Right Tool, Right Job

Print and mail remains a key part of a multi-channel messaging effort

By George Linkletter

Thanks to advancing technology, the business of customer messaging is continuing to shift from the previous approach of a one-to-many, mass communications effort to the emerging world of highly targeted, one-to-one and even interactive communications.

The key technologies that enabled the previous approach – essentially movable type and high-speed printing presses, along with the hand delivery of paper-based information – are still viable and will be for the foreseeable future.

But newer, much faster and more efficient electronic distribution technologies have taken hold which make the older technologies look, well, centuries old.

For printers, the new world encompasses digital printing technology and new or ancillary services such as electronic messaging, asset and content management, print on demand and web-to-print, database management and publishing, and fulfillment and order processing.  

For marketers, the allure of the rapidly emerging world of social networking is a powerful attraction, as is the desire to measure the ROI of every marketing and advertising dollar.

The old refrain -- “50 cents of every dollar I spend on advertising is wasted – trouble is, I don’t know which 50 cents” – is both quaint and outdated.

Yet, the print-to-mail world still offers marketers real value in reaching customers. Here are just six examples.

Politics – Every household contains voters. The USPS reaches every household in the US.  Despite the immense success of the Obama campaign, and especially its use of electronic messaging and social networking to attract funding and support, state and local candidates and campaigns still need to reach voters. 

High Margin Products and Services – ROI is the name of the game. If the profit margins are sufficient, or the lifetime value of the customer is high enough, even seemingly ‘expensive’ channels such as print and mail make sense.

Unique Offers – Messages that contain a combination of offers attract the attention of the recipient.  Offers that are combined can be distributed at lower cost. And combined offers can yield a return that is greater than for offers distributed in isolation.  Opportunities to combine offers abound. 

For example, near my home there’s a Loew’s 14-screen cinema, a Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, and a Best Buy electronics store, all located at a single, relatively remote site.  I’ve been to each independent of the other, but never in combination. A combined or coordinated offer that amounts to a ‘destination’ offer – enticing customers to visit all three locations -- would benefit all three businesses.

Local Focus – Anecdotal evidence suggests that small and medium size businesses (SMB) are still relying on print and mail. They may even be reallocating funds from other marketing channels to mail. These firms tend to serve a smaller market area, so print and mail is a cost effective way to reach their market.

Repeat Business – Every business wants new customers to grow. But retaining existing customers, and growing the amount of business from an existing customer, can be more cost effective than searching for new ones. Print and mail can help build strong customer relationships and grow in-store traffic.

Test and Target – Why do your customers buy? There may be no better way than print and mail to measure and boost the effectiveness of offers, copy, graphics, and virtually anything associated with an offer.

There is no doubt that print and mail volumes are down. But the value of the channel still exists. The key is to capture its inherent value, to keep one foot in the proven effectiveness of the old world while transitioning and unlocking the high-potential value of the new one.

Comments? Contact georgelinkletter@charter.net