Print Mail Is Top Choice

Marketers want commercial printers to share the blueprints from their clients' success stories. However, as most printers know, few clients are willing to share those secrets with competitors. What commercial printers can share, however, are the keys we know to be the difference-makers when it comes to increasing our clients' return on investment (ROI) rates. As advertising dollars are reallocated to include e-mail campaigns, pop-ups and banner ads, it's time for commercial printers to remind marketers about the unique and undying ability direct mail has to create a more effective targeted campaign. The Internet has opened a new realm of possibilities for the advertising industry, but it has made it more difficult to personally connect with target audiences.

According to the Direct Marketing Assn.'s 2006 Statistical Fact Book, printed direct mail remains the top channel used by marketers. When considering various direct mail options, many marketers believe that postcards present a unique advertising solution. The DMA reports that postcards attract the most attention compared to other types of direct mail.

Printed postcards offer many benefits to marketers. They are portable, transportable and storable. Not only do they arrive in the hands of targeted recipients, but they also can be passed along to others or easily filed away for future reference. This is something that cannot be done on the Internet. In fact, many people have reservations about online privacy, and are therefore afraid to click on ads that require them to input information. Direct mail hurdles that roadblock and ensures message delivery.

Postcards become even more effective and practical when tailored to individual recipients. The days of untargeted mass mailings are, for the most part, over. Accurate address and contact information for mailing lists combined with variable-data print can increase customer ROI by four to six times that of a regular direct mail campaign. The information on each postcard can target different niche audiences based on behavior, income, demographic and age, among other traits.

Another key benefit of direct mail: It's traceable, allowing marketers to easily track ROI for all postcard campaigns and analyze the impact of their advertising efforts.

When it comes to printing postcards, I suggest going through experienced print providers that specialize in the product and offer top quality print reproduction and finishing services—critical components of a postcard campaign.

Postcards should be printed on ultra premium card stock, such as the Inspire 12.5-pt. coated that International Paper mills for us. We also recommend overall aqueous coating to guarantee that the pieces are durable enough to withstand the mailing process and arrive looking immaculate.

The Internet has also given postcards a boost through online ordering. Online color kits with advanced color-matching technology allow postcards to be printed by the thousands exactly as they appear on client computer screens. The kits calibrate computer monitors and convert their colors and designs into a printer-friendly format.

Postcards are a strong print product whose high visibility and convenient format will keep them a top advertising tool for years to come.