Thought Leadership

    Universities and Print

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    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.

    Marketing Budgets and Shifting Priorities

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    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.

     When it comes to print and promotional items, this can come in the form of designing and producing more simple and less expensive pieces. This is often done without any regards as to whether the simplification of the design is going to decrease the response rate. Rather than decreasing the investment in the production, it is my belief that many times a client would be better served by reducing the size of the mailing list as a way to control costs.
     
     A more targeted approach to mailing allows for more resources to be dedicated to the production costs. This can allow for more inspiring designs and innovative mailings, which can increase the response rate in the long run. The postage savings with decreased run sizes can free up the budget to allow for more intricately printed and diecut pieces or, perhaps, a premium item of greater value to the recipient. In turn, this will allow for a greater response, as the piece has a better chance of grabbing the intended recipient’s attention. Of course, all of this should be done as part of an integrated campaign so that you can constantly measure who is responding and refine the campaign as necessary.
     
    Finding out who is responding is not just important for the current campaign, but it helps you build information as to who NOT to mail to in the next campaign. This is in turn will help you continually keep your mailing list targeted to those most likely to respond to your efforts.

    Create an Impact with the Sense of Touch

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    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. 

    Both Touche and Plike are brands that come in a variety of colors and weights and are ideal for applications requiring tactile lushness coupled with strength. These stocks can be used for most finishing techniques including embossing, foil stamping, die cutting, engraving, folding and gluing. 
    Another technique to add to the feel of a piece is Soft Touch™ Aqueous Coating. This is a special effect coating that gives the sheet a soft and velvet feel. It has also been described as rubbery or plastic-like. Soft Touch™ is applied in-line on the printing press, and doesn't require any off-line treatment or processing. Although Soft Touch™ is a more expensive than traditional aqueous coating it does offer cost and time savings versus off-line laminating or matte UV, an alternative for many designers who want to create a high-end look.
    Contact us to find out how we can help you increase the impact of your printed materials.
     

    Response Rate Increase Seen in Personalized versus Static Direct Mail

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    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.

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