It’s human nature to personify things—cars, boats, pets, places, and yes, even your product and company. Imagine your brand is a real person. Is it male or female, young or old, college-educated or street-smart, stylish or plain, thrifty or extravagant? Did you deliberately cultivate this personality, or has it just developed over time? More importantly, does this personality reflect who your target customers want your brand to be?

Consider the personalities of some legendary brands. IBM is viewed as mature and serious, while Apple carved out a niche based on its own personality attributes—cool, stylish, casual and easygoing. The feminine Virginia Slims brand appeals to a different market than the rugged Marlboro man. Consumers from across the socioeconomic spectrum are willing to spend money hand over fist to be a part of the rebellious Harley-Davidson mystique. Each of these brands has developed subtle aspects that can only be experienced, not quantified or measured. It can’t be easily replicated, creating a high barrier to entry for potential competitors.

Talk to your customers to find out what your brand’s personality truly is, not what you think it is. A bank that describes itself as “friendly, honest and stable” might find that its customers use adjectives like greedy, dull or boring. This “brand gap”—a contradiction in how you see your own brand and how others perceive it—can result in inconsistent marketing.

Lay out your current print marketing materials in one place so you can consider everything as a whole. Do they have a consistent look, feel, message and tone? Are there pieces that can be combined? Now look at each piece individually. Does the message match the layout? For example, is your message spirited and carefree, but the layout is dark and somber? Who does your customer want you to be: the life of the party or the designated driver? You must understand the underlying emotional associations to effectively market your brand.

Thoughtfully develop a distinct brand personality to move buyers from simple customers to brand loyalists, creating powerful differentiation and real preference. This exercise will influence your strategy at every touchpoint, including the tone of your marketing communications, your visual brand identity, and how your frontline staff dress and communicate with customers.

But no business can survive — never mind really thrive — without continually nurturing both new and existing clients. However, finding ways to reach out to existing clients or potential customers doesn’t come naturally for most of us. And it’s far too easy to let the task slide to tomorrow’s to-do list.

Consider that the average person is only capable of keeping three to five brands per category in their memory. If you want to introduce your brand into someone’s consideration, you need to push another brand out of consideration. Effectively cutting through the marketing clutter is essential to achieving this. Think repetition, and talk to us about some great printing techniques we can employ to give your messages some “pop” and help them stand out in a crowd.

Most sales are all about timing. Maybe your target audience doesn’t need your product or service right now, or they are happy with their current provider. With repetition, your name will appear in front of them when they need you. Or your name will come to mind when things are not going so well with their current provider and they are interested in trying someone new.

Also realize that not all of your customer communication efforts are easily measurable. While some initiatives, such as a direct response campaign, might produce an easy-to-measure ROI, others, such as a customer newsletter, will produce positive results that are harder to measure without a great amount of effort. This should not, however, diminish the critical role that they play in your marketing efforts.

While brand-building campaigns may lack the direct response jolt of sales promotions, they will significantly impact the performance of future sales promotions. In reality, direct response is highly dependent on how well your brand is recognized by your target audience and how it is perceived.

Talk to us early about your goals for 2012. We are happy to lend our expertise.

But in the world of marketing, this technology is fairly new. Are consumers familiar with these codes? If you put QR codes on your print pieces, will your audience actually scan them?

First, it’s important not to use QR codes as your only response mechanism. Marketing campaigns should offer several ways for people to respond so they can pick which is most convenient for them. This isn’t just for QR codes. It’s for any marketing campaign. It’s just good marketing.

Second, people are scanning QR codes. They are doing it more and more each day. ScanLife, which is one of the many providers of software for generating QR codes, has reported that in Q2 2010, users of its system were scanning 10 scans per minute. One year later— Q2 2011—they were scanning 60 scans per minute.

How are people most likely to be using QR codes?

•61% are scanning them to get online pricing

•17% are scanning them to access coupons

•16% are scanning them to get product details

•4% are scanning them to access local prices

•3% are scanning them to access customer reviews
What does this mean for you? Do any of your campaigns encourage customers to access online pricing? Coupons? Get product details or customer reviews? If so, QR codes are something you should be actively investigating.

