5 Keys to Customer Acquisition
Without direct mail, customer acquisition falls flat. Sound like a bold claim? It is, but there’s a reason—it’s true. Many direct marketers can attest that, without direct mail, their customer acquisition efforts would be less successful.
What makes direct mail so powerful?
Did you know that 6% of consumers in the United States don’t have access to broadband? That 30% of Americans don’t use Facebook? Or that only 83% of U.S. adults have cellphones, and of those, 17% don’t text? Even the best email lists only reach 40–50% of your list. Postal mail is the only channel that can reach your entire target audience.
People change email addresses frequently, whether through preference or job change. By contrast, people may live at the same address for years, if not decades.
Data used to personalize by demographic and psychographic can be readily cross-checked and validated. When purchasing or adding to a direct mail list, you can have a high level of confidence in its accuracy.
It is not unusual for the average person to receive hundreds of emails in a single day. Even the best, most personalized email may still never be seen. By contrast, with consumers’ mailboxes less full than they used to be, well-designed direct mail pieces jump out and command attention.
HTML email utilizes many of the benefits of graphics and personalization, but direct mail offers a level of tangibility and visual appeal not available in any other channel. People respond to the richness of color, the depth of imagery, and dimensional techniques such as coatings, dynamic folds, and eye-catching die-cuts.
Want to acquire more customers for your business? Contact me about direct mail!
Dana Wolfe
423-677-2202 DWolfe@clinchvalleyprinting.com
Omni? Multi? Cross? Integrated? What’s the Difference?
When it comes to using multiple channels to communicate with your customers, there are many terms which can be very confusing. What do they all mean? Is there a meaningful difference between them? If so, what is it? Let’s take a look.
Multichannel – using multiple channels
Multichannel marketing is just as it sounds: using more than one channel to talk to your customers. Whether the channels are integrated or not, using multiple channels is important. Send out two engagement emails, one direct sales mail piece per month, plus run Google Ads to draw in web traffic, and you are doing multichannel marketing.
Omnichannel – comprehensive based on data capture
Omnichannel describes the comprehensive approach in which the customer’s experience is consistent across channels. Customers receive emails, text alerts, and customized website experiences based on their purchase and browsing behavior. In this style of marketing, you know who your customers are, what they buy, and how they engage with you. Then, you communicate based on their behavior whether they make a purchase or not. (Think abandoned shopping cart emails.) Data is captured and shared across channels to achieve a seamless experience.
Cross-channel – mixing different types of marketing, leading from one step to the next
This means that the customer is moving from one channel to the other. Usually, the channels are integrated in some way. Scanning a QR Code to download a coupon is cross-channel marketing. So is clicking through an email to access a product page on the marketer’s website.
Integrated – traditional & digital working together
This describes traditional and digital channels working together based on timing or reinforcement of the message. For example, a consumer calls to receive an information kit, which is mailed out the next day. If the customer places an order, you automatically send a “thank you” email. If they do not place an order, you send a follow-up email one week later, offering them an incentive to come back and buy.
All of these methods are important for the future of your organization. They may sound complicated, but we can make it easy. Want to execute a cross-channel, multichannel, or integrated marketing campaign for your customers? Let’s discuss what works best for your individual situation.
Call or email me!
Dana Wolfe, Print Specialist and Professional Problem Solver
423-677-2202 dwolfe@clinchvalleyprinting.co
Use Language Your Audience Understands
Whether you are writing copy for a postcard or an email, the language you use matters. Just like products and images, the wording you use should be matched to the different demographics of your target audience(s).
Let’s look at three examples:
#1: Millennials
Millennials have great influence and spending power, and despite conventional wisdom, they are highly influenced by direct mail. But the traditional “features and benefits” approach doesn’t work for this group. Instead, Millennials tend to seek experiences. Your messaging should focus less on the details of the product and more on how it benefits their lives. If you are selling bicycles, for example, you might focus less on how smoothly the gears shift and more on how cycling to work helps them save money on gas, which gives them more money to spend on things they love.
#2: The “New 50”
On the other end of the spectrum is the retired generation. Traditionally, this group has been called “seniors,” but this term will turn them off quickly. This generation sees themselves as empowered, full of vigor, and entering a new life of freedom. We often see wording and imagery reflecting the value in travel and leisure, new life directions, and deepening family relationships. This audience also value reflecting a sense of responsibility for passing on traditions, protecting finances, and leaving a legacy for the next generation.
#3: Luxury Consumers
Another highly sought-after group is consumers of luxury goods. This high-income demographic is less interested in features and more interested in status. If you have a print or email VIP Club, for example, this group wants unique insights and experiences (behind-the-scenes look at your new wine) and exclusive benefits (gourmet buffet for gold members on-site at the museum) reserved only for them. They also enjoy seeing themselves on the pages of community magazines.
Need help tweaking your messaging to increase response rates within each target audience? Give me a call!
