6 traditional marketing methods you should still be considering.

6 traditional marketing methods you should still be considering.

6 traditional marketing methods you should still be considering.

In an age of digital marketing, it can be really hard to see the purpose of print, or more traditional marketing methods. And yes, we will agree that you certainly should be looking to push your efforts on your website, social media and through online advertising. However, this isn’t to say that you should drop traditional methods altogether, and you’ll probably get a better result by combining the two …

We’re going to look through 6 ways you can use traditional and printed marketing methods to improve your next campaign, and why you shouldn’t give up on print just yet.

 

Business Cards

Business cards are a much overlooked source of marketing. Yes, everyone has them as priority, and goes and gets them printed as soon as possible. However most of the time they are not made to their true potential.

As you can see in this infographic, the top mistake made on business cards are not having a creative or clean design. Leaving your contact information unclear. Using poor quality printing or paper, and using an oversized card.

The lure to get business cards printed quickly and cost effectively can mean rushing to a printers with no design. Or sending off a good design to be printed for free on thin card, which may actually leave you worse off than before. The rush can also mean important information is left off your card, leaving them worthless. Check our blog on what information needs to be on your business card. To make sure you have included all the relevant info.

Taking the time to look at the design, double checking the information and having your cards printed on quality stock will leave your prospective clients with a far better impression of your company. Rather than handing over something that looks like it has been printed off at home.

 

Direct Mail Campaign

We’ve blogged previously about the case for direct mail, and reasons you should be sending letter campaigns. So it should be no surprise that direct mail is on the list.

Direct Mail is a great way to reach customers a little more personally in a digital age. With spam more likely to reach your customers through emails than on their doormat now, the letter has become a more personal touch as it once was.

As this blog points out, emails are very easily ignored and binned. Whereas most people will actually open envelopes, with 70% – 80% of consumers opening most of their mail. Compare that to an average open rate of around 30% for email campaigns.

People are also far more likely to keep a letter too. Whether that’s with intention to buy or contact you immediately. Or whether it’s because it’s sat on the pile of papers and letters to be sorted, shredded, or burned on the log fire. The fact is that it is still there, in front of your potential customer for a significantly longer period than an email.

 

Leaflets

As with Direct Mail, we have blogged about this previously on how you can use leaflets effectively. Leaflets are a really cost effective way of getting your brand out there, and for getting “quick win” business back.

And as with direct mail, leaflets can actually be well received by recipients. With nearly 50% of households storing leaflets, and 93% of people enjoying that they get door drop product samples or vouchers and offers. Perhaps the leaflet isn’t as done as you thought.

 

Exhibition stand set up

At The Marketing People, we do love exhibitions. As though they are a lot of work, they are such a bundle of energy and adrenaline all condensed into a day or two.

Exhibitions set ups can seem a huge expense with no guaranteed results. But the truth is once you have your set up, you have a great toolkit. One that you can use again and again when it comes to your marketing. Not to mention the huge benefits you gain from the exhibition itself by having the right kit.

With over 13 million people attending exhibitions a year, and spending around £2.6 billion on the goods or services demonstrated. It just seems good to make the most of that opportunity. That means having a creatively designed stand that sends the right messages.

A good, well designed stand can last for a few exhibitions. And if you include pop up banners as part of that set up, you can use them multiple times for other events. Such as networking meetings, or even in the foyer of your offices.

 

Internal and external signage

We’ve all tried to find a business before, but had real trouble because there hasn’t been adequate signage. Which though a bit annoying, isn’t the end of the world. As you no doubt give them a call, or persist until you find them. But what about attracting new customers? If your business can’t be found by those who know about you and want to buy from or work with you, then what hope do new customers have?

In this useful infographic, it states that research indicates that 85% of your customers live or work with a 5 mile radius of your business. Meaning they could potentially see your sign up 60 times a month. But does it work? Apparently signs can attract up to half of a start ups new customers. And 35% of passers-by wouldn’t even know there was a business there without a sign.

 

Vehicle livery

A lot of marketing these days is making sure you advertise to the right people at the right time to ensure more sales. Or better qualified leads at the very least. But there will always be people who you could advertise to, but can’t reach. Those who don’t use social media for example, but that is where a combined approach comes in, and vehicle livery is a prime example of this.

