Stand out in sales presentations and in customers’ mailboxes! Offset print products showcase your business. We’ll help you choose the highest quality, most cost-effective method of printing to meet your goals.
When you design an effective direct mail campaign to get more sales or to build awareness, you don’t have to be anxious and wait for an increase in calls or sales if you track your results. When you measure the results, you’ll know when sales roll in and if your campaign was successful.
While the marketing world has its own 4 P’s of marketing, we in the direct mail advertising corner of the industry have our own “mix”. Our 4 P’s – People, Print, Preparation and Postage – also promote your products or brand to customers and prospects! Learn the industry leading formula for a successful direct mail advertising campaign at One Stop Mail with the 4P’s of Direct Mail Marketing.
Welcome back! This is part three in our series of articles highlighting some of the less-known or less-often used products that can be produced with direct digital printing services. (Here are Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed them.)
There’s no need for more buildup; let’s just get right into more great ideas for integrating digital print into your marketing and outreach!
It’s easy to neglect real-world advertising and outreach when there are so many new and trendy ways of engaging in e-marketing. However, while electronic media have gotten all the press, digital printing service options have been continuing to get ever-better.
Digital printing now offers numerous new options for getting your message out, and physical media is still one of the most effective forms of local outreach you can engage in. So, we wanted to write a few blogs highlighting some of the lesser-used forms of printed marketing, in hopes of giving you new ideas for your local campaigns.
Welcome back! This is Part 2 in our ongoing series exploring many of the lesser-used options in marketing when businesses uses a digital printing company. (You can find Part 1 here.)
Digital printing has revolutionized print marketing in many ways, as well as re-energizing some older forms of advertisements which had previously been seen as passe‘ thanks to the outdated technologies behind them. However, with today’s digital print options, there’s a new world of options for reaching out through printed mediums.
So, we have some more ideas you might be able to employ to kickstart your local marketing campaigns.
You have a lot of options in the Arizona area for having custom print jobs done. Why hire a group with digital printers on-site? Because you can get better, more vibrant prints made with more customization than could ever be done at traditional facilities! The print world is going digital for good reason. Even if you only have small batches, the benefits of digital printing include both cost-effective and superior to most manual methods. Read more
When comparing offset printing vs. digital printing, digital continues to grow in popularity. Yet, which is right for your next print job? Some examples are below.
For more than a century, offset printing was the standard for pretty much any print job. It’s called offset because ink isn’t applied directly to the final product. An aluminum or rubber plate is used as a go-between, holding the ink when paper is placed against it. Since this process is entirely “analog” it results in crisp and accurate reproductions every time.
However, while digital printing may lag slightly in terms of image quality, it’s making inroads against offset printing. Digital offers several features that offset cannot match.
Because digital requires less setup, and doesn’t need plates, it’s far more cost effective for smaller batches, especially quantities of less than 100. Likewise, if you’re doing a lot of micro-targeting and looking to send several versions of a mailer, digital will allow for the variety you need without the high costs associated with reconfiguring an offset printer.
What if you’re looking to heavily personalize each mailer or one-sheet with personal information or perhaps individual QR Codes? Simply put, this cannot be done with offset printing. Digital printing solutions can easily make printed materials as customized -or interactive- as an email. The costs associated with trying this on offset printing equipment would be absurd.
One of the main limitations on digital printing is the same as all other digital graphics: resolution. The bigger the piece being printed, the less likely a digital printer will be able to match offset quality. But, this also goes in the other direction. Digital printers can create super-sharp smaller pieces of artwork, sometimes with better fidelity than offset processes.
While the initial setup of an offset print job is higher, this can be mitigated by the sheer speed of offset printing. If you need ten thousand copies of the same poster, offset will deliver it faster and for less money. This is the sort of job offset printing excels at.
As alluded to above, the quality of digital printing goes down as the physical size of the final product goes up. Large digitally-printed materials are likely to be pixilated, or have unacceptably large spacing between printed dots. This may not matter if the object will only be seen from a distance, such as a banner ten feet above the ground. However, if it will be seen close-up, offset printing can stand up to more scrutiny.
