Why companies need to use print to improve their marketing success

Written by Matthew Parker, Independent Print Procurement Expert.

Can you imagine apple pie without custard?
Can you imagine Laurel without Hardy?
Gin without tonic?
A computer without a screen?

Can you imagine communication without print?
For some years print has been an unloved form of communication. E-communication has been all the rage. Marketing and sales teams dream ofcommunicating with all customers purely by e-mail and web advertising. But now the tide is turning.

Print is back in fashion
There has been a shift is the way that agencies and marketing teams think about print communication. Sure, electronic communication will still retain a vital role in connect with customers and prospects. But there is a growing realisation that not everyone wants to connect via e-mail. There are still a sizeable proportion of people who connect with print communication.

There are some areas where e-communications can’t be used
Think of all the areas where print is still essential. Packaging, labels, exhibition stands and most signs all require print. E-communications won’t help if you want to connect with people through these mediums: you need print.

What will happen to your company if you don’t engage with print?
If you don’t use print you will fail to create a relationship with at least part of your potential audience. Therefore you will fail to achieve as much with your marketing budget. And you will feel helpless as you fail to achieve your business targets.

Print is an extra channel that will help you achieve your business goals. Using print will help you create new customer relationships. Using print will enable you to have better control over your marketing, branding and communication.

How can you prove that people still want print?
Have a look at this recent study by DM News and Pitney Bowes . The study shows that print has a very strong attraction to consumers. And this recent report shows many major companies see that e-mail marketing is failing to attract consumers. These companies are turning back to print and direct mail.

Isn’t print just for an older audience?
A 2010 study conducted by ICOM showed a preference for receiving offline (i.e. print) communication. ICOM say the preference for print was two to three times greater than online communication. The ICOM study focussed a large part of their survey on 18-34 year olds. ICOM went so far as to say:
“A key takeaway from this research is that marketers targeting coveted 18-34 year olds who are tempted to invest solely in social media could be missing a significant portion of their audience.”

But print is more expensive than e-communication
On a unit cost, e-mails are of course cheaper than print. But imagine that you sent out e-mails to the part of your audience that wanted print. The e-mails would get a near-zero conversion rate. But if you sent that same audience a printed item, you would achieve conversions. Suddenly e-mail looks expensive, and print is creating you more profit.

Make sure that print is still a part of your branding and marketing plans
Here are three things that you can do to ensure that you produce engaging print:
- Make sure you have finalised your branding
- Understand your target audience
- Contact a printer or a print consultant to help you create a print strategy to engage your audience

After all, you wouldn’t serve apple pie without custard so don’t create marketing without print.

To contact Mathew please email: print@printandprocurement.com or log onto http://www.printandprocurement.com/

Download Mathew's free e-book "Ten common print buying errors and what to do about them" - http://printandprocurement.co.uk/e-book/

To maximise your marketing effort, including print, within an integrated campaign contact CFL Marketing - www.cflmarketing.co.uk or call 01225 782669

Timing is critical for Email Marketing success!

The timing of email marketing campaigns is an age-old debate for those in the industry. Everyone wants to optimise the timing to improve open rates and sales. It's not necessarily the best day, but when can you stand out in the inbox.

Ideal timing varies dramatically by company, for example, A pizza company might realize that Friday at 4 pm is the best time to tempt its customer base with a pizza special. Or a motorcycle gear company might send emails on Saturdays when its customers think about motorcycle rides

The best way for companies to get ahead is to try to understand their target market and how their product meets those customers' needs.


The timing of email campaigns definitely impacts campaign results,. One Digital based company settled into sending its 50,000 weekly emails late morning on Tuesdays after experimenting with each of the seven days and different times. As a result, increased its open rates 200%, as well as tripled its 
conversion and click-through rates. having looked at their sales patterns and Web traffic as well to see when customers are ready to place an order Customers are far more likely to open an email if they are already online.

