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Print in the marketing toolbox

Interesting times

21 June 2020 Stuart Nimmo Direct Mail Marketing Print based marketing Print in the marketing toolbox , No Comments

Many people are saying the world will be a different place and things will change. However, you can take a different view on how things will progress. People’s attitudes and value sets will have significantly shifted during Covid-19 lockdown. I am watching people “craving” after the smallest of things on Facebook, and much of this is physical things which people have missed. 

We are at a unique point where the button has almost been reset. You can be the individual, business or organisation that shifts thinking or leads, creating the way you want to be remembered for engaging with them. The quote “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi has a real resonance as your actions can be key. Many people would have heard me say, it’s not the “What” but the “How”. 

We use as the premise of how we talk about marketing as it’s about educating your customers, users, members about what you offer in your product or service. Educationalists often use a framework of Visual Auditory and kinaesthetic learning techniques. So whilst your audience has been bombarded with Visual and Auditory during Covid-19 lockdown, the opportunity lies with the kinaesthetic or physical engagements. In-person is very limited, with social distancing, and hesitance, getting physical with your marketing and communications will fill the void.

Last week, we had multiple conversations around this subject, with some very clever advisors and consultants to some interesting audiences. All with the same views around excessive online had dulled the message that the respective audiences were receiving. In every case the realization to change the communication method was key, yes that is the “what” but in every case, we turned to the “how” which resulted in different methods. All stemmed around the use of physical direct mail. Whether marketing communications or CPD educational programme resources, the need to engage and add value is at the heart of the message. 

Yes, you can follow the sheep, be bamboozled by the rhetoric, understanding how people engage, will only ensure you can get a result from your investment in communications. Speak to any seasoned marketing and communications professional, they will talk about the tools in the toolbox, one tool does not do everything. So if you want to get more physical and kinaesthetic, why not consider a conversation with us to add some magic back in your toolbox?

Building your presence

22 September 2019 Stuart Nimmo Customer Service Print in the marketing toolbox , , , No Comments

Turning prospects to customers is the art of marketing. Understanding the needs, wants, desires of your potential customers is the key to harnessing the right results. Print is one of the under-spoken about tools in the marketing toolkit, so let us unpack it a bit more.

Ask any marketer about the customer journey, and you’ll get a wealth of knowledge and they will all agree on the vast number of touchpoints it takes to influence a customer to say yes.

A useful premise to remember is marketing is educating your customer about your “Product”. Ask any educator about how people learn and they will tell you about Visual Auditory and Kinaesthetic learning styles. Everyone one is different, to how they learn and what they respond to. This does mean that any marketing strategy needs multiple touchpoints of different content medias which engage with potential customers.

Of course, the relevance of this is essential. Knowing and understanding your customers is key. A useful place to start is by creating a pen portrait or profile, think about; age, background, family/home life, work/income, social circles, any other relevant factors.

Touchpoints:

  • Websites – yes you’re reading this blog.
  • Social media – we can guess a social platform directed you to this link.
  • YouTube 
  • Events /tasters/roadshow stalls (face to face) – ensure your audience go away with the right physical call for action, from sign up cards, flyers or something more substantial like a brochure.
  • If B2B, then business networking can also help you build trust with your potential customers too. See our blog on getting you remembered 
  • Partner promotion – cross-marketing can be very powerful when the right partners are identified and a mutual win-win is achieved.
  • Print advertising, can be very effective when placed in the right publications and combined with editorial material to back up the advertisement content.
  • Direct mail – let your creativity run here, the objective is to create an item which will engage for the greatest amount of time, which has total relevance to the recipient. See our blog on Direct Mail
  • Poster or banner placement, this is the drip feed to the conscious. Again creativity is key, challenge people to look twice, use wordplay to excite the reader. Think about placements in more unusual places to catch people’s eyes.

It’s worth looking at the retention of information span of any touchpoint used within a marketing strategy. Digital communications tend to be more “instant” of the minute whilst print is renown for having a longer user engagement lifespan. The impact and the potential cost and the resulting in a return on investment. Assessing these factors should drive the priorities within your marketing plan, or the mix you use to drive your audience to engage more with your business or product.

Revisiting the customer pen portrait will also provide key indicators towards the tone of voice (language) of your communications, along with a visual style which they will respond to. This will also form part of your brand proposition and identity. If you need further assistance on building this further we can direct you to relevant specialists.

Word of caution, critical friends are essential at this point, getting individuals who understand your product/business to review you customer pen portrait, quiz your understanding of their habits, will significantly aid you in getting this right. Equally asking key allies to review independently or ask questions blind which will help you confirm these essential marketing points.

So how does print engage with this, we are experienced in supporting small businesses, ensure that your products visual identity matches and works with your audience. We’ve got substantive experience in tailoring promotional materials to fit your budget and ultimately your price point. We have loads of tools for promotional print, from the obvious to the more subtle for brand awareness. Print is a tool that can drive traffic to your other communication channels to improve the customer journey for your potential customers. Along with solutions to help you sign and brand your “place” to ensure maximum visibility.

Whilst as a printer, we’ll happily guide, support and ask questions to ensure your marketing buck, is getting you the best bang, we don’t do marketing strategy or other media. We’re fortunate to know many professionals who can help you. These professionals are the full source professionals who work across different media to maximise the impact and delivery of your marketing messages.



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