Likewise, if you’re marketing into the 25-44 age demographic, you should wait no longer. According to ScanLife, growth in its 2D barcode scanning is up 30% and 34%, respectively, in those age groups, regardless of the vertical they are shopping in or how those codes are being used.

This is data from a single company, but other QR code generators are reporting similar results. If you’re not at least considering QR codes as a response mechanism for your next campaign, we encourage you to talk to us. We have lots more reasons why you should.

From printed ads in magazines and newspapers to postcards, direct mail packages, catalogs, door hangers, newsletters, billboards and more, companies everywhere are using print to effectively increase their sales.

They understand that:

Print Gets Read – 80% of households either read or scan advertising mail sent to their household.1

Print Gets Response – 2.24% direct order response rate for printed catalogs, compared with just 0.48% from emails. In fact, catalogs have the second highest response as a marketing option, after telemarketing.2

Print Influences Decisions – 76% of customers have been directly influenced to purchase by direct mail.3

Print Drives New Business – 70% of customers renewed a business relationship because of a direct mail promotion.4

Print Leads to Repeat Business – 70% of customers renewed a business relationship because of a direct mail promotion.5

Print Increases Online Search – 67% of online search is driven by offline messages; 39% ultimately make a purchase.6

Print Increases Online Sales – 76% of internet users surveyed have been directly influenced to purchase an item or service thanks to a direct mail piece.7

With results like these, it’s no wonder so many successful organizations choose print.

1 United States Postal Service (2007). Household Diary Study.
2 DMA Response Rate Report (2008).
3 2009 Channel Preference Study.
4 2008 DMA /Pitney Bowes Direct Mail Survey.
5 Ibid.
6 iProspect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behavior Study (2007).
7 Exact Target, 2009 Channel Preference Study.

When we think about the role of paper in a marketing campaign, the first thing we think about is aesthetics: brightness, texture, and decorative elements. Watermarked linens convey gravitas. Softer, less bright stocks with flecks and imperfections reflect environmental responsibility. Super bright whites and smooth textures convey a crisp, corporate image.

Designers take full advantage of these characteristics to elicit an emotional reaction from their audiences. But many of these stocks also carry a premium price tag, often 20% or more. By making a few adjustments, however, you can often get a great stock that has many or all of the characteristics of your favorite stock but that is more affordable. This allows you to redirect those marketing dollars elsewhere.

For example, you might be looking for a 100% recycled paper, when, in reality, a percentage of recycled content will do. Stocks with 25%, 30%, or even 50% recycled content will still provide you with an environmentally responsible image in the eyes of most clients, but often at a lower cost.

You may want to consider alternatives to uncoated stocks, as well. Many designers specify uncoated paper thinking they are less expensive than coated. In fact, the opposite is true. Coated stocks are produced in high volumes, so the market dictates the price. We find that many clients are surprised by the variety of coated paper available to them at lower prices.

Sometimes keeping down cost might be as simple as ordering the same type of stock from a different mill. Other times, it might require a calculated decision to choose a different but compatible stock, such as one with a lower basis weight or lower brightness.

So before specing your paper, ask yourself a few questions. Does it really have to be a super-bright white? High sheen? 100% recycled? Chrome coat? While subtle differences may be noticeable to designers, they may not be to the average person. If you have flexibility, let us help you do some planning upfront. You might be surprised by how much money you can save.

“Marketers” can also be translated “competitors.” If your competitors are taking a break from marketing, that opens a window for you! Kind of like a goalie taking a break in the middle of the big game. There is risk for them and opportunity for you.

Consider these data:

79% of leads generated by marketing never become sales opportunities. (Marketing Sherpa)

On average, nurtured leads produce a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads. (Nu Marketing)

Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost. (Forrester Research)

If your competitors aren’t nurturing their leads, they have a better opportunity of losing them. If you are nurturing your leads, you have a better opportunity of keeping them. This includes those you might have lured away from your competitors while they weren’t looking. Summer is an excellent time to nurture leads and fine-tune your marketing strategies. Here are three ideas:

1. Dive into the world of QR codes. Through the end of August, the U.S. Post Office is offering a 3% postal discount for anyone using a QR code for marketing, either inside or outside the envelope. If you’ve been mulling over the opportunities offered by QR codes, now is the time to put them into action.

