QR Codes: Where and How to Use Them

(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

So, if you’re toying with the idea of addinga QR code to your next direct mail campaign, here’s what you need to know:

QR Codes Work

There is still some debate as to the effectiveness of QR codes. Some say they don’t pull in the numbers, others say they do. What’s causing the controversy? Many direct marketers aren’t using the technology correctly. However, when QR codes are smartly placed and properly used, the results speak for themselves. A 2013 report from ScanBuy shows 6.7 million scans in just one month.

They’re Not Limited to Retailers

Sure, QR codes are great for retailers. You scan, you get a coupon, BAM. Your chances of turning a prospect into a customer just skyrocketed. However, that’s not the only industry that benefits from the use of QR codes. Restaurants, such as The Melt, are now using the tech to allow their customers to quickly place an order. They scan the code as they walk in and before they are seated their order is already on the grill.

The use of QR codes even extends as far as the big screen. Producers used QR codes to help promote the 2010 movie Inception by placing them on t-shirts, posters, and other merchandise for consumers to scan. The code took them to website titled ‘What is Dream Share?’ - a page specifically designed to add intrigue and suspense prior to the big release date.

But There Are Limits

Ok, let’s get something straight here. QR codes can be great, but they do have their place and that place is not on the side of a speeding bus. How could anybody scan a code if it’s flying by them at 45 mph? Nor does it pay to place one on a poster in a subway station, where mobile service is questionable at best. Always keep accessibility in mind, and use the same logic when considering placement on your postcards and mailers. You won’t see any gain if your prospects can’t access the code.

With a well-considered strategy, QR codes can provide a wealth of opportunity you otherwise may have missed.

What’s your take? Have you come across any particularly innovative or creative QR codes? Tell us about it in the comments!

How to Create a Successful Direct Mail Campaign Timeline

So much to do, so little time! At least that’s what it feels like when you’re gearing up for a new direct mail campaign. Between the time you decide a new campaign is in order and the moment your DM pieces hit mailboxes, there’s a lot that needs to happen. How can you help manage stress and stay on track? Keep your campaign organized with a well-planned timeline. Here’s how to create your own:

1.) Look at the Big Picture

When planning a new campaign, the first thing you should do is consider the timing. What are you selling or promoting? Air conditioning services, for example, are best marketed just as the weather starts warming up. Always keep seasonality, as well as holidays, in mind.

2.) Get Creative

About four months from the time you plan to send mailers for your new campaign, gather your team or grab a strong cup of espresso - whatever your method is of brainstorming - and get those ideas generating. Think about the goal of your campaign. Is there a promotion or event you can organize to help you attain it? Do you want to use a unique feature or freemiums to draw attention to your mailer? Get creative and take good notes!

3.) Brush Up Your Database

Did you know that it costs roughly six times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an old one? That’s why it’s so important that you make sure to include any and all past customers on your mailing list, in addition to reaching for new audiences. A well-made mailing database is vital to achieving campaign success. If you’re not sure how to build or enhance your database, a qualified professional can help you create a comprehensive list and find the most cost effective way to deliver your pieces.

4.) Get the Deliverables In Early

After you’ve decided what the goals of the campaign will be and how you plan to achieve them, get in touch with us at least two months in advance of the target delivery date. The success of your mail campaign relies on perfect timing, and that means timely delivery of mailing lists, due dates, target delivery dates, and artwork sent in a compatible format. It takes time to review those materials and generate a time estimate. You don’t want to procrastinate and miss your target delivery date, or end up compromising quality in order to meet time constraints.

5.) Check and Double Check the Blueline

After receiving your artwork and files, you’ll receive a blueline and color proof that will need to be reviewed and approved. Be sure to carve out the time you need to thoroughly review it, because any errors on the blueline will end up on your printed materials. Pay attention to everything you see – copy, line breaks, page breaks, borders and cropping. Aim to have the blueline reviewed and approved about 45 days before it’s due to be sent out.

6.) Measure the Responses

Congratulations! Once your mailers hit the post truck, the tough part is over and done. Now all that’s left to do is measure the response rates. Expect the biggest boom in the first two weeks after delivery, but leads may trickle in for up to six months afterward. Use your measurements to gauge how successful your campaign was and how you can use those results to improve your next one.

How do you organize a campaign timeline? If you have any other tips or suggestions, tell us in the comments! 

The Marriage of Print and Digital Marketing

(Photo courtesy of sxc.hu)

Enough with the debate over print or digital marketing already! We know that direct mail marketing is still the king and digital marketing is coming in strong, but the newest theory is that together they’re a powerhouse of success. And it makes sense. Think about the fact that direct mail still boasts the lowest cost-per-lead and the highest conversion rates. Now, consider the creativity and personalization that digital marketing can provide. Bring them together and boom! You have an unstoppable marketing campaign.

Understanding the Union

We could ramble off a dozen reasons for choosing a mailer with digital elements vs. strictly digital, but honestly, the truth is in the numbers. Generation Y is much more greatly affected by traditional media than digital. In a recent poll, nearly half of the Gen Y’ers surveyed better retained information from a print ad, whereas not even a quarter said the same about digital. However, with 62% of young people accessing the internet daily, it would be unwise not to at least consider the growing power of incorporating a digital element into that mailer.

How to Make the Jump from Traditional to Tradigital

Right about now, you may be saying to yourself “That’s all well and good, but what does it mean? How do I make this marriage work for my campaign?” Well, the answer comes in the form of relatively new technologies like QRcodes and PURLs (Personalized Uniform Resource Locators).

Even Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, is quick to address the benefits of incorporating digital elements into direct mail pieces. He notes that these technologies have the ability to actively engage mailer recipients with the product or company by allowing receivers to use their smartphones to make quick purchases from a catalog or launch a video.

The generations that marketers need to appeal to now are of a different breed than those in years past. Millennials and Gen Y are clearly still affected by traditional print marketing, but they crave a certain level of personalization and engagement that print can’t always achieve on its own. The integration on new technology bridges that gap, thus creating a world of tradigital marketing.

So, you see, the future of B2C marketing relies not on replacing one material with another, but on evolving current methods. With new found knowledge and the help of an experienced print company, you too, can find yourself ahead of the curve with profits to show for your efforts. Contact us today to get discuss how we can help you’re business embrace the tradigital future!