Marketers are naturally consistent, using the same logo and PMS colors in every piece, limiting the number of fonts to only a few and typing page numbers in the same place on every page. This consistency is important because it gives your work a sense of professionalism and authority while providing an underlying structure to…
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Every year, Target Marketing conducts its Media Usage Survey. In this survey, the magazine asks how readers are allocating their budgets, which channels are increasing and decreasing, and which channels readers prefer for a variety of activities, including acquisition and retention. While this survey is not project-able to marketers at large, it does give us…
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One of the biggest misconceptions about 1:1 printing is that marketers don’t have enough of the data to create personalized, highly relevant campaigns. This might be true in some cases, but you might also be overlooking ways to do more with the data you already have. Here are three ways to maximize the use of…
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When we think about color in print marketing and direct mail, we think about stunning images and eye-catching graphics. But what about color in the messaging itself? Here are some highly effective and often overlooked ways that color can be used, not just in your images, but in your messaging, too. Study after study shows…
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When it comes to boosting revenues, many companies focus on acquiring new customers. In fact, according to Econsultancy’s “Cross-Channel Marketing Report 2014,” 44% of marketers are placing a greater focus on customer acquisition than customer retention. Only 18% are focusing more on customer retention. However, focusing on acquisition to the exclusion of customer retention may…
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The topics of security & encryption continue to be big items for 2016. Keep your eyes open for more conversation on this topic, but for now, I want to focus on a simple form of encryption that you’ve probably used without realizing it: HTTPS. HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol for sending and receiving information across…
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Print personalization — you hear about it everywhere. Use printed pieces to talk directly to recipients based on name, gender, past purchase history, or other information to achieve higher response rates and better return on investment (ROI). Is this really a smart marketing approach? Or is it just a gimmick to get you to buy…
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Does Your Marketing Content Sound Human? Whether you are writing text for direct mail, email, blog posts, or any other type of marketing material, ask yourself, “Does my content sound human? Does it sound like something a person might actually want to read?” When competition is fierce, it’s tempting to throw in every feature and…
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We all know the value of color images in your marketing mix, but what about the messaging? Study after study shows that when messages are in color, they have a powerful impact on your bottom line. Among the benefits: Helping readers find information more easily (great for insurance policies, contracts, and other lengthy documents) Reducing…
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Want proof that print drives sales? Just ask the researchers at Temple University, who found that print has more impact than digital when it comes to increasing reader engagement, recall, and ultimately, purchases. The study was sponsored by the Postal Service Inspector General’s office (OIG) in conjunction with Temple’s Center for Neural Decision Making. The…
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