2. Crank up the volume. Do you need to update your mailing list? Been thinking about launching a customer newsletter or creating new in-store displays? Summer is a great time to invest in creative, aggressive print marketing because the results will really stand out. Can you imagine your targets going to their mailboxes and finding nothing but a direct mail piece from you? In the summertime, it can happen!

3. Invest in a redesign. Is your stationery looking a little outdated? Is your marketing collateral a little stale? Use this time to freshen up your image and bust out with something new!

In the summertime, fewer companies are marketing. Take advantage of this window to nurture leads, stand out in the mailbox, and make a major impact in your “mindshare of customer.” Position your company for growth!

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• Distinguish your marketing collateral from the competition;
• Emphasize important information, like the name of your product or a Web address;
• Lead the reader to the most important content first; and
• Convey a specific mood or tone.

Color is a powerful way to elicit a particular response. Psychologists and marketers alike associate red with excitement and passion; yellow is cautionary; blue is cool and authoritative, but also peaceful; green is relaxing and symbolizes nature. It’s important to make sure your color palette is consistent with the message you wish to convey.

You must decide not only which colors to use, but how many. Too many gradients and colors can be distracting. A two-color ad can be just as effective as a four-color ad. The simple use of color using these basic combinations is still interesting and pleasing to the eye. Make sure the light color dominates your printed piece to maximize impact.

• Orange/blue: A great attention-grabber; think of the cleaning aisle at the grocery store. 
• Green/red: Doesn’t have the same contrast as orange/blue, but still gets attention; this is often used by restaurants (the colors stimulate appetite) and for environmental pieces (with red symbolizing fire and green the earth).
• Orange/yellow/black: This combination shouts, “Look here!” Go for maximum effect by placing black type against an orange or yellow background.       
• Purple/yellow: These complementary colors create a sense of elegance and importance and are often associated with royalty.

Color reproduction can be a challenge. What you see on your computer is not the same as what you see in the final printed piece. Images on your computer monitor are displayed using RGB colors produced by combining red, green, and blue. Offset printing produces color by mixing cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) inks. An RGB file may appear blue, but when it is printed with CMYK ink using a combination of 100% cyan and 100% magenta it will look purple.  If you plan to design printed pieces in-house, consider investing in a color management system. 

Ask us about combining the colors you select with different paper options and varnishing techniques, such as UV coating, to produce different eye-catching effects and add even more pop to your brochure, postcard or direct mail piece.

What’s the real deal with these applications? Is this really a smart marketing approach? Or is it just a gimmick to get you to buy more print?

Consider the way you are being marketed to. When you shop online, you are asked to register so that the site can greet you by name. Cookies follow your every move so that when you return the page views are customized to your purchase or viewing patterns. At the grocery store, your receipt is printed with coupons based on the items you just purchased. When you receive mail from your financial services provider, it contains information only on those funds in which you have invested or that the company is trying to sell you based on your past investment history.

We are used to being marketed to on a 1:1 basis, even if we don’t think about it this way. Personalization has become so ingrained in our experience that we barely realize it anymore. If you aren’t incorporating 1:1 print into your marketing, where appropriate, you are out of step with marketing’s cutting edge.

Then there is the issue of cost. In today’s business world, every cost is increasingly scrutinized. Although marketers tend to think of 1:1 printing as a high-cost luxury, when handled properly, the opposite is true.

• 1:1 printing optimizes your marketing investment by not mailing irrelevant information to the wrong people. It makes every record count.

• Properly tracked, 1:1 printing provides provable ROI, so you can compare its value against other marketing methods and justify your spending based on real numbers.

• By focusing on your top-tier customers and generating higher response rates and per-order values from those customers, you can spend less on print and bring in more revenues.

• More relevant communications (newsletters, bills and other correspondence) increase customer retention and provide a benefit difficult to quantify yet with real bottom-line benefits.

From this perspective, 1:1 printing seems less like a luxury and more like a business necessity.