Articles
"Maximize Your Mail Campaign Value"
David Henkel, president of Johnson & Quin
One of the biggest trends in direct marketing is the increased use of personalization in an effort to make direct marketing materials more relevant and improve response rates. Personalization tools and techniques can be very powerful when it comes to driving response rates, but doesn't need to break a printing and production budget.
It is important to design your direct marketing piece with thought, using only personalized information that makes sense within the context of the piece. A piece overloaded with unnecessary elements not only drives up your costs, but can actually hinder response rates. Remember for certain campaigns, less really is more, and some information is better left in the database if there is a chance it would offend the recipient or dramatically increase your production expenses.
Another mistake marketers can make is thinking every mailing has a better chance of success if it is in full-color, regardless of cost or creative. Full color digital does make sense for some industries, such as real estate, where there is value in seeing the property in color and mail quantities are low.
But for most marketers, the return on full digital color may not be worth the cost involved in producing it. The same-if not better-return on investment can be realized by preprinting forms in color and then using monochrome laser or ink jet to personalize the piece. This not only helps reduce the cost, but you can still enjoy a great deal of creative variability when it comes to your campaigns.
Overall, evaluate your direct mail campaign carefully. Stay sensitive to managing privacy concerns, incorporate data reflecting your business goals, and create wisely. Good planning is key to a successful campaign and managing your printing and production costs.
