Cut Through the Clutter with Direct Mail - slideshow and free pdf

It may be the age of  digital marketing but direct mail still cuts through like no other with an average response rate 3566.67% better than email marketing.

Synergy, the "S" of the SEEC model of print marketing, is the key to getting the best of both worlds. For example, you can get their attention with a postcard that has a QR code to download a free report to join your email newsletter list, where you can drip market to them forever-until-they-say-stop at low cost.

Direct Mail has special challenges requiring expertise to maximize return on investment, though. So, click through the slideshow or read, print, or download the free pdf report now- and Cut Through the Clutter with Direct Mail!

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Explore your direct mail options with an expert:

Ross Printing
2139 North Boland Circle North Charleston, SC 29406
[email protected]
843.745.0001
Or click here to inquire online.


Print Marketing: 9 Things to Know Before You DIY

Charles-6OF-Ly-5oJY-unsplashIt’s an insta-response world, right? 

We click an app, see a car on a map, it’s there in a snap.

That works for a lot of things. Woohoo!

What about when human expertise makes a difference?

Steve Jobs gave us 10,000 songs in our pockets with the iPod, then the tide turned when people realized how much music disappears in compressed mp3s heard through cheap plastic ear buds. Now we’re learning that deep, rich analog sound makes it well worth getting expert help on turntable selection.

Taking the time and consulting an expert makes a critical difference.

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Print marketing helps a business stand out in a crowded digital world and, like analog music, it can take more care and thought. And, similarly, it’s worth it.

Here are 9 points to help you consider when to talk to a print expert versus pressing a few buttons for a DIY print job:

1. Important information could be missed.

How would the unknown person who designed that online interface know anything relevant to your situation?

2. An expert – and sometimes only an expert – might see a better way.

If your vision is restricted to a small interface, there’s a world of print media and direct mail benefits that you won’t see without an expert to show it to you.

3. Your print job shows who you are, so make sure you get it right.

What you send might be the only impression your business makes on some people—to them, it is your business. Make sure your business is associated with quality work.

4. That DIY print job might mean sending work out of town.

When you see the big picture, relationships with local businesses can help your business thrive.

5. Isn’t quality what’s needed?

If the quality falls short of what you need, what use is it to get it faster?

6. You could lose your focus.

Successful business people use accountants for their taxes for a reason. You can focus on your core business better by leaving the rest to the experts.

7. It’s not about how easy and fast it is on the first try—it’s about getting it right on the first try.

Online reviews show DIY online printing has problems and the jobs frequently have to be done again.

8. You get to work with a real person!

Long term solitary isolation is a form of torture. We need human contact to have fulfilling and successful lives.

9. It’s complicated.

Would you trust the diagnosis of a mysteriously sick family member to an online questionnaire? Doesn’t complexity warrant access to a live expert?

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Everybody has easy access to digital so smart marketers are realizing that using print strategically is a great way to stand out. DIY solutions may seem cheap and easy, but mistakes made out of ignorance can be costly. Expert guidance assures quality and nets a better result.

Give us a call at 843.745.0001  or use this form and we’ll be happy to help.

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8 Reasons You Need Print Marketing in a Digital World

Ever hear a businessperson wonder out loud if he or she would be doing enough marketing with only the web?  Know …. for nearly every business, physical media is always necessary for complete marketing.

Here’s 8 powerful reasons why:

1. It Cuts Through the Clutter

It’s not about what's "enough" to market, it’s more about what will cut through the noise. Print marketing, done well, can slice through the clutter like a machete through warm butter. And, in business, you either stand out or sink. Stand out.

2. Over-Digitization has People Craving the Analog

Some folks geek out on digitizing everything, but isn't it more insightful to notice trends like the resurgence of vinyl? People are “unplugging” with the ritual of cleaning,  carefully playing, and more fully immersing in the rich sounds of well-cut  vinyl records to unwind.  A digital-only life can seem empty, leaving people craving the analog, the physical. Give them something "real". Others agree.  According to The Print Report, like vinyl, "Print marketing is enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment."

