These days, the Internet is the place to be for advertising. But as a company, how do you make a difference in a field that is already largely taken? By looking beyond the confines of digital marketing, of course: in your customers’ mailboxes are a lot of opportunities to stand out with tangible, personal communication. Here with that paper!

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Today we are knocked around the head with commercial messages online. You open your mailbox and hop, half of your received emails are meant to be advertisements. You visit a Web site, but first have to get past a banner or two. Or you go through your social media, which seems to consist mostly of ads. We live largely online, which means that most of our marketing actions are also located there.

Jump straight to your favorite topic:

• Print media are popular: people WANT mail
• TIP 1: Target your audience through targeted targeting
• TIP 2: Combine digital and print media
• TIP 3: A personalized message touches
• Impress, surprise and excite the senses

Print media are popular: people WANT mail

How much importance do we give to the contents of our mailbox today? That was the big question of a survey at Bpost. What turns out: a lot more than you might think. Eighty percent of respondents said they were curious about their mail. Eighty-seven percent even rush to empty the mailbox every day. Twenty-seven percent of mail read leads to action. When you know that on average we receive barely four direct mailings – print media such as a letter, leaflet or postcard – per week, the conclusion is clear: There are tremendous opportunities in the mailbox to reach people.

Tip: Target your audience through targeted targeting

The same research also indicates another phenomenon: SelectPost, a feature similar to the popular selection criteria on social media. People create a seller profile at Bpost. As a business, you can gain insight into this to then send them targeted ads in accordance with their interests. So combine this info with the science from above and you can get started on your target audience very efficiently!

Just an example for some additional clarification. When a child has a birthday, toy store Dreamland sends a playful, personalized birthday card with a coupon. An action that works: more than twenty-one percent of recipients who already received such a card in the mail actually used the voucher during a visit.

“Adding direct mail to your media mix increases your ROI by 20%.

Combine digital and print media

Alone is just alone. Of course, we don’t dismiss the communication mix either. On the contrary. If you want to be effective in your communications, you must use both digital and print media. So look beyond the possibilities of the Internet, but instead target your audience through different channels!

A personalized message touches

To be effective, communication must touch. If we can give one tip: Address your client personally. Use the first name when addressing your letter. Or reference the last purchase to show that you know what your customer is doing. Research* shows that print media such as direct mailings are the way to forge an emotional connection with your customers. Still need some affection? Our HP Indigo is a relationship expert par excellence. He makes it possible to incorporate variable data within the same design: a different photo, different first names, different colors, you name it. The super powers of our printing press are endless to approach your audience in a unique way.

*See: The neuroscience behind the response-driven power of direct mail, Canadian Post, 2015

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Impress, surprise and excite the senses

Jump out of the band! Standing out is done by thinking differently from the rest. So get rid of that same boring, ironed paper every time. For example, go for paper made from grass or wheat, a special cap shape or a laser cut. Choose letterpress or soft touch varnish, or combine colors, printing techniques and finishes so your message speaks even more. The potential of print media as an enticer is endless.

Got enough inspiration? Ready to give your customers a ‘letterbox moment’ to be delivered? We execute your ideas to perfection. Still a question here and there? Pop in (or schedule a meeting via MS Teams), and together we’ll find a solution tailored to your needs. Connect with us through Jesse.

It’s a crisis and everyone is homebound. So how should you handle that marketing-wise, not just today but tomorrow? Our print shop has also had to organize differently to get its story told. An example of our approach is our digital edition of Café Cliché, where we were challenged to create a real-life event from a distance.

Normally, Café Cliché takes place in our buildings: with our printing presses as an infectious backdrop, creative souls learn all about a specific aspect of printing. We invite guest speakers, provide inspirational printed materials and provide snacks and beverages. Our second edition, about letterpress and related printing techniques, had to be completely different: we moved Café Cliché into the living room. It became a success. This was evident from the numerous entries and certainly from the enthusiastic reactions afterwards!

