Snail Mail Still Sells

In a Wall Street Journal story, the president of a company that had used direct "snail mail" for years related what happened when they decided to change to email sales.

 

Amid the recession this company was looking to cut costs. They had spent about $20,000 a year on personally signed letters that offered customers a discount for early orders. Time and money could be saved by switching the advertising program to email.

 

Despite the prevalence of digital media, this company found old fashion direct mail was the key to winning and keeping customers.

 

After swapping snail mail for email last year, this company, a seller city diaries, albums, and planners in the struggling corporate gift market, saw a 25% drop in early orders compared with the same period the previous year.

 

"We realized we had made a huge mistake," said the president of the New York firm.

 

The affordability of e-marketing, along with the explosion of social media and the desire to trim costs in the recession, has prompted many small companies to slash traditional direct-mail budgets. U.S. consumers received about 5.2 billion pieces of direct mail in the third quarter of 2009, a 27% decline compared with 7.1 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Mintel Comperemedia, a research firm that tracks direct-mail marketing.

 

However, some entrepreneurs who were quick to write off direct mail as too pricey or passé are finding it's not so easy to dismiss.

 

Our New York company president says that at first she blamed the economy for the drop off, until she "started hearing from customers that they never got their 'reminder' in the mail." She quickly sent a postcard mailing in June, which recouped the 25% loss.

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #10 Print is everywhere

Print has been the world's favorite medium ever since a little known monk asked Gutenberg: "How much do you want for that Bible?" We're used to being surrounded by print. We're comfortable with it. We want more.

What do the numbers say? Consider a 2006 survey by the magazine Graphic Design USA. It found that 9 out of 10 of the designers polled have worked in print during the last year. What's more, a total of 91% of the respondents' projects involved print exclusively or were comprised of a substantial print component. The survey also discovered that 71% of the designers' total work hours were devoted to print driven projects.

Look at event marketing. It wouldn't be possible without print. Programs, posters, signage of all kinds, special commemorative publications - print is on the scene at ball games, motorsports venues, concerts, shows, fairs, museums, galleries and rallies. Whenever a crowd gathers, print can provide a platform for marketers and a fresh perspective for fans.

There is even evidence that we like print more than television. A study by the magazine Publishers of America found that for 36 brands that shifted ad expenditures from TV to magazines, media effectiveness scores doubled over time.

Those are vital signs of a medium that's vibrant and valuable. That medium is print.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #9 - Print is personal

It's time to put each prospect's name up in lights, literally. Or use a skywriter to put your personalized message to them in the clouds. Or maybe you want to include a photo of the specific product in which they expressed interest. Print can do all that and more because print takes marketing personally.

Using variable data printing (VDP) and one-to-one messaging techniques, you can personalize each and every piece of your print campaign - right down to the specific photos you use and every word of your pitch. Did some one say relationship building?

According to a 2004 report by Interquest, the response rate for customized color direct mail campaigns ranges from 6% to 75%, with an average of 21%. The response rates were, on average, 5.6 times higher for customized color versions than for simple mail merge applications. The more you individualize print, the more individuals you will inspire.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #8 - Print puts them in control

Telemarketing is the crudest form of cold calling and, with the growth in do-not-call lists, its effectiveness has sunk to an all-time low. In fact, a Time magazine poll rated telemarketing number four on the list of the worst ideas of the 20th century. Today, it has gotten to the point that many companies stay away from the phone because they don't want their reputation damaged by overeager telemarketers.

But what happens when we add print to the equation? Send prospects a personalized mailing that introduces the caller and lets them tell you the best time to call. Now you're putting the potential customer in control of the situation. There are no more interruptions at dinner. There is only a positive flow of information between the marketer and the consumer. The bond starts to get stronger, the relationship grows, and the sale becomes a natural progression of the power of print rather than a rude intrusion.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #7 - Print is credible

The phrase, "Get it down on paper" has never been more meaningful. Having words and images that you can examine and hold in your hand, review, show to others and keep in a safe place provides a degree of reassurance that no bit-and-byte medium can match.

People love the speed and scope of the internet, but the web's fleeting nature makes them wonder: Am I getting the fast shuffle here? And what's all this contradictory information? Conversely, our ink-on-paper medium is believable because print is real, print is timeless and print is focused.

An increasing number of marketers are leveraging print's high credibility by using custom publications to get their messages out and absorbed. More than 32 billion custom publications circulate annually in the United States, according to the Custom Publishing Review's 2006 Annual Report. Total expenditures on the medium amounted to $29.9 billion for the year. The researchers also found that 66% of people surveyed read custom publications and that 80% agree that custom publications contain useful information. They are believers because print is the credible medium.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #6 - Buyers seek print

The success of retail websites means printed catalogs can be relegated to the doornail file. Or so says the conventional wisdom. But, recent research indicates otherwise.

Online consumers who received a printed catalog from any given retailer were nearly twice as likely to make an online purchase at that retailer's website. The finding comes from a comScore survey based on 6,400 responses from online shoppers.

The reason for the sales windfall: consumers seek print when they're ready to buy. That's a fact supported by a 2005 field study by the Direct Marketing Association. Scoring the primary channels for generating orders, the research found that 60% came from printed catalogs, 24% were inspired by retail settings and only 9% arrived via internet.

The percent of sales by channel also showed print's pulling power. Paper catalogs accounted for 42% of sales, retail 20%, websites 26% and other channels 12%.

In a 2006 study of newspaper readers sponsored by the Newspaper Association of America, 78% reported that they use newspaper inserts to plan shopping and 76% say that these inserts have helped them save money.

The moral: If you're not using print, you're missing out on big numbers.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #5 - Print plays well with others

Sure, the internet is cool. What's cooler is using a printed direct mail campaign to draw prospects to a personalized web site, then following up with a printed thank-you card or closer.

Yes, the World Wide Web provides a real-time interactive environment, but so do the telephone and television. Print enhances the impact of all of those media by providing your client's prospects with an extra dimension. One that's friendly. One that's warm. One that's inviting. And, one that they can't very well ignore because they're holding it right in their hands.

Consider the 2003 research published in the journal of Advertising Research, which examined the advertising impact on weekly sales of a pizza franchiser. It found that the best combination of media in driving sales is direct mail and national TV advertising used together. The print/broadcast duo doubled the impact of using any one medium alone.

An American Business Media study adds more insight into the effectiveness of combining print with other media. According to the research, B-to-B magazines were viewed by prospects as more trustworthy and objective, websites were seen as the place where they received timely information, and trade shows were viewed as the place for interactions and to improve their awareness of alternatives. That must be why smart marketers are using all three outlets to maximize their ROI.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org

The Top Ten Ways Print Helps You Prosper: #4 - Print is beautiful

Why do they call it the graphic arts? Because print is beautiful and printers continue to consider every job they do a personal masterpiece. And now, advanced printing techniques - like high-fi color and advanced screening - make their work more appealing and more compelling.

Photos seem to jump off the page. Special effects draw the eye to the printed content, and a new generation of papers and substrates make readers want to touch and feel your message. You can't get any closer than that. The beauty of print will enhance your product or service, giving it a special appeal of its own and an extra tangible dimension that no electronic media can impart.

  ©2006, The Print Council, Washington, DC, www.theprintcouncil.org