Offset printing can also handle a wider variety of inks and printing materials. As such, it is better suited for high-end products that might include metallic inks, gold foil, or expensive paper stock. While digital is making strides in this area, offset printing can still add touches of class or luxury that digital cannot provide.
So, there’s no single answer to whether offset printing vs. digital printing is “better.” Each technology has its own advantages and areas in which it excels. If you’re in doubt about which will work better for your own print jobs, just contact One Stop Mail. Our shop offers the state of the art printing, and we can ensure you get the right techniques for every form of printed media you need!
Related Post: Why use digital printing?
Updated 11.20.20
It has been an unprecedented year. The global pandemic has forced businesses in every industry and of all sizes to re-think how they conduct business and present themselves in a safe, yet effective way. Marketing by mail is a tactic that is perfect for the current global situation.
Although most businesses have seen a decline in sales and revenue, now is not the time to cut back on your marketing budget. Successful businesses, navigating these turbulent times are still reaching out to current and potential customers.
Most of us are stuck at home during the pandemic. That means we’re more likely to be around to grab our mail and look at it – it may even be the only source of fresh entertainment these days.
Prior to the pandemic, it may have been 3-4 days between trips to the mailbox. These days, 37% more of your customers are excited to receive their mail daily and 30% more are reading the marketing materials compared to before the pandemic.
Because people are mostly indoors at home and looking for things to do, now is a great opportunity to put your business in front of your loyal customers and new prospects. Marketing by mail allows you to communicate with your customers that you are open, safe and what services you’re currently providing.
For new prospects, you can offer the same communication but maybe add a special or offer to get them to try your service for the first time.
Not only is your target audience stuck at home, they’re also stuck looking at the original cabinets they’ve been considering replacing or dreaming of the pool in the backyard they’ve yet to pull the trigger on. With more and more people at home, consumers are open to investing and making changes to their homes.
Catch them at this opportune time with an attractive postcard that showcases your high-quality work to further entice them to make a buying decision. Use your direct mail marketing dollars to provide a gentle nudge to make the changes they’ve been dreaming about for the past few months.
Marketing, especially through the mail, is a numbers game. The more you can stay in front of your customers and prospects, the better off your business will be long-term.
One of the biggest mistakes your business can make right now is cutting back on marketing and falling behind your competition. Instead, stay ahead of the competition by constantly communicating and maintaining or even increasing your ad budget.
Unfortunately, many businesses have had to close their doors leaving their loyal customer bases open and available. Make sure you’re first in the mailbox to these potential new customers.
Don’t just be first in the mailbox, truly stand out and grab attention! Now would be a great time to explore new ways to market your business through direct mail whether it be a larger mail piece or including personalized, variable data. For more information on how to stand out from the competition, check out these pro tips.
Now is the perfect time to get prospects familiar with your brand. Again, because your prospects are mostly at home, your reach can increase and you can really hammer home your messaging to people.
In all likelihood, a new customer isn’t going to walk into your business after the first direct mail piece they receive. However, if you reach out to them multiple times in conjunction with your other marketing efforts, you’ll move closer to helping them make a buying decision with you. Use a catchy offer or a colorful postcard to stand out and make your brand memorable.
Now more than ever, it is important to communicate with your customers and prospects about safety of your business and its practices. Consumers need to know whether it’s safe to have you in their home or when they visit your store. Communicating your policy on masks, social distancing and safety protocols will go a long way in building trust and loyalty from your customers.
We don’t advocate that you leverage a bad situation for gain – but, right now there’s an opportunity for you to be the solution for a stuck-at-home-client. One Stop Mail has all of the resources, from start to finish, to help your business achieve your goals.
Whether your goal is to drive up sales and ROI or simply keep in touch with your customers, now is a great time to spend on direct mail marketing and finish 2020 strong! Call 602-233-3003 to get started on your successful campaign, today.