Dana Wolfe, Print Specialist and Professional Problem Solver
423-677-2202 dwolfe@clinchvalleyprinting.com
If you think you can’t take advantage of personalized print marketing because you only have a person’s name and address, take heart! There are three highly effective approaches to personalization that you can deploy with just two data points.
Let’s take a look…
You can learn a lot about someone only by their physical address. Using addresses to determine which homeowners live in townhouses, single-family homes, and older homes allows you to craft your offer and messaging more precisely. Someone with a home over 25 years old, for example, may need roofing and window replacements. Homeowners with new construction might need landscaping or deck treatments.
Sometimes it’s not the type of home someone lives in that drives the messaging. It’s where you want them to go. This is where personalized mapping can be very useful. Using the recipient’s address, you can create customized maps from their home to the desired location. This approach is excellent for event marketing and store openings. Imagine—the recipient comes home to a direct mailer about the opening of a new restaurant, a new branch at the bank, or a new fitness club. The mailer provides a discount for their first purchase, then includes a personalized map from their house to the location, along with estimated drive times.
With the right software, you can personalize the salutation and other information in your mailer by adding a gender field to your database. Using special software can open a whole new world of personalization, including customized messaging, imagery, and product selection based on gender. Be sure to set up gender-neutral messaging and imagery for names that the software does not recognize; or those, such as Bobbie or Leslie, that cross gender lines.
Need help getting the most out of your database? Call or email me to discuss your options. I would love to help you!
What does it take to create customer loyalty, the kind of commitment that makes customers stick with you, even when your competitors become more aggressive, and price competition intensifies? Here are some tips from the experts.
Retaining customers takes planning. It requires an intentional, focused effort to keep those customers you’ve worked so hard to have. What’s your plan?
3 Secret Benefits of Print Over Digital
In a world infatuated with digital, print marketers have a secret in their pockets—print. Here are three reasons why print still packs a wallop, even in a digital world.
Just because there isn’t a print and mail cost doesn’t mean that digital channels are less expensive than print. Digital channels have constant churn in addresses and profiles, for example, so lists require constant management and updating. Email also has significant costs associated with opt-in, opt-out, and other list management that print doesn’t.
Your highly targeted, perfectly timed email can get buried under dozens or hundred of others before the recipient even knows it’s there. By contrast, people retrieve and sort their mail every day.
One of the primary reasons people visit your website is because of something they’ve seen or received in print. Study after study shows that print and online channels work in a symbiotic relationship.
Convinced? Great! Here are three tips for getting most out of your efforts:
Now you have the secret. Let’s put it to work together!
Recently, we’ve added a new addition to the CVP lineup of services – W I D E Format. We are now able to produce banners, window graphics, canvas prints, various types of signage, die-cut stickers and labels, floor graphics, plus so much more! We are extremely excited for all the projects this will allow us to produce for everyone. There really is no limit to the possibilities of what we can create for our clients. Please check out our newly added ‘Wide Format’ area in our ‘Gallery’ section of our site to view a small sample of what we’ve created thus far! If you have an idea, or would like us to help you with your next project, don’t hesitate to reach us!
-CVP
It has been awhile since we’ve last posted an update, so here is what is new in our world. At the beginning of this month we helped sponsor the Southwest Virginia Advertising Federation’s Addy Awards. Every year it has a theme and this year’s theme was ‘Downton Addy’ based off the PBS TV show, Downton Abbey. It is always a great time when you see friends you don’t get a chance to see that often and also to enjoy some of the great advertising works created for the area. There were so many great entries this year, and in this year’s Addys it was the first time there was a student division, which was spectacular! We look forward to seeing what students come up with for next year. There are some extremely talented young people in our area. We were fortunate enough to be a part of four award winning creations. The winners received beautiful hand blown glass trophies with brilliant swirls of glitter within the glass. We added a section in our gallery that gives you an idea how great these trophies are and which pieces won – be sure to check it out!
We are very excited to see what award winning projects we can help create this upcoming year!
-CVP
With the New Year upon us, it’s time to take a moment to reflect on our previous year. We here at Clinch Valley Printing had a great 2013. We have the best of both worlds: great employees and great clients! Working with people who love what they do, makes all the difference in a workplace. We work hard providing the best service in the area, and we have a good time doing so!
2013 wouldn’t be nearly as special without our clients. Helping people accomplish their business goals, personal projects, or creating something for the community makes us eager to fire up the presses. We wouldn’t be where we are without their continued support. We’ve been very fortunate in 2013 and we are looking forward to an even stellar 2014!
-CVP
While Clinch Valley Printing has been around for decades, we have recently celebrated our first year under new ownership. A lot has happened this past year. New people added to our family, a new website, new logo, and new equipment added to the shop. This year has went by in a blink, mainly due to all of the projects that have come through our doors. We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our clients, both new and old. We are very thankful for all of your support and we look forward to serving you all in the future. This past year would not have been so successful without you.
Stay tuned for more this year. The best is yet to come!
-CVP
