Maximize Results by Minimizing (Expensive) Bells & Whistles

Anyone can run a successful direct mail campaign with an unlimited budget. The real challenge is achieving the same kind of results with limited funds.The digital color printing technologies available today are truly impressive in terms of image and color quality, highly personalized one-to-one marketing capabilities, and even allowing for last-minute text and image changes while meeting impossible deadlines. For direct mailers and marketers, digital color printing technology works well with multiple media channels, enabling the coordination of email blasts and/or telemarketing efforts to boost the impact — and response rates — of a direct mail campaign. But as we know, all of this magic costs money. In tough economic times, direct mailers are compelled to find ways to get results on limited budgets. Creative Production Technologies Offer Effective Alternative OptionsBegin by considering your target audience. Highly personalized one-to-one marketing campaigns work well when your audience is relatively small and clearly identified, and when the product or service you're offering carries a price tag large enough so only one or a few sales will cover the cost of a pricey campaign. The real estate market is a good fit, where one property will be offered to only a few carefully qualified shoppers. Luxury resorts, ocean cruises and adventure vacations are also good candidates. However, when you're trying to reach a broader audience to make an offer with a more universal appeal, less expensive but still customized options may be better suited to your needs and can keep you on budget. For mailings going out to thousands of prospects, hundreds of thousands or even millions, one tried-and-true method of reaching out on a personal level is to employ offset print technologies to preprint the mailers to the highest quality standards. With offset printing, the more pieces printed, the less the per-item cost. Once printed, each piece can be personalized by adding monochrome laser or ink-jet printing. It's important not to lose sight of the fact that full-color digital variable print is considerably more costly than black-only digital printing. In most cases, the use of monochrome variable print is just as effective in generating response.Another way to keep costs moderate is to use self-mailers, which eliminate the expense of separately printed envelopes and lettershop inserting. The good news is that self-mailers need not be the flimsy and often awkward-looking items of the past. What you save on envelopes can be applied to developing a self-mailer printed on high-quality glossy paper stock and can even include a gift card.Coupons in the MailTo generate a strong response, enclose a gift certificate or discount coupon on heavier stock, styled like a credit card and personalized for each valued customer. For a club or health facility, attach a personalized ID card for a bring-a-friend offer for members, or a one-day trial for prospects. These cards serve as an appealing "call to action" to recipients, who are likely to slip them into a wallet or handbag for later use. The bonus for the marketer is that response to the campaign is easily and accurately tracked when the recipient presents the card. And with a self-mailer, you may even save on mailing costs while projecting an impressive corporate image and demonstrating that you care about every customer as an individual. Be Careful With Personal InformationOne more issue to consider is the sensitivity of personal information. Although most people would prefer to receive mail with their names on it rather than addressed to "Occupant" or "The Family at ..." including too much personal and personalized information can make recipients nervous. You don't want to alarm recipients or make them wonder, "How did they get my personal information?" Similarly, you should avoid using very personal data like clothing sizes, weight or specific age in a direct mail piece, even if this information is known. In many cases, the direct marketer is working with little more customer data than names and addresses, but even this limited information can be used to advantage when it's applied effectively and sparingly to the preprinted mailer, the versioned mailer or to a self-mailer with a gift card enclosed. A better approach than letting budget constraints limit your marketing universe or reduce the quality of your mailing pieces is to research what is available within your price range, and then liberally apply your creativity and imagination. Generating a higher response with a limited budget definitely is a challenge, but by working smarter you can succeed. David Henkel is president of Johnson & Quin, located in Niles, Ill. Johnson & Quin is a national leader in targeted full-service direct mail printing and production offering the latest data and personalization technologies and multichannel marketing capabilities. He can be reached at dhenkel@J-QUIN.com.

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Maximize Results by Minimizing (Expensive) Bells & Whistles

David Henkel

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David Henkel