As can be seen in this blog, the average vehicle that is driven 15,000 miles a year will pass in front of 9 million vehicles. Which means your vehicle graphics reach more potential customers at a lower cost than all other forms of outdoor advertising.

So that’s 9 million extra people seeing your business. Even more if you account for more than one person in each car who may require your services.

Not to mention it also builds up your credibility as a business if you are seen in a branded vehicle. Not only have you built up your brand recognition so people are more likely to feel familiar with your services when they see you. But it builds trust that you are who you say who you are. You will fulfil the promises you make, as you are bringing your brand name with you.

 

Summary

As with most things, a balance is certainly needed. You can’t dump 5000 leaflets in an area. Or put up a 10 foot sign outside your business, and expect business to pour in and keep pouring in. You need to sure a little of each of these methods in conjunction with each other. As well as with digital marketing methods. To maintain a consistent campaign and the best chance of bringing customers in repeatedly.

 

If you’re struggled to lay out a combined marketing strategy, why not give us a call and see if we can help? With a huge amount of experience, and a friendly team, a little trip to our offices in Burntwood may be the best decision you make when it comes to your marketing. Or if you want to read more about print, why not check out our other blogs?

The Marketing Dogs – February News

Marketing dogs february news

Marketing dogs february news

 

Nihao humans, Chops here, with the full tail from February.

It’s been a busy month for us marketing dogs, we’ve broken unbreakable toys, we’ve increased our door patrol by almost 25% more barks and we’ve broken our record for laps around the office.

So as you can imagine we’ve had to take lots of snoozes and eat some treats to reward us for all our hard work. Especially when we’ve had to trudge through the rain. Mum had to allow us the day off the other day, as we refused to put a paw out in the downpour. We’re convinced we would have had to doggy paddle all the way to the office! So we stayed curled up instead, and used our energy at the office the next day for a more productive day.

We’ve been feeling the love this month, what with Valentine’s just gone. Sammy especially has been exceptionally loving to everyone in the office.

So for valentines, I thought I would look to treat my other pawed pals with a special gift, and I didn’t realise there was so much choice for doggy (or cat!) valentines!

For Sammy I think I will look at some personalised valentines dog treats, because she is our little diva, who is fussy, but loves treats, and will definitely love it if they are all hers!

We all know George is a bit of a fashionista, so I think I may get him this personalised neck scarf to match one of his coats, and keep him warm on our walks. It will be something new for him to strut in front of all of the human’s clients.

For the humans, I want to remind them how much we all love them, so maybe these new dog bowls might do the trick?

And for me? Well I think mum should really splash out and get me this cupcake case bed, because I think we can all agree how cute I would look as a cupcake. Maybe next year …

We definitely all agree that we would have loved some valentine’s gifts! But I think we would wag our tail just as much at an extra treat or a big hug as we would a pricey expensive personalised cushion.

I’m off to train Sammy on some blog writing for next month’s blog, because as we all know I’m great at training.

Now how do you press send on this mac?

 

pug using a mac

 

Paws and love

Chops x

Making Snail Mail campaigns effective for your business.

Making Snail Mail campaigns effective

Making Snail Mail campaigns effective

As you will have seen in our last blog, we are looking at print, and more traditional marketing methods this month. Today we’ll be focusing on direct mail campaigns or “snail mail” as it’s sometimes known.

At a time when it is exceptionally easy to click send on an email, a direct mail campaign can seem a huge task to take on, and probably not worth the effort. Put when done properly, this just easy the case.

So why would you send a direct mail campaign? In one of our previous blogs we looked at 4 reasons to send letter campaigns. Which included saying thank you, driving home your pain point, reaching generations who are happy to receive mail, and getting people back to your website.

You could also add to that list that you can reach decision makers who have spam filters built like a prison. You can reach new customers (39% of customers try a business for the first time because of direct mail advertising) and it can be a lot easier to track than you think.

Overall a direct mailing campaign that is supported by your digital efforts on your website, and perhaps an accompanying email campaign can reach those customers you haven’t been able to reach before. But this has to be carefully planned so as to not waste money, lose customers and lose hope in your marketing.

 

Before Send

Before you lick any stamps or shuffle any prints of letters, you need to organise a number of things. To make sure that when your letter hits the door mat or letter box (or dog’s mouth) it has the best possible chance of being opened, read and taken in.

 

Objective

Why are you sending this campaign? Nail down your objective, and try and be as specific as possible so you can track your results easier. Perhaps it’s to gain 10 new customers. Perhaps it’s to attract 20% of your lapsed customers back. To sell a certain amount of stock. To make a certain amount of appointments. To get x amount of hits to your website etc. No matter what you are looking to achieve, just make sure you know what the end goal is. This will keep you focused through your copy writing and your tracking.

 

Mailing list

I cannot stress enough how important your mailing list is. A send to as many people as you possibly can just to get word out is definitely not a path you can take these days. Data needs to be up to date, and segmented where possible. Though you might dig up the last data list you had a few years ago. Take the time to go through this, as data lists deteriorate really quickly. Look at segmenting for age groups, location, customers and non-customers, or even by the services or products you provide. The more precise you are in your segmentation, the more likely you are to have people respond.

 

Copy and Call To Action

Once you know who you are writing to and what about, you can start to think of copy. And what’s actually going to compel people to carry out the action you hope they will. Copy writing is a hard business, so if you’re not sure your copy will cut it, hire a professional for this bit. A good point to start is to look through your own mail that you have kept, and why. Always keep in mind cliché spam lines and avoid them at all costs. There is a reason emails with lots of exclamation marks, all caps and ridiculous claims are automatically assigned to the spam folder.

People don’t like to be hoodwinked. They like to make an informed decision. So make sure your letter not only states your product or service, but is educational about why that person may need it. And always end with a clear and concise call to action. What do you want people to do when they receive this mail? How easy is it for them to carry out that action? And what will happen when they perform this action.

Example: Use this coupon on your next shop to receive 10% off.

Always remember that the reward must outweigh the action. So presenting a coupon when your shopping to receive a small discount is not much effort. But having to send off a questionnaire, or having to attend the shop at odd times may require a higher discount rate to make it worth the person’s time.

 

Combining the digital side

As we said, the best marketing plans have a combined approach, using both traditional and digital methods. As if you are sending out mail, it is almost instinct now for people receiving your letter to look you up online. Which is why you need to assess your online presence before you send anything out. Making sure your website is up to date with your services, products and offers. Not to mention any testimonials of your service and related blogs to the mail campaign is a must. To ensure no matter which route the customer takes to converting with you, they have the easiest journey possible.

 

Tracking Plan

Though you won’t be tracking until after the send, you need to make sure you have some things in place ready. If you have coupons or discounts to be redeemed, do you have the capability on your tills or on your website? Do you have google analytics? Or any form of website tracking on your website or landing page? Do you have a CRM system in place to take note of any call backs or responses? Having these things in place before the send not only guarantees all of the data is captured, it also make analysing all this data a lot easier.

 

After Send

Keeping on top of tracking

If you have set everything up correctly before the send, it should be a really easy process to track the return of your campaign. To spot any trends, especially online, and be able to make the most of the opportunity you have. Seeing what worked well is great data for the next campaign you run. Even if things don’t go as you planned, you know what to avoid in the future.

 

Follow ups

If you are intending to have follow up calls, set a time limit. It’s not a huge surprise that the longer you leave a lead, the colder it gets. But leave it too long and it could cause more harm than good. Calling weeks after your letter was sent, when the recipient cannot remember the letter and has no idea who you are, will most likely leave you being listed as a spam number. If you don’t get chance to follow up within your estimated time limit, you may be better remarketing to those individuals, rather than following up with a call.

 

Hopefully you’re on your way now to creating an effective snail mail campaigns for your business, just remember:

  • Know why you are sending a letter
  • Send to clean, up to date, data that has been segmented to match your objective
  • Avoid cheesy spam like copy
  • Have a clear call to action that’s easy to follow through on
  • Spend time preparing your online presence
  • Set up a tracking plan
  • Use that tracking plan
  • Follow up in a timely fashion

If you need any help with your direct marketing campaign, we offer consultancy, copywriting, design, print, fulfilment and data tracking in house at our offices in Burntwood, Staffordshire. Call us today on 01543 495752 to see how we may be able to work together. Or you can read more about print marketing in our blogs. 

5 top tips for making the most of your print marketing materials

5 top tips for making the most of your print marketing materials

5 top tips for making the most of your print marketing materials

It can be hard to believe in printed marketing materials. In an age where our phone pings every few seconds with a new email, or notification of the latest deals from our favourite brands. But having a combined marketing strategy that looks at both digital marketing and printed materials is the best way to reach as many of your customers as possible. Which is why we’re focusing this month on print. Traditional marketing methods, ‘offline marketing’, and how you can be making the most of your print marketing materials.

In this blog we’ll be looking at tops tips of making the most of your printed marketing materials. As it can be easy to overlook the differences of advertising to someone through digital methods than it is to someone through a brochure or letter.

 

Professional design

Though it may seem a sales pitch coming from a marketing company. Approaching a professional designer is possibly one of the best choices you can make when it comes to printed materials.

As we have spoken about in previous blogs, your brand’s credibility is made up in several ways. With one of them being what you give or send out to the general public. If it looks professional and polished, it is much more likely to attract customer’s attention for the right reasons. Rather than something that looks like you haven’t put in much effort.

Not to mention designer’s do this for a living, they’re good at it! Just as with your own services, that you know going for a professional is more cost effective in the long run. Than trying to attempt it in your own, and the same applies to the creative process. Invest in a good designer who understands what you are trying to achieve for your company. This will serve you a lot better in the long run, than rush designing some leaflets yourself.

 

Understanding print jargon

As with anything, it can be hard to know if you’re getting what you are asking for. Knowing if it is the best possible product if you don’t know the jargon. Now, any reputable designer will talk you through any terms you don’t understand, but that’s only if you ask.

It can be very easy to nod along to a designer who is telling you a certain stock is better. Or you should definitely choose a silk varnish because you don’t want to look silly for not knowing what it is.

If you don’t understand what your designer or printer is talking about, always ask. As it’s your finished product they are working on! However if you would like to build your own knowledge, there are plenty of jargon busters such as this one. Which will give you an idea of all the basic terms. So you can have some idea of what you are working with, and if that choice is what you want.

 

Your audience

This may seem an obvious point, but one that can be forgotten when it comes to offline marketing. Knowing your customer personas means you will be able to better advertise to them.

This can come down to simple observations. Like knowing that your main audience are of an older age group, and would respond really well to a personalised letter. Or that you do a lot of exhibitions where everyone is after a free pen.

Or it could be more focused on your product and how it may benefit a certain group of people. We mentioned in one of our 12 days of Christmas blogs, about ADT’s box campaign. Where they looked particularly at apartment blocks and buildings. With most people considering apartment blocks to be reasonably safe. With a number of locked doors to get through to eventually get to your apartment. They may not have been ADT’s normal customer base. However, using a clever spring-loaded box, they were able to approach a whole new demographic of people.

ADT used their spring loaded boxes (which could be folded flat) and pushed them under the apartment doors. Once pushed through the door, the box sprung to shape. With the message “breaking into your apartment is easier than you think” along with the company branding printed on the box. Giving the impression someone had been in the apartment to pop down the parcel, and no doubt scaring people into thinking about their security systems.

Printed materials can focus on customers ‘pain’ points just as much as digital marketing. You just need to have enough knowledge as to what your customers react to.

 

Time dependent offers

Unlike digital marketing, where you can set up email automation, or notification & reminders, or even place a pop up for when people are about to leave the page, you really need to get people to react quickly to your printed material.

Though your materials may stay pinned to their notice board, or on the paper pile, and may possibly be picked up at a later date. To be able to track your efforts effectively with printed materials means getting a quick turnaround.

This can be done through time dependent offers. So your potential customers have to react within a certain time period to gain the discount or offer. By the amount of people you have taking advantage of the offer within this time limit makes it a lot easier to assess how well people have reacted to an offer, and if you should have similar offers in the future.

 

Combining your efforts

As we said in our introduction, it is no longer a case of picking printed materials or just using digital methods to market your business any more. You have to allow fluid motions between the both. Which means making it easy from your printed campaigns to reach you online, and letting people know online they can gain printed materials if they wish.

If you are advertising a certain campaign through letters or leaflets, sending people back to a landing page not only allows you to feed those people through the sales funnel for that particular product or service, but also allows you to track your efforts, as you can see who has taken action from your material.

 

If you’re looking for help with your printed materials, or want to begin a combined marketing campaign but would like it all managed in one place, then why not give us a call? Based in Burntwood, Staffordshire, we can take care of all of your marketing needs in-house, meaning less running around for you. Contact us today for a friendly chat on how we may be able to work together. Or if you wish to read more about Print then why not check out our other blogs.