3. Your Audience Needs a Balanced Diet of Content to Consume

Only doing digital marketing is like only eating carbs and never eating protein. Your muscle tone would wither away. We need a balanced diet for the best health. Your prospects need a balance of media types to more fully learn about the distinctive benefits you offer. Don’t deprive them!

4. It Gets Your Business Out of Flatland

Consider the panoramic, huge, 360 degree world around a prospect and all the various ways he or she might pick up and be intrigued by your print piece. Compare that to the little, 2-dimensional screens of the digital world. Aren’t they small and flat by comparison? You’re adding a whole other dimension to their lives with print marketing . . . well, at least with the ways they can become aware of and grow to love your company and the many special benefits it offers them.

5. It Opens More Opportunities for a More Distinctive Market Presence

The low-barrier of social media channels means they are crowded. Doesn't it show more market leadership to go somewhere new? Digital marketing is mostly noise so gets tuned out - a side effect of it being so easy for everyone to generate. You can get tuned out as well by being lost in the noise if you are only digital. 

Print opens up more opportunities to stand out by going where your competition doesn’t exist.  And don't you want your company to be a larger-than-life, full-of-vivid-character brand that connects with your prospects in unique ways in the physical world instead of just projecting through electrons?

6. It Adds the Missing Primary Sense: Touch

Imagine Star Wars without the music . . especially the ceremony scene. It’s missing something isn’t it? Without sound, the emotion goes flat. Without print media, your marketing is missing the kinesthetic - the sense of touch.  Give your audience something to hang onto.

7. It Enters the Other 17 Hours and 17 Minutes of Your Prospect's Day

Let's back up and look at the entire typical day of your prospect. According to a new study, adults spend 6 hours and 43 minutes looking at screens each day! That leaves 17 hours and 17 minutes of time away from screens where only physical media will impact them. And, yes, people spend too much time looking at screens.

8. It Can Add to Digital Marketing Rather than Competing with It

The “S” of the SEEC Model is “Synergy”. That’s synergy between print and digital marketing. You can combine them to multiply the effects and minimize the downsides. For example, Postcards with QR codes to scan for a free info piece that subscribes the inquirer to an email newsletter combine the high response rate of postcards with the low cost of email marketing. Have the best of both worlds and, with a little expert guidance, do print and digital together.

So, in the process of using all the wonderful attributes of the internet to market your business, make sure you keep both the baby and the bathwater and have a great analog marketing program too!

Of course, using high level expertise makes it all work. Need some help knowing how to get bang for the buck with print marketing? Give us a call at 843-745-0001 or click here for a free consult at Ross Printing- we’d love to help!


SEEC Out How To Maximize Print ROI

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S= Symbiotic Relationship between Print and Digital

It’s not print versus digital... It’s print plus digital for 1+1=3. Digital tools maximize print & direct mail ROI. Print complements digital: It adds another sensory system and new territory: it's tactile, adding texture and weight. If you only use digital, there's nothing the marketplace can touch so your impact is minimal. Physical media lives outside the screens with the rest of life and cuts through the noise.

Ed = Expertise Depth

Deep specialized knowledge at hand: The intricacies of print marketing require years of experience* to know what tools and products fit each situation best for getting results and maximizing profit. Beyond considering only product cost, our expertise is focused on reducing the investment needed for a result. This means real savings.

Ew = Expertise Width

A wide knowledge base best handles the great variety of print/direct mail needs: Our collaborative team approach brings multiple points of view from various expertise specializations together. When a loved one needs an operation, you want the hospital to have a range of specialists.

C = Customer First

Customer satisfaction comes from valuing long term relationships over short-term profits. The depth and width of expertise can suggest multiple ways of saving the customer money…. If your printing/direct mail consultant puts you first. It's no place for a short-sighted or greedy advisor. It’s about the relationship.

*For example, Ross Printing has over 300 years’ combined experience

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Time is Money with Direct Mail

When Ben Franklin ran a print shop over two hundred years ago, it was hard work for the printer, and choices for the customer were limited – paper stock and size, a limited selection of fonts, and no choice about print color.  Your job had to look good in black ink. That’s it – black ink.

In today’s world, however, choices about printing can be much more complex: these include multiple ways to print, a broad spectrum of colors, and a plethora of font and design choices. A good print shop will take your specs and print them just the way you ask. A great print shop, however, can help you through the decision-making process and offer expert time-saving, money-saving, and high-impact options for your print job.

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At Ross Printing, Jeremy Ross wants to educate you in how to select the print options that will create effective and beautiful materials for your project or business. Options for printing include digital output and offset printing, in color or in black and white. Do you know which one to choose? It may depend on when you need the job, how many pieces you need, if the pieces need to be mailed, the content, the size of the stock, and other factors. When you think about all the variables in direct mail, it's easier to understand how time spent weighing your options will help you maximize the return on investment.

When do you need it?

Digital printing can be a much faster option than traditional offset printing. If you need the job done in a matter of days, digital is a great way to go; but if you have a little bit longer to get it done, say a week or more, then the job can be run on an offset press and you could save a significant amount of money.

Takeaway: Make it clear to the printer when you want the finished job and you can learn what options will save you the most money and have the highest impact.

How many pieces do you need?

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The size of the job can also help determine the best options. For some smaller jobs, digital might be a great option, giving you an affordable price and quick turn-around. For larger jobs, offset printing can offer significant price breaks for volume. “If the job is small enough, I can produce it more effectively doing it as a digital job,” Ross says. “Offset would wind up being more expensive. You know, if you said you needed a large number of pieces and we had enough time, I’d say that offset printing is most likely the way to go.”

Takeaway: Make sure you explain to the printer exactly how many pieces you want printed.

Personalization

Studies have shown that the more personalized a direct mailing is, the more effective it is. Digital printing offers great options for merging personalized information such as names and addresses into the body of a printed piece. Of course, digital printing can be expensive for large volume, so there’s another option: combining offset with digital. Ross Printing can create a shell, an offset-printed printed piece that leaves space for personalized information to be printed digitally. “If we've got enough time to produce a shell,” Jeremy Ross explains, “we can produce the postcards in a more cost-effective way than doing them digitally, and then do a digital imprint on an offset printed shell."

Color? Black and white?

“Printing in color is great, but do you need it?” Ross asks. “We can help you save money by creating imprints that have high impact in black and white.” How? By changing font style and size and working with other elements of design. “And, of course, if color does matter, we can print in any color you want.”

How big?

The size of your finished materials can also help to determine the most cost-effective and impactful printing method for you. There are several factors to consider. First, how many pieces can be printed on one sheet of paper? If you can fit more on a sheet (and the printer will cut them), you can save considerably. If you need your printed material mailed, then postal regulations and envelope sizes become important factors. A great printer will consult with you on the design of the piece to help you produce finished sizes that are inexpensive, easy to mail, and look great.

What kind of paper?

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The options for paper stock can be confusing. Along with size options, there are all kinds of paper weights and textures, coated or uncoated, glossy or flat. Jeremy Ross explains: “Some customers might say, ‘A brochure-type paper.’ Well, I could print a brochure on anything. I might ask, ‘Are you looking for something kind of like a magazine cover?’ You know, I start giving them examples of, ‘Is this what you kind of had in mind? Do you want something that feels like a card stock or do you want something lighter weight?’”

Ready to print?

If you are thinking about your direct mail project, the time to start is now. Ross Printing can get your job done quickly, but sometimes haste makes waste. If you take the time to consider your options and, with the help of a printing expert, plan in advance, you can have a direct mail campaign that will give you a competitive advantage. The best return on your printing investment comes from fine-tuning every aspect of target, design, production, and delivery.

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