Vol. 2 February 2012
Greetings from Minuteman Press! We hope that this newsletter finds you in the midst of a very busy and very successful first quarter. We here at Minuteman Press have hit the ground running in 2012, as we have once again been rated #1 in the printing industry by Entrepreneur Magazine. We are also very excited to announce that we have opened several new locations and are looking forward to adding many more centers by the end of the year. Please take a moment to read the article below which discusses the benefits of print advertising versus online advertising.
E-Mail Marketing vs. Direct Mail
Today we are living in a world of instant gratification; all of the information that we could possibly want or need is available right at our fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Within seconds of news occurring, we are able to get all the details on our computers, smart phones and other hand held devices.
However, every time that we log online, we are bombarded with advertising. Our email inboxes are overflowing with information and advertisements and pop up ads appear on most of our favorite websites.
With the hundreds of e-mails that we receive on a weekly basis, it is easy to overlook a e-mail or two and possibly even become numb to the hundreds of advertisements that we see on a daily basis. That’s even if the e-mail reaches our inbox; perhaps it got caught in a spam filter or went straight to our junk mail folder. Unlike printed material, a person must actively go looking for an online advertisement. First they must wade through many different subject lines, only skimming each line because they have so many to get through. Then, a subject must be compelling enough to have the reader take the time to click on and open the email
Print advertisement on the other hand is more in your face. Unlike email marketing, you don’t have to go looking for a message; it’s delivered right to your door. This marketing piece is a tangible product that you are able to touch, see, feel and share with others. Even if the marketing piece gets thrown directly into the trash can, the person who is discarding the advertising piece has to hold it in their hands and may even possibly read it on their way to the trash.
There are also a lot of consumers who have more confidence on advertisements seen in newspapers or magazines. Because there are so many scammers on the web, people have a hard time separating what’s real from what’s fraud. While there may also be scammers advertising traditionally, many of them find it easier to penetrate the internet.
But don’t just take our word for it – here are the facts:
1. A massive 80% of households read or scan the advertising mail they receive.
2. 39% of customers tried a business for the first time because of direct mail advertising, while 70% of customers renewed a business relationship because of a direct mail promotion.
3. A study showed that direct mail advertising gives businesses a remarkable 13 to 1 return on their investment (“ROI”) and printed catalogues have been shown to provide a 7 to 1 ROI.
4. 60% of consumers surveyed make purchