A Message To Hold On To……. Literally!!

It can be easy to get caught up in the next big digital marketing tool. But how much of this digital marketing do your customers respond to? Although it is indisputable that digital marketing has changed the way businesses market and advertise, studies have shown that consumers still crave the tangible items that you can provide for them. So go ahead and give your customers a message that they’ll hold on to, literally. Here are some reasons you shouldn’t forget about print marketing.

The Old Timer
There must be a reason that physical marketing pieces have worked for so long. As it turns out, there are internal reasons that we love tangible marketing materials, such as direct mail or newsletters.  A recent study by Millward Brown (millwardbrown.com) showed that these physical materials use up emotional processing. And when it comes to memory and brand associations, more emotional processing is essential.

Physical marketing pieces also generate a great brain response connected to internal feelings. More activity occurs in the parts of your brain that generate vivid memories when you are presented with physical materials. That means your customers should connect on a greater level with your physical marketing tools and also remember your materials better than digital marketing.

Let’s Get Real
When you’re at home, you wouldn’t print out a document until you were finished preparing it. And then, when the information is printed on paper it suddenly becomes much more real. Just like this, a tangible item gives your customers a sense of reality that digital marketing can’t give them. Consumers can often skip over or quickly delete items that they are emailed or that pop up on the side of their computer screens. But when the item is placed in front of them, chances are they will take a closer look before deciding whether or not they want to hold on to the information. And if you have designed your materials creatively and effectively, it will be even more difficult for consumers to discard the information.

Time is Money
Companies that take the time to send tangible marketing pieces show consumers a level of caring that they might not get in the digital world. Isn’t it nice these days when you receive a hand written card in the mail, as opposed to an email? Knowing that somebody took the time to actually prepare something for you shows a much greater sense of personalization than an email that you could have sent in a few seconds without hassle. If you took the time to send customers tangible marketing materials, they’ll know that you’re really there to help them with what they need. They’ll feel cared for and you’ll see that your extra time and money pays off in the long run.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

User Generated Content….Your Customer..Their Voice….

Recently Google shared that 70% of brand content is created by consumers. And that’s a good thing if you have loyal customers, because Google tells us that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know. So maybe it’s time to show the people who trust your company just how much you trust them. Put some of the marketing responsibilities in their hands. That may seem like you’re giving up control, but through the use of User Generated Content (UGC), you can involve your customers to have them help do some marketing work for you. Here are some ways that you can use UGC to boost your credibility and business.

Get Their Feedback
One of the easiest ways to use UGC is to simply ask customers how you’re doing. You can set up a place for feedback on your website or you can even ask customers to fill out a short response card in person. Either way, you’re gathering UGC that will help you better understand what they want. Surveys are another great way to check up on your customers. Make sure to specifically target what you’re trying to find out before you send out the survey. By asking concise and direct questions, you’re sure to get helpful answers. Then, you can use the information you gather to show prospects what other customers thought of your company.

Be the Buzz
In order to market yourself using UGC, you need your customers to talk about your company. Social media is a great way to utilize this aspect of UGC. If you’re not already using social media, maybe it’s time to add it to your marketing plan. Social media puts you where your customers are playing. Once you have your social media in place, pose questions where your followers can reply. Make sure the questions spark discussion for the best responses. On certain sites, followers will be able to tag you in a post where all of their friends will see that your customers are talking about your company. Another great way to get them talking is to post articles in a blog that you can share on your website and in social media. Leave a section for comments so customers can react to your posts.

Monitor the Conversation
Once you provide opportunities for UGC, you need to remain involved in the conversation. If you’re asking questions, conducting surveys or allowing for comments on your blog posts, you need to monitor and reply back to your customers. If you’re not involved in the conversation, they will stop leaving comments because they feel that it is not worth their time.

And don’t forget, even if you’re not actively involved in a UGC plan for your business, customers are still talking about you online. An easy way to check out what’s being said is to set up Google Alerts. With this service, you’ll receive an email when the keywords you’ve selected, such as your name our your company’s name, are mentioned on the web.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

QR Codes…Inspiring and Personal

QR codes are everywhere. If you haven’t noticed them on signs, direct mail pieces or store windows, you’re just not paying attention. QR codes (Quick Response codes) are a way for your prospects to interact with your marketing, and your business should consider getting on board.

Every business has the potential to use QR codes in an unexpected way. If your business innovates its marketing campaign with QR codes, your bound to enjoy a healthy ROI in addition to increased customer interaction. Keep reading for our list interesting places we’ve found QR codes, that can be both inspiring and personable.

Menus
Print a QR code on your menus to engage restaurant diners. The QR code could direct them to a video of the chef preparing an entrée or even nutritional information. Somewhat obvious caveat—if the food’s fatty enough to make guests lose their appetite, stick with a server bio or something else to spark a diner’s interest.