A Nonprofit organisation in the UK, relies on email marketing to gather volunteers and donations. This social enterprise sends 7,000 to 10,000 emails one to two times a month to its database to inform them of current projects and ways to get involved. After testing various times that fit its target market, the nonprofit realized that 9 am and 1 pm produced the best response. It achieved a 30% to 40% response from emails over a month-long period. When it sent emails at 4 pm or after, it might have received eight or nine responses out of thousands.


Here at CFL, we don't just build and send emails -we will work with you to to optimise the best time to send, as well as helping you to use email as part of a integrated marketing approach.

www.cflmarketing.co.uk - 01225 782 669

Direct mail and digital most successful combo in driving customer acquisition

The digitalisation of marketing won't trigger the end of direct mail. For most marketers, a campaign's effectiveness is contingent upon marrying traditional direct 
marketing tactics with digital technology. That is particularly true for new customer acquisition tactics.

Effective direct marketers understand, support and leverage an integrated approach for customer acquisition.

Direct mail will always be a leading channel for customer acquisition. With marketers now able to layer on the interactive elements which drive prospects to the Web and personalised content, they're bound to see a boost in response and the conversion of their top prospects.

For details on how you integrate your marketing effort, call us on 01225 782669. www.cflmarketing.co.uk

New guide challenges outdated views of door drops

80% of the top UK advertisers still use door drops!!

A new Users’ Guide to Door Drop Marketing by the DMA Door Drop Council challenges common misconceptions about the medium. Drawing on research, it shows that door drops boost awareness of a product or service and are rated higher for ROI than online, press, TV and radio.

Mark Davies, DMA Door Drop Council member and MD, TNT Post (Doordrop Media) Ltd says: “Recent door drop campaigns have achieved some of the best ROI results ever, proving that consumers continue to engage with this increasingly sophisticated medium.”

With smaller units of geography becoming available, door drops are a precisely targeted and accountable media, allowing marketers to tailor the campaign to fit within radio or television catchment areas, sales regions or an organisation’s retail territory.

CFL Marketing have recently organised a number of door drops for a national bowling company as well as one of the UK's largest pub chains.

Phil Martin, Marketing manager CFL Marketing said "We are seeing an increased demand of door drop distribution, and providing done in the correct way can return a compelling ROI, especially when used as part of an integrated marketing campaign. That said we would still see personalised direct mail much more responsive"

Direct mail was the top performing media, according to latest industry figures

The Advertising Association/Warc Expenditure Report reveals that spend on direct mail was up 12.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2010. Coming in at a very close second was TV, at 12 per cent.

Total spend on direct mail stood at £1.68bn in 2009, rising to £1.71bn in 2010.

Overall, 2010 was a good year for the UK advertising market, which saw a of 6.9 per cent rise to £15.5bn, making it the strongest year for adspend growth since the dotcom boom of 2000.



www.cflmarketing.co.uk

Easter eggstravaganza!!

Have you finalised your plans for the Easter Weekend yet??

As i'm sure you are aware Easter is fast approaching (22nd - 25th April)

Not only does this mean a long weekend but it also means the population of the UK will be off work looking for something to do!!

This is the perfect opportunity to drive people to your venues.

Why not contact CFL to build a targeted promotion!

CFL Possess that rare combination of operational experience, marketing flair and industry knowledge, our dedicated client services team will custom build a solution to fit any given brief or requirement.

Remember - you don't have long, its less than a month away!! so drop us a line 01225 782669 - or email philm@cflmarketing.co.uk
www.cflmarketing.co.uk

Please see below some examples of mailings we sent last year.

Royal Mail announces measures to keep direct mail competitive

Royal Mail is looking into the possibility of introducing a payment-by-results price offer in a bid to ensure that direct mail stays competitive, which could interest brands assessing different mailing houses options.

According to Marketing Week, the move is part of a series of measures the postal operator is looking at in a bid to boost uptake of direct mail.

Details of the strategy are not yet clear, but it looks set to focus on risk reward.

Royal Mail media director Mark Thompson told the news provider that the offer would be a "real statement of intent".