert, then claim it. You don’t have to have all of the answers to be an expert. No one does. So claim your status and give yourself a title such as process specialist, systems consultant, or subject matter expert.

Narrow your focus to a specific industry, demographic or topic. For example, instead of promoting yourself as a general marketing guru, focus on a specific market segment, such as the manufacturing industry or technology users.

Develop a press kit. A two-pocket folder can work wonders. Insert a letter describing your role as a media contact or guest speaker. Include your biography and a fact sheet tailored to showcase your knowledge. Keep sales literature to a minimum here. Establish yourself as a serious, credible authority, not as a peddler of a particular product or service.

Establish credibility with print. People believe what they read. Showcase your expertise with newsletters, white papers, and special reports. Educate, don’t sell. Send kits to media outlets and industry publications so you are top of mind when they are doing coverage in your area of expertise.

Join the speaker’s circuit. Give lectures, host seminars, hold workshops, or teach a class. Start local, then look for regional and national opportunities. Host a session at the annual meeting of your trade association.

Host a blog. Most experts have blogs these days. Blogs also give you entry into the world of social media and boost your SEO. 

There is work involved in expert positioning, but it can be a powerful element of a comprehensive marketing and strategic communications plan. Expert status also gives you a unique selling proposition, a reason for customers to choose your company over your competitor.

Understanding Plain vs. Rich Black

In the graphic arts, the color “black” isn’t quite so black and white. Being aware of the “shades of black” can help you maximize the impact of your design. 

   

There are two basic categories of black: plain black and rich black. Plain black is created using 100% black ink. Rich black, on the other hand, is created using some combination of process colors.

Although rich black is called “black,” it doesn’t look entirely black. It looks more like a very dark gray. Therefore, some black ink is generally added to the CMY mix. For example: drag out a square marquee in Photoshop, fill it with black, and you’ll see that “black” is actually C=75, M=68, Y=67, K=90. 

These differences are important because using rich black rather than plain black can have different results aesthetically and during printing process. 

For example, because rich black uses more ink than is really required, if you have heavy black ink coverage, you can run the risk of oversaturating the paper. 

Using rich black and plain black interchangeably can also give your document an inconsistent look. This is especially true where typography is concerned. Because rich black is made up of multiple colors, you can run the risk of even minor registration errors ghosting and blurring your type.

You may want to use a rich black for aesthetic reasons, however, such as to create warmer feel. Rich blacks vary in the levels of the constituent colorants. More cyan and/or magenta tends to boost the “warmness.” More pure black tends to “cool” it down. 

Just as we would never think of the color “red” or “blue” without some kind of qualification, we never assume that all black is created equal either. As always, it’s worth checking with us to see if we have any advice or cautions regarding the use of rich vs. plain black.

Profile Before You Personalize

Want to achieve higher levels of success with your 1:1 (personalized) printing campaigns? Profile before you personalize! What does this mean? It means understanding what your customers look like as aggregate demographic or psychographic groups before you send targeted mailings or personalize to them as individuals. 

As a very simplified example, each age demographic has different needs and preferences and will respond differently to different types of messaging. Thus you might want to profile your customer base by age. By running a very simple analysis, for example, you might find that your customer base looks like this:

• 18-34 years old (38%)
• 35-49 years old (24%)
• 50-64 years old (18%)
• 65+ years old  (20%)

This tells you something. Your customers are heavily skewed toward the younger demographic. Was this a surprise to you? Why do you think this is? Is your product equally useful to an older audience? If so, how could you position it differently to appeal those demographics? Profiling gives you critical information about how to tweak your message. 

Likewise, consumers behave differently based on where they live. Consumer attitudes in New Hampshire will vary considerably from those in the Deep South. Red States and Blue States may have very different preferences and attitudes about certain issues, products, and services. 

Look at other characteristics, as well. Where do your customers prefer to shop with you (brick-and-mortar store or online)? What marketing channels do they respond to (direct mail, e-mail or SMS text messaging)?

Once you understand the profile of your customer base, you can compare these profiles against well-known demographic and psychographic patterns to anticipate how they might behave and what types of messaging they are most likely to respond to. This allows you to craft your approach to be most effective for different segments of your customer base. 

So profile before you personalize!

1:1 Print Beats Online for Relevance

If you want inexpensive, real-time communications, online marketing can be a powerful tool. But if you want highly relevant marketing communications that consumers respect, then personalized print is the way to go. 

In a survey of more than 1,200 people conducted for ad:tech London by Zussi Research, 69% percent of respondents saw traditional advertising as relevant to them, compared with 45% for online marketing. Respondents also described online marketing as “chaotic.” This reflects how misdirected and intrusive ads can create a high level of annoyance, even when those efforts are supposedly targeted. 

Compare this to print. Databases tend to be more accurate and targeting more focused. Personalized print earns consumers’ trust and respect. Consumers also appreciate the purposeful investment print requires in the marketer’s relationship with them. It creates a sense that that they are valued.

So while you may want to expand your marketing to include some electronic channels, don’t make the mistake of replacing print with alternative media. Instead, personalize it! 

Capitalize on consumers’ positive perception of print to differentiate yourself as a company that cares about your customers in a way that consumers often perceive online advertisers don’t. Then build on that perception with relevant, personalized communications they’ll remember and respect!