Westamerica

While there has been a lot of talk recently about brands abandoning direct mail in favor of digital and social media tactics, this certainly isn't the case for all marketers, as Cabela's and Kohl's made clear recently when each announced intentions to pour more money into mail.  Why are they doing this?  Because of mail's ability to connect with consumers.  (Excerpt from Marketing Powers Activate!)  READ MORE

We know.  Postage ain’t cheap.

Want to get the biggest bang and the most return for your mailing budget?  Then check out these resources.  We’ve scoured the internet in search of the most helpful resources on direct mail and the use of print in an integrated marketing campaign.  CLICK HERE to open our Creative Mail Resources PDF.

A Store for your Brand

If your job includes responsibility to protect your company’s brand identity, there are new tools available today that can help.  Online digital storefronts can be ideal solutions for collateral management.  These real-time web based solutions allow your end users (field offices, outside reps, dealer networks, etc.) to order literature from anywhere, anytime 24/7.  Protect your brand by offering either finished marketing materials or print-on-demand templates (including personalized, variable-data documents).  Your storefront is password protected and secure, with customized user-rights allowing some to place orders, others to review/approve orders, and admin levels to view online usage and inventory reports in real-time.  Our system also integrates with optional sales and marketing modules to create marketing campaigns, track responses, and generate orders for fulfillment. 

To learn more about Westamerica’s digital solutions, visit our RESULTS ONLINE page.

What does your shirt say about you?

Plenty - if you want it to.  Some creative and adventurous folks out there are printing "QR Codes" onto t-shirts, to create walking billboards for themselves.  Heidi Tolliver-Nigro writes about it HERE.

To learn more about how to use QR Codes to promote your business, check out this STORY on our web site.  Mark our words - you're going to be seeing a lot more of these codes in the coming months.  Get on board!

 

QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) are 2-dimensional bar codes that have the potential to revolutionize marketing campaigns. Around in Europe since 1994, QR Codes are becoming more popular in the United States due to our wide adoption of mobile “smart” phones.  Here’s how they work:

• Step 1: A QR Code is placed on a piece of media – perhaps a postcard, marketing collateral, outdoor sign, clothing, and more.
• Step 2: A person takes a picture of the QR Code using their mobile phone, and software on their phone will decode the QR Code.
• Step 3: At that point, the person will be instantly directed to a website or a landing page, or see a special text message, or perhaps receive a special offer coupon code.

Marketing applications and opportunities for QR Codes are limitless.  Use them to:

1. Provide “find me” maps and directions to a store from a printed billboard.
2. Promote an event or concert on flyers, postcards, or billboards with a link to order tickets.
3. Build “collect-them-all” games that engage consumers in an interactive relationship.
4. Enable mobile sales from catalogs or flyers, and/or distribute coupons to mobile devices.
5. Print codes on business cards to connect to company sites and landing pages.
6. Connect direct mail pieces to You Tube videos or podcasts.

When you see a QR Code “in the wild”, you will need two things:  a mobile phone with a camera, and QR Code reading software.  Once the software is on your phone, you can easily snap a picture of a QR Code and be directed to the appropriate message or web site.  There are quite a few software programs that can read QR Codes.  Here’s a few that we’ve checked out and recommend, based on your smartphone type:

For i-Phone:  i-nigma
For Android:  Barcode Scanner
For Blackberry:  Scanlife

Westamerica encourages you to begin making your print interactive by using QR Codes today. We can help you generate your own QR Code to try on your next campaign.  For more information about QR Codes, contact your WAG Account Rep.  Additional content is available at Using QR Codes to Grow Your Business

Social media is all the rage.  Of course we know that.  Building “community” online is a key strategy for many of our clients.  But, it takes time, energy, and money to develop and execute a compelling online strategy.  And is there a return on that investment?  Are companies seeing any increase in sales revenue as a result?  Check out this latest survey of marketers, conducted by eMarketer: Where’s the ROI?  We strongly believe that an integrated marketing approach, using multiple media (including of course, print!) is the key to business growth.

One-to-One Marketing. You’ve heard about it before. Maybe you’ve even tried it on a campaign. Variable-data printing (VDP) technology is becoming commonplace. But the expertise to harness this technology to help you achieve record-setting results is quite rare in the marketplace. Here’s a couple of rules to ensure campaign success:

Rule 1 – Start with a good database.
Make sure you’re speaking to the right audience, and using the right message. Three keys to a successful VDP campaign are:
Database of Target Market. Ensure your market (your list) is well defined. Start with your existing clients to determine a “sweet spot”. Then work with a data-mining expert to find more prospects that share those common characteristics.
Compelling Offer. Relevance is key! Your offer must be relevant and of value to your recipient. VDP allows a unique offer to each person on your list.
Content. This is the creative component – your message and your graphics. Use what you know about your audience to focus the images and the message, driving them to take action. And please make it easy to respond!

Rule 2 – Add some color. 

According to InfoTrends Multi-Channel Communications Measurement and Benchmarking study:

Marketers report an average improvement of 35% for multi-channel campaigns (using print, email, and web landing pages) over single channel print-only campaigns.

There is no question that online communication has changed the way the world interacts, stays informed, and purchases products. But experience has shown us that choosing print or online tactics isn’t an “either or” proposition. In fact, online and print, when used in a coordinated campaign, enhance the delivery of messages and increase marketing results.

2X – Consumers receiving a printed catalog are twice as likely to buy online than those consumers who do not receive a catalog.
67% - of online action is driven by offline messages.
86% - say shopping is easier when they have a printed catalog.

Things change. Media evolves. Technologies improve. But the need to engage consumers remains the same. Having a clear, integrated strategy that uses both print and online increases your success rate. The message is clear, print ignites online action.
(Source: Print with Purpose, Appleton Coated LLC 2009)