By sending participants an inspiration packet ahead of time and discussing it in depth during the broadcast, Café Cliché became an almost interactive event.

Tangible inspiration package & remote explanation

Café Cliché represents an evening of experience around print. Info and entertainment flow together. Now how do you integrate something like that in a digital context? Initially, everyone who registered was sent an inspiration packet, which included a bundle of inspiration cards that brought together different printing techniques and paper types. During the broadcast, this was discussed in detail by graphic designer An Eisendrath, paper expert Sofie Jacobs of Papyrus and cliché supplier Repro Hermans. Like an accomplished TV host, our very own paper and print expert Valérie moderated the conversation. The result: not an hour of one-way traffic, but an almost interactive event.

You saw the guest speakers at work in places that breathed the history of letterpress, which gave more context to the story we wanted to bring.

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Experts at work in their own habitat

Café Cliché was introduced by guest speaker Patrick Goossens, who explained the history of letterpress printing. The cool thing: thanks to the digital concept, it could be done from his own studio, a treasure trove of century-old printing presses that beautifully illustrated the story. Afterwards, the camera and viewer moved to the Plantin Moretus museum. In that historic setting, An Eisendrath talked about her passion for type printing and what makes this craft so unique.

Finally, we switched to the meeting room in our print shop for the aforementioned inspiration session around maps. In short, three different locations provided more context and gave a deeper dimension to our story, even though everything happened from a distance.

In times when we all converse from behind a computer screen, it has become clear once again how much we need each other’s physical presence. How do you still stay close to your customers in this situation? For example, by choosing a personalized calendar. A thoughtfulness that stays good 365 days a year. Below we give you some effective tips & tricks for a bang for your buck for free.

Tip 1: Be there on time

Christmas and New Year are busy times. Want to make sure you get your calendars in the mail on time? Then start it on time so you can enjoy a glass of champagne without stress during the holidays.

Tip 2: Define your target audience

Not unimportant: who is your calendar for? Sales people and office workers, for example, function in a very different way. One group is on the go all the goddamn time, the other is permanently glued to a desk between four walls. Or maybe your client just spends most of his/her time at home during these times? So decide on the form of your desk calendar first, before you think about the content: will you go for a handy pocket version, a creative wall calendar or a delightfully classic tabletop model?

Tip 3: Consider your choice of paper

Nothing more annoying than a calendar you can’t write on. Yet there are solutions to this as well. Some papers are incredibly beautiful, but less user-friendly. No big deal, in such cases you can, for example, add a sticker sheet to your calendar so that important dates can be marked with stickers. This will give your design a fresh young vibe in no time.

Tip 4: Provide a visual gem

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create a handsome calendar. We can help you perfectly with the design. If there is still enough time, our studio will hit design for you. Still in a hurry and urgent? Also good! Send us your logo and we’ll do the rest. We have a number of standard designs on hand that we fully personalize with your logo. Depending on the print run, you will have your calendars on your desk in a minimum amount of time.

A corporate gift remains a form of branding, keep that in mind as well. Moreover, pay attention to the practical aspect: make sure that all the days are clearly visible and that there is enough space left to write anything down.

Tip 5: A customized calendar

Your calendar can look as simple or extravagant as you like. There are countless different paper types and thicknesses, printing techniques and forms of finishing. A tip: make sure the finish of your printing is a nice translation of your company’s style. To give you an example, our own calendar next year will be entirely devoted to our new acquisition: the HP Indigo 7900. Each month we will highlight a different feature of this super press.

Tip 6: Mark your calendar with important dates

Give your client or employee a hand: dot important dates so the recipient knows immediately when vacations fall and events or outings are scheduled. Of course, the dates indicated must be relevant. And the recipient must be able to make sense of it.

Got enough inspiration? Ready for the real thing? We execute your ideas to perfection. Still a question here and there? Pop in (or schedule a meeting via MS Teams), and we’ll tell you everything you want to know and work together to find a solution tailored to you. Connect with us through David, Valérie or Jesse.