The concept of “cheap direct mail” is flawed in that you can always find ways to save money on direct mail but you often do so at the cost of results. So the real question to ask yourself isn’t how to save money on mail advertising, but where it makes sense to save money without losing possible revenue.
We review and get into the nitty-gritty details of the three types of inexpensive mailing lists that don’t sacrifice results.
Each of these options provides cost savings in its own way and may be a perfect fit for a direct mail campaign while not breaking the bank.
A saturation list is exactly what it sounds like. A list of addresses with zip codes that encompasses a radius around a particular location and “saturate” or mail to every address. This list is for businesses that want to attract new customers in a particular area but don’t need to target specific criteria. These are best used when your campaign can apply to a wide range of people.
In addition to being an inexpensive mailing list to procure, perhaps the biggest advantage of saturation lists is that they have the lowest postage rate. Direct mail sent using saturation lists requires minimal sorting at the post office and is efficient to deliver, lowering the cost to send. Typically, the postage cost is between 8 and 14 cents per piece using a saturation list.
Mailing to new homeowners is a great way to get in front of an audience that is ready to spend money and needs specific services to personalize their home. Every new homeowner wants to make their new house their own whether it be shutters, blinds, storage, kitchen/bathroom remodels, and much more. Or they need new services in their new neighborhood like restaurants, dentists, pest control, or pool services/landscape.
Just moved mailing lists are not the cheapest lists up front. However, they are extremely effective. These lists are very targeted and achieve good results, providing a high return on investment.
As a low-cost solution to direct mail using just moved mailing lists, One Stop Mail offers an all-inclusive New Mover Mailer Program for direct mail campaigns of 1,000 pieces (250 weekly) or more. Position yourself as one of the first businesses into the home and receive new leads weekly. This recurring schedule lowers your direct mail costs while increasing brand awareness and ultimately sales.
Some businesses may require an audience that meets specific sets of criteria. When considering a consumer marketing mailing list, think about things like household income, children, or the age of residents in the household. These lists are ideal for businesses targeting a specific type of consumer.
The cost of a consumer list depends on the type and amount of customer criteria that you purchase. Basic demographic information is often included in a consumer list or added at a very low cost to achieve a more targeted list. You can then include additional specialized criteria you are interested in, such as education or occupation. It will cost more, but those extra specific criteria will produce better responses.
The first and arguably most important box to check when developing a successful direct mail campaign is determining your target audience. You can design the most engaging mail piece, but if it isn’t mailed to the appropriate prospects, the likelihood of receiving any calls or clicks to your website drops dramatically. The right marketing mailing lists maximize the success of your campaign.
There are critical steps to take before you take the step to rent or buy mailing lists. To get the desired outcome, determine who will respond to your product, service, or special offer.
Perhaps your ideal customers are the ones you already have. Maybe your ideal customer is slightly different than your current base. Either way, it’s best to think about what demographics make up your ideal customer.
Jot down a list of characteristics like:
Household incomeAll of these factors play into the right targeted mailing list you can use to attract new ideal customers. These traits will help determine the type of marketing mailing lists to use.
After you’ve selected the best type of list for your direct mail campaign, personalize your mailer for the best results. Use the names and consider the specific criteria of your mailing list to inform the design of your direct mail pieces and engage customers.
If you’re addressing a new homeowner, congratulate them on their new home. If your list is households with children, highlight kids in some way whether through imagery or special offers. If your mailing list provides the prospects’ names, use variable data printing to personalize mail pieces with their first name. Personalization in a mail piece only strengthens your chances of the person reading your mail and taking action.
If you don’t have an internal marketing team to design your next direct mail campaign from start to finish, turn to One Stop Mail – we do all the heavy lifting for you. From professional, eye-catching design and inexpensive mailing lists to data services and deploying your mailings, you can depend on One Stop Mail to deliver outstanding results and help you stand out in the mailbox. Call 602-233-3003 to get started on your successful campaign, today.
“One Stop Mail has been our absolute go to for large scale mailings. We love how professional and quickly they respond to our business needs along with top quality printing and reproduction. Highly recommend!”
