The Tray Way

Monday, January 28, 2013

Direct Marketing with a Small Budget

At Tray, we serve non-profits, national brands, sports teams, and universities. In general, any organization with a need to deliver their marketing message in print or electronically, in B2B or B2C environments, can take advantage of all Tray has to offer.

But what about an organization with a small marketing budget? You may end up feeling like you’re playing a game without a full team on the field.

A small marketing budget can seem like a major hindrance to a successful marketing campaign. As you are already probably aware, direct marketing is ideal because it can be targeted, is trackable, and you can see exactly what ROI you generate for your business.

So where do we go from here? First, establish your budget and consider the following questions:

How many mailers am I sending?
Will I need to rent a mailing list? How much will that cost?
What is the optimal size and format for the mailing? What postage will it require?
Should I outsource my creative, printing and mailing tasks? What’s the cost of doing so?
What quality of materials do I want to use? Will I be using custom photography or stock images?
What kind of testing will I run?
Will I include a special offer? What costs will be associated?
Will I need to hire help to handle responses from the campaign?
What are the costs of other media I may use to complement my direct mail efforts?

If you have a tight deadline or a limited marketing budget that is ok. Our highly skilled staff has decades of experience helping customers complete their most challenging projects on budget and on time.

Whether you have complete answers to the above questions or still need some figuring out to do, contact us today. We can help you strategize and mobilize a successful direct marketing campaign so you can feel like you’re playing with a full team.

The Tray Way is the blog for Tray, experts in the printing, mailing, logistics and promotional products. You can learn more about our capabilities by visiting our website, as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages. For information about the company and its successes, visit www.trayinc.com

Monday, December 24, 2012

Maximizing Marketing: Integrating Digital with Direct Mail

With the emergence of so many social media platforms and digital marketing enhancements, it is critical to integrate them into your existing direct mail marketing strategy. The popularity of mobile phones and the apps we love we so much has grown so high that for many people, these apps aren’t just popular, they’re necessary to run their businesses and personal lives.

Direct mail is still one of the most powerful, driving forces behind a successful marketing plan. This is an interesting fact to note considering that twenty years ago CD players and beepers were practically ubiquitous in our society.

Now that these are on their way to being completely obsolete, we can see that direct mail is still as prevalent and necessary as it was twenty years ago and beyond.

We came across this study which revealed the following:

“According to research by Mail Print, 85% of consumers sort through and read selected pieces of mail every day while the other 15% let it sit for two or more days at a time. 75% of consumers are saying that they are examining their mail more closely in the recent months to search for coupons and discounts. 40% of consumers say that they have tried a new business after receiving direct mail, and 70% have renewed relationships with businesses that they had previously ceased using.”

With direct mail still being so potent, we recommend putting out direct mail that features hallmarks of creative imagery, captivating information, and clear design – with digital elements. A QR code creates engagement, either through static content or mobile commerce.

Furthermore, QR codes lend themselves well toward tracking purposes, creating a direct mail campaign that engages, follows through on active consumer participation, and makes it easy to clearly track ROI.

Also consider integrating personalized URL’s (PURL’s) which are also effective drivers for websites and mobile platforms. These direct prospects to personalized microsites customized to suit their particular needs to interests. At the microsite, marketers can easily capture individual responses and data.

How will you integrate direct and digital? Tell us in a comment below.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Tray Inc. Sponsors 2012 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Tray Inc. is a proud sponsor of the 2012 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award! Congratulations to all qualifying quarterbacks, and good luck on making the final cut!

For more information on the award, here is a press release from Weiss PR Associates, Inc.

Narrowed from an original field of 29 of the country’s top college quarterbacks, there are now 10 candidates remaining for the 2012 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

The 10 finalists for this year’s Golden Arm Award are:

Matt Barkley, USC

Landry Jones, Oklahoma

Collin Klein, Kansas State

EJ Manuel, Florida State

AJ McCarron, Alabama

Aaron Murray, Georgia

Denard Robinson, Michigan

Geno Smith, West Virginia

Tyler Tettleton, Ohio

Tyler Wilson, Arkansas

Named after the man many refer to as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game of football, the prestigious Golden Arm Award is presented annually by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc. and Transamerica, a leading provider of innovative business and personal financial services.

Candidates for the Golden Arm Award must be completing their college eligibility or be a fourth-year junior, on schedule to graduate with his class. Candidates are judged upon character, citizenship, scholastic achievement, leadership qualities, and athletic accomplishments.

The 2012 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award will be presented on Friday, December 7 at The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel, 550 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

Established in 1987, the award previously has been presented to 25 outstanding young men. Past winners include Peyton Manning (Tennessee, 1997), Carson Palmer (USC, 2002), Eli Manning (Ole Miss, 2003), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame, 2006), Matt Ryan (Boston College, 2007), Colt McCoy (Texas, 2009), and most recently, Andrew Luck (Stanford, 2011).

Proceeds from the Golden Arm Award help to support the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The Foundation provides financial assistance to underprivileged and deserving young scholar-athletes throughout Maryland and Kentucky.

The namesake of the Golden Arm Award has a storied history. Johnny Unitas was an 18-year veteran of the NFL, who played his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before joining the Baltimore Colts in 1958. His career passing figures include 2,830 pass completions for 40,239 yards, 290 touchdowns and throwing a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games.

Unitas was inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in 1979. The Hall of Fame, in commemorations of the NFL’s 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries selected Unitas as the top quarterback of all-time. In turn-of-the-century listings, he was named to Sports Illustrated’s list of top 10 athletes, Time Magazine’s list of 10 most influential athletes, and ESPN’s series on the 50 greatest athletes of the century

In addition to Transamerica, sponsors of the Golden Arm Award include: Athlon Sports, The Babe Ruth and Sports Legends Museum, Baltimore Sun Media Group, Bloomberg Television, Century Engineering, Coach for America, Comcast, Dunbar Armored, GEICO, HMS Insurance Associates, Inc., Metropolis Funding, Panini, PSAV Presentation Services, R2i.ntegrated, Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel, TRAY, The Scott Garceau Show, Union Memorial Sports Medicine, VPC, Inc., Weiss PR Associates, Inc., Woodberry Kitchen, and Wilson Sporting Goods.

For more information, visit: www.goldenarmfoundation.com,

www.baltimoresun.com/sports/college/golden-arm/, or www.athlonsports.com/collegefootball/golden-arm.