DIRECT MAIL: A Sure thing? or a Waste of Money?

 

I guess after looking at the post title one might answer that nothing is a sure thing. But the question I am really asking is, Does direct mail really allow for a company to gain new business? Can addressing a post card to the correct person really cause that person to in turn pick up the phone and call you?

I am not sure of the answers to these questions. Our company has done one trial of direct mail pieces. It was to institutional pharmacies, and other pharmacy type businesses. Our goal was to build up the clientele in that area, because we believed our labels and forms could benefit them. The theory behind this choice was that there is a company called Medpass that seems to have the niche market there, and we wanted people to see that they had options. We went the normal route and bought a list that encompassed from Maryland up to Connecticut. We had  a graphic designer create a wonderful brochure, we printed it and had a mail house imprint the addresses and mail them out. We were so excited to have phone calls come in! We waited, and waited and NOTHING! To this day we are not sure why not one person wanted to look into our company.

 

Today, we are a bit gun shy to invest in a practice that showed no return in the past. As printers, we try to get our customers to do direct mail pieces. It’s great for us in that respect. They buy a nice marketing brochure or post card from us, and we get it mailed out for them. Win, win in my opinion.

I am not sure that one try and one failure is reason enough to believe that direct mail is a waste of time and money, so we are leaning towards being open to the idea again. It seems that some peoples careers are based on the art of direct mail, and how to get the most return. Who am I to think that as an expert on the print end that I am also a direct mail expert? For now, I will stick with what I know….PRINTING!

Share some success or failure stories. I’d love to get your feedback as to what worked for you, or didn’t. This practice is working for many, so they have to be doing something right!

BE A CONSULTANT NOT JUST A PRINTER

In today’s world,  technology and products available change so fast that sometimes we as consumers end up left in the dust. What works for you today may not be the most efficient and cost effective way to get things done tomorrow. As a printer, one must not only act as a supplier, one must also act as a consultant in order to make sure that your customer is kept up to date with the newest products.

Case Study: Low-Cost, Premium Quality Retail Labels

CHALLENGE: A chocolate candy-making business was in a desperate situation. There were hundreds of orders that could not be filled for Halloween festivities because of package labeling issues. Blank gold foil sheeted laser labels were being imprinted with product information, and then applied to their respective containers. The issues were that the laser imprints had low resolution and were rubbing off. Requiring better print quality, the candy-maker sought help from their current print supplier. They gave them a quotation for flexo printed gold foil labels. The quote ended up being for 29 copy changes for 30 different types of candy products. The estimate was significantly higher than the cost of imprinting sheeted laser labels. 

SOLUTION: The customer called Foley Business Forms & Print Solutions. Their rep suggested that they imprint die cut gold foil labels with a thermal transfer printer. Come to find out,  they were already utilizing a thermal transfer printer to imprint UPC labels for the backs of their packages. A test order for the existing thermal printer was entered that day; Foley Business Forms & Print Solutions immediately ran the labels and overnighted them, along with a compatible thermal transfer ribbon. 

RESULTS:   The new labeling system test was successful. The premium quality gold foil labels, with high-definition thermal transfer imprints, made the candy packages look as appealing as their contents! The next day, a full label order went into production. The chocolate company’s labeling process hasn’t skipped a beat since receiving that first full order.

That little “what if” scenario represents what it takes to to fully do your job. As a print supplier you must give “value added” services to your customer. This will make sure your customer comes to you on their next order. With the economy being what it is, dollars and cents are being scrutinized. What the end user must realize though is that there is more to it than that. The product price itself isn’t the only component. This is what you must make your customer see.

Will the copy paper that is less expensive jam their copy machine? If so then they must consider the cost of fixing the machine. If someone is sending out invoices and finds using laser paper to do so cost effiecient, maybe you can show them that using a self mailer will in the long run save them money instead of buying the invoice paper, #10 envelope and the #9 return envelope. Not to mention the cost of the man power to stuff everything. Marketing departments are always great idea people. They come up with new ways to make their company stand out. What they don’t think about is what their ideas put into a physical product will cost. This is a great place to act as a consultant. Make sure your customer comes to you to make sure that they are using standard size paper, or are using the most cost effective mailer or post card size. This will ultimately save them time and money.

On the flip side, if you are reading this as a customer then there are a few things for you to think about also. Ask your supplier questions. Think about the services they offer you. Do they just do their job with minimum effort? Have they offered you anything new that could maybe help your job to be easier? If they have, or are trying to offer you something think it over, and maybe take their advice. You use their services for a reason, and hopefully it’s not just for the cost of their products, because I can almost guarantee……You get what you pay for!