Invitations
Event invitations with QR codes can link to a landing page where invitees can RSVP or check out directions to the venue.

Real Estate Lawn Signs
Realtors are attracting passersby by printing QR codes on their listings’ lawn signs. The link leads potential buyers to sites with video walkthroughs of the house and all the details included in a sell sheet. QR codes help realtors hook prospects before they walk past the home and forget about it. Sold!

Receipts
Most consumers research a business online before patronizing it. Make sure your online presence is strong and then print QR codes on your business’s receipts. Link to a landing page inviting them to comment on your stellar service and enjoy a boost in your number of online reviews.

Coffee Bags
Starbucks recently rolled out a QR code campaign that takes an educational approach to the QR code trend by linking to videos of coffee experts or music samples from the region where the coffee beans are picked. Faithful sippers now have even more reason to congratulate themselves on drinking coffee.

The Back of Your Head
We don’t really expect that you’ll have a QR code shaved into your head, but it’s been done before and it gained a lot of attention. The entire starting lineup of the UK’s Bromley football club had shockingly realistic QR codes shaved into their heads for a recent match. No word on whether any fans actually tried to scan them.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the Midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Your Direct Mail Piece Can Become Trash or Treasure?

Every day you go to your mailbox to see it you have mail. As you hover over the trashcan to sort, how do you decide what piece you’ll read and what piece will fall through your hands to its demise?

While direct mail is an effective tool in your marketing campaign, there are some easy ways to foil your efforts. Here are a few tips to keep your mail out of the recycle bin.

Wrong Time/Wrong Audience
First, you must understand your target audience. Second, you must find a way to obtain their mailing address. If you’re planning to purchase a list, look to your current customers as a source for demographic and psychographic information. Current customers are also more likely to respond to direct mail, so consider a campaign for repeat business. Timing is everything. Having the offer in the right hands at the right time is critical. Direct mail campaigns fail, even with qualified lists when they are launched at the wrong time.

Focus on the Offer
The whole purpose of direct mail is to get people to do something. For businesses, that usually means purchasing something from you.  Focus on the big stuff. When people glance at your mailing, they’re looking for what you’re selling and the deal you’re making to sell it. So make it good! Make it fast! And make it clear! Doubt fills trashcans.

Poor Design
The quickest way to get a person to look at your direct mail is by having a clean design. Conversely, the quickest way to get them to toss it is to have a design with no purpose. Here is where you want to call in the professionals who can create the perfect piece for your needs.

Tracking Results
How will you know whether your direct mail campaign was successful unless you include a way to track it? What do you want the customer to do?  Remember, the very objective of sending a DM piece is to generate a response.  You want the customer to call you, visit you, make an appointment or whatever else you may want them to do. Therefore, within your DM piece, clearly and concisely point out what you want the customer to do, when you want them to do it and the benefits of doing so quickly.

To sum it up…in direct mail, when people sort your mail, they’re quick. They’re brutal. And if you don’t instantly capture their attention, your direct mail becomes landfill!  Remember, you’re writing for a reader who is standing over a trash can.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.

Utilizing the Holidays for Marketing Opportunities

Memorial Day is just a few days away, marking the unofficial start of summer. Many of you will spend the much-needed, long weekend over the grill, at the beach or at your favorite outdoor retreat. Some will be remembering loved ones and those that served to give us the freedoms we have today. However, Memorial Day can also be a reminder to find unique ways to market your business. Here are a few ways to utilize holidays in your marketing plan.

Everyone likes a deal.
Two things come to mind to observe a holiday: spending time with family around a table filled with food and great sales at your favorite retail outlets. Choose a holiday and send a direct mail piece highlighting a special to drive more traffic to your business during your slow times.

Just say thank you.
Thank you is such an easy thing to say yet it is not said enough. Your customers appreciate knowing they’re appreciated. There are a number of ways to say thank you such as a handwritten note, a postcard or even a small gift. It doesn’t even have to be a holiday to appreciate your customers, but Memorial Day is a great time to remind them they’re important.

Add some spice to your website.
If you visit Google often, you have probably noticed that the logo changes to mark special occasions. You can add some holiday flare to your website to put people in a festive mood.

Claim a holiday and make it yours.
If there’s a day on the calendar, chances are there’s a wacky observance. More than likely you can find one or two to tie in with your business objectives. Many of these holidays are fun and can offer great ideas for marketing promotions to keep your customers engaged in your business.

NJC Printing provides quality digital and offset printing to businesses in St. Louis, Missouri and throughout the midwest. Please visit our website at www.NJCPrint.com to learn more about us or to Request An Estimate.