Print marketing has been around for ages, and like anything else that has been around long enough there are plenty of myths surrounding it. Many people have been saying that e-mail marketing is the way of the future, but with current trends that simply isn’t true. There are many misconceptions people seem to have about print marketing that are similarly untrue, such as:
1. Print and Direct Mail Marketing is Less Eco-Friendly
Many people believe that direct mail marketing has an adverse effect on the environment. While paper obviously uses trees, after years of refinement the process has become much greener than previously thought. Much of the paper we use today is from sustainable tree farms or managed forests that replant more trees than they cut down every year(up to 4 million a day!) More paper is being recycled every year, too- annual paper recovery has increased 81% since 1990, and now more than 60% of paper is recovered for recycling and repurposing.
2. Print Marketing is Ineffective and Costly
It’s easy to point at the initial cost of investment of a print campaign and say it’s high. Sure, compared to an e-mail campaign, it can seem costly, but when you compare response rates and Return On Investment (ROI) of marketing methods, direct mail and print marketing are much stronger. It’s much harder to ignore a physically printed mailer than it is to delete or send an email to a spam folder, and less risky too- you won’t ever get a virus that will cripple your computer or steal your bank passwords from opening an envelope.
3. Print Marketing Cannot be Personalized
It seems a lot of people believe that direct mail and print marketing pretty much stopped evolving once someone figured out how to print different names on envelopes. On the contrary, with the advent of variable data printing you can now customize every single aspect of your mailer from envelope to content for each demographic or even individual customer you want to target.
4. There are Limited Options with Print Campaigns
Print technology has advanced to the point that you are no longer bound to conventional letter size or shape. Many companies have formed creative and unique campaigns based around sleek mailers custom cut to fit their needs, like a flap detailing product highlights or cut in the shape of a company logo. You can also add PURLs or QR codes and include a custom website or online portal for each customer to access their own site from their mailer and bring them directly to your website.
Print marketing is often ignored as people seem to think it is outdated or expensive. As a result, the market is open while printing technology advances every day. Take advantage and maximize your ROI for marketing with a personalized print campaign.
If you would like to know more about direct mail campaigns, call Brooks Litho today and see how we can help you.