BHP Printing Blog

Odds are your business offers multiple goods and/or services. Each of those products or services is perfect for a different demographic of customer. How would you like to reach them all, personally with one printing run?

You can when you print different QR codes specific to a product's customer base on each direct mail piece. Sound like two or more print runs? It’s not with variable data printing.

QR codes can be created for each product and/or service that your business offers. Print a direct mail piece for one demographic using a QR code and print another direct mail piece with a different QR code for the next demographic. Print as many direct mailers as you’d like, using as many QR codes as necessary.

Variable Data Printing is a form of on-demand printing where elements such as text or, in this case, QR codes, may be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the printing process.

For information on customer specific direct mailers, contact Blue Hill Press.

Is your business still not taking advantage of the power of direct mail? Recent marketing surveys show the impact direct mail plays in the multi-media marketing mix.

The first study analyzed the performance of 260 marketing campaigns across all industry sectors. It found that combining direct mail with other channels increases campaign payback by up to 20%. The study also revealed that online and outdoor marketing channels achieved the highest rates of success when integrated with direct mail.

The second study found that nearly half of consumers then visit a company’s website because of direct mail they received. The survey found that 47% of consumers visited a website after receiving a promotional direct mail piece. The figure rises to 53 % for the 18-to-24 age group.

All of this should make the case for direct mail marketing. The findings certainly show that direct mail is still a powerful tool. Direct mailers play a pivotal role in any business’s efforts to contact consumers despite the increasing use of e-mail and regardless of how consumers make the purchase.

For information and assistance creating and printing an informative and creative direct mail piece, contact Blue Hill  Press.

Have you seen a QR code? A QR code is a special bar code that links printed material to the internet. You have probably seen them on direct mail pieces, in-store ads, and on products. If you have a marketing plan that encompasses all types of media, including mobile marketing, you should be printing QR codes to further market your products and services.

Anyone with a smart phone can scan the QR code and their phone’s browser will take them to a landing page. Most people with a mobile phone carry a smart phone; QR codes have become the perfect way to expand the information from printed marketing material.

Most business use the internet, and using a QR code can drive traffic to that site. Printing marketing material that will integrate with the internet is imperative in today’s day and age.

• Use a QR code on a menu to allow customers to sign up for a newsletter and coupon.
• Use a QR code on direct mail for a particular product with more information about that product on a landing page.
• Use a QR code to drive clients to a YouTube video that has information on your products and services.
• Use a QR code on your business card so your contact information can be auto populated into a smart phone’s contacts.

For more information and ideas on how to use QR codes to further integrate your marketing media, contact Blue Hill Press.

Sales letters and postcards are two very different, but popular, direct mail formats that can produce powerful results. Recognizing the unique benefits of each can help you choose the right match for your next campaign.

When to send direct mail letters

The strength of a sales letter is the amount of space you have. This is the format to use for telling a lengthy sales story. Sometimes the details of your offer simply can’t be conveyed in a few words. This is especially true if your product or service has a high price point, since big purchases require more convincing than smaller ones.

Copy that spans multiple pages can actually increase a target’s involvement with your piece, which could translate into higher response. In addition, you can package a letter with reply cards, coupons, testimonials, brochures and other relevant sales materials that could likewise increase your mailer’s effectiveness.

Consider sending a sales letter to:

• Introduce your business
• Share updates about your services or products
• Offer exclusive discounts to a targeted group

When to send direct mail postcards

A direct mail postcard’s greatest strength is its accessibility. This is the format to use for quickly connecting with your audience. By not hiding your offer in an envelope, you boost the chances that it will be seen. Take advantage of the opportunity by crafting a message that is direct, concise and easy to understand.

Postcards also are generally less expensive to produce and mail than sales letters. Their lower cost makes them ideal for testing elements like offers and mailing lists before launching full-blown campaigns. In addition, postcards are less formal than letters, so you can communicate more casually.

Consider sending a direct mail postcard to:

• Drive traffic to a website
• Present special offers and coupons and announce sales
• Thank recent customers and keep in contact with lapsed ones

Of course, you don’t need to use letters and direct mail postcards in isolation. They can work well together, too. You could send a postcard to follow up on a sales letter, for example, or send a postcard as a “teaser” for a forthcoming sales letter. Both formats also could be useful elements in a larger, integrated campaign.

Original article - Deliver Magazine

Stop doing your holiday greetings the old fashioned way. With variable image printing and variable data printing you can make your greetings personal.
 
Why make a generic holiday greeting? Use variable data printing to personalize your direct mail or holiday card. Not only can you add a personal salutation to each card, you can also make your greeting Christmas or Hanukah specific without slowing down the printing process. Get personal with your customer base.
 
With variable image printing, make your direct mail or greeting cards personal to your clientele. Add a Christmas or Chanukah image to your card to more personally celebrate the holidays with your customers. Variable image printing creates a compelling personalized marketing messages with an impact that goes beyond that of variable text.

Variable image and variable data printing brings your costs down while making your direct mail or holiday greetings personal and different. Don’t pay for multiple printing runs.  Contact Blue Hill Press for your holiday greetings.

Trish Witkowski is a marketing expert who teaches business owners about the many distinct and creative ways that they can bend, seal, crease and deliver their direct mailer.

“If you can pique someone’s interest with direct mail, you’re one step closer to getting a higher response rate and a bigger return on your investment,” Witkowski explains.

“You want the best chance to get the attention of the recipient and folding is one component that is underutilized. So many creative things can be done with direct mail, and I don’t think we, as an industry, are taking advantage of the opportunity.”

With Direct Mail an intricate fold or creative bend can make your next marketing piece all the more effective.

(click on images to enlarge)

Print is effective in a powerful and visual way.

Witkowski, the founder of foldfactory.com, a company that builds dynamic templates for folded materials, says digital media campaigns are most effective when combined with direct mail. She speaks about the importance of print and sees it as a viable method for getting a targeted audience to take notice.

“Print has always been a highly effective form of communication. With all of the enhanced direct mail technologies available, we can print shorter runs to a more targeted audience. There can be a lot of value in spending a little more per piece on a high-impact solution that can be mailed to a smaller group of high-quality prospects.”
 
Liven up your campaigns and spend additional time, energy and resources to create mailings that are appealing and customer friendly.

Contact Blue Hill Press for help in creating, designing and printing your direct mail piece.

Original article – Deliver Magazine

In the next few weeks your business will be printing their holiday greeting cards. Your greeting cards can be personal and specific. With variable data printing each greeting can be personalized with your clients name. Your greeting’s image can even be holiday specific if necessary with variable image printing.

Show your customers or potential customers that you are thinking of them this holiday season. But with direct mail greetings, save your business time and effort. No more shopping for the ideal, yet generic holiday greeting, and no more hand addressing hundreds of cards.

Holiday direct mail marketing can serve two or more purposes. Inform potential clients or customers of your goods and services through direct mail and wish them a happy holiday season.

Direct mail postcards can help you promote your business easily, effectively and affordably. But to capitalize on these benefits, you need a reliable and efficient program in place. That's where Blue Hill Press postcard printing services come into the picture.

These days your potential customers are bombarded with messages. With e-mail, texting, connecting on social networking sites, hundreds of television channels, viewing online videos and listening to satellite radio, they see hundreds of product messages a day.

Marketers should understand that all mediums can work with direct mail in new and interesting ways that get results. By taking advantage of diversified channels, you can add impact, build engagement and strengthen your database.

For instance, catalogs drive more traffic to your websites and increases the amount people spend when they get there.

Likewise, you can use direct mail marketing to promote an upcoming store event. For a bigger impact send an e-mail soon after and promote the event on social networking sites. The day of the event, grow your database by gathering information from every attendee, then follow up with a custom direct mail piece to your newly expanded list.

3 ways direct mail integration can help gather customer data

Combining marketing channels can help you capture customer data in other ways, too.

• Direct mail can drive targets to a personalized URL where they can see customized information and fill out a profile.
• Mail and mobile can be combined.
• Social networking followers can be invited to join your mailing list to receive a free product sample or discount.

As your database gets stronger, you will begin to understand how your targets want to communicate with you and which mediums best complement your direct mail efforts.

By keeping the tone, look and feel of your message consistent across multiple media, you’ll also gain increased brand awareness. Contact Blue Hill Press for assistance with your direct mail campaign.

Original article – Deliver Magazine

You know what your brand stands for, now you want to spread the word. Direct mail is a powerful way to deliver a message right to your customers, and to bring more business to you.

Direct mail can strengthen your brand by keeping it visible and generating a response. Put your brand in the hands of your customers and prospects through direct mail.

Direct Mail marketing is also:

• Targeted. Mail lets you selectively target people most likely to respond.
• Personal. You can address your customers by name, speak to them individually and appeal to their interests.
• Flexible. From letters to brochures, there is a wide variety of inexpensive formats you can use for your direct mail campaign.
• Measurable. Mail lets you track the success of your campaign. It’s as simple as counting the inquiries you received or the number of coupons redeemed. By tracking and analyzing your results, you’ll see what’s working and can make adjustments to future mailings if needed.
• Easy. You don’t need a big budget to advertise with the mail. With the right printer who has experience in direct mail printing, you can create an effective and  professional direct mail piece.

By creating a strong brand and reinforcing that message you can project credibility and increase market penetration with your mail pieces. Contact Blue Hill Press to begin your marketing campaign.

Deliver Magazine

You have worked hard on your direct mail marketing piece. While budgets and costs are important, you should not let price be the deciding factor when it is time to pick your printer. Be sure that your biggest concerns are:

• Printing quality
• Services offered
• Speed
• Customer service
• Price

Things to consider in a direct mail printing company.

When you’re working with a commercial printer, ask certain questions to make sure the printer is a good fit for your direct mail needs as well as your budget.

1.Ask for samples of printed pieces that are similar to yours. Check for printing and paper quality.

2.In addition to printing, what direct mail services does the company offer? Does the printer offer graphic design, or in-house mailing options? Often it is easier to work with printers who can manage the entire project.

3.What is the typical turnaround time for similar jobs?

4.Request references, and call them. It is important to ask what businesses like and don’t like about working with this printer. You can also find out how different printers handle problems.

5.Will you have one point of contact at the printer?  

6.Ask for an itemized cost estimate that outlines the cost of each service or step. This lets you make accurate comparisons.

Selecting the right printer can save you time and money. But printers have done this before, so with good communication and a partnership, you get good advice which can increase your response rate. Contact Blue Hill Press for your direct mail needs.