First, the primary raw material for printing is paper, which comes from trees, which are a renewable resource – so renewable that today our country has 20 percent more trees than it did on the first Early Day, which was held more than 40 years ago.

Printing is the only medium with a one-time carbon footprint – all other media require energy every time they are viewed. Electronic joomla_4ices require the mining and refining of dozens of minerals and metals, as well as the use of plastics, hydrocarbon solvents, and other non-renewable resources. In addition, 50-80 percent of electronic waste collected for recycling is shipped overseas and is often unsafely dismantled.

When it comes to the effectiveness of direct mail, 73% of consumers prefer mail for receiving new product announcements or offers from companies they do business with as compared to 18% from email. And 76% of small businesses state that their ideal marketing mix is a combination of direct mail and digital communications. When direct mail is combined with other marketing activities, campaign payback is increased up to 20%.

So, does paper kills trees? No, it is just the opposite. Are direct mail campaigns effective? Yes, the results speak for themselves. Is print dead? Print is alive and well!

Source: The Value of Print flip book (Printing Industries of America).

One potential pitfall, though, of variable data projects is the increased production time that is required due to the complexity of merging data fields of different sizes and formats into a fixed design.

Our team at Perfect Printing has significant experience in producing variable data projects and goes to great lengths to ensure that every record prints in the desired manner on any given variable printed piece. Preparing data for variable printing is a two step process that involves “cleansing” the data and then mapping the data to the design template. Cleansing the data involves making sure that the data in the file is consistent throughout. This process is much more time consuming than the actual mapping process and, depending on the amount of variable information being used, is the reason that a variable proof sometimes take several days longer to generate than a static print proof. The mapping portion of the process cannot begin until the data cleansing process is fully completed.

While there are some limitations to the program for larger quantity mailings, I have found the EDDM program to be of significant benefit to small and mid-size businesses that wish to communicate their message to everyone in a specific geographic area.

Direct mail fundraisers learned long ago that using a live stamp can boost response rates. Some websites even list the lift as high as 2%.

The primary reason is simple: human nature. A stamp implies a human touch and a personal interaction. Unlike the appearance of automated postal indicia and metered postage, most people perceive that a stamp was placed by a person and not a machine. (Little do they know that a mail-house applied the stamps by machine.) 

The challenge for any direct marketer is to make their piece the one that catches the eye and causes the recipient to spend additional time reviewing the information presented. One way to increase the chances of this happening is through the use of dimensional mailers.
Dimensional mail is mail that has an additional dimension beyond length and width. In the pile of envelopes and direct mailers on the intended recipient’s desk, a box will surely stick out. According to a 2010 Direct Marketing Association report, dimensional mailers had an average response rate of 8.51% for B2B mailers and 3.52% for B2C mailers. The average response rate for an envelope mailer was 1.38%.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ Article) highlighted how many universities are now adding the position of chief marketing officer. One of the advantages that a CMO at a university has over their counterparts in for-profit business is access to huge amounts of voluntarily supplied data regarding their “clients”, both students and alumni. With this data, the CMO can build integrated multi-channel campaigns that will both enhance the university brand and allow them to utilize 1:1 marketing techniques to further the conversation with their clients. The print channel can play an important role in this effort by utilizing personalized direct mailers to increase the relevance to the recipient and help maximize the desired response rates.

Tight budgets are about setting priorities and making choices in regards to what will maximize the return on investment for a marketing campaign. All too often, the need to maximize ROI is supplanted by the desire to hold costs down on a given project.

Creating a tactile sensation with your next project can be done in a number of ways. There are several paper stocks available that have a silky or soft matte finish to provide a unique sensation to the touch.  This stock will add a rich look and feel with rose-petal softness. 

When we use the term personalization, we are not referring to a simple mail merge but rather sophisticated integration with other electronic media including the use of personalized URLs and landing pages. But how much can personalization increase response rates compared to static direct mail? It is important to quantify projected results since relevant marketing can also increase expense. However, the return on investment can be significant.

Direct mail rates can vary greatly depending on what you are trying to accomplish. They differ by vertical market as well as campaign objective such as lead generation, traffic generation, direct order/fundraising and data gathering/loyalty. They are also impacted by such variables as the relevance of the message, the offer, the list, the creative and the timing. So, how then can you project response rates to build a case for personalization?

A recently published industry report from Caslon, a PODi company, compares response rates with static marketing (data from the DMA) and those that include relevant personalization. You can download this report below for statistics on response rate lifts seen in campaigns with one-to-one messaging vs. mass messaging.

Once you have a chance to review, please call us at (856) 787-1877 or use the contact us tab to schedule a conversation about how you can use targeted and measurable print marketing to create more effective connections with individuals and increase your ROI.

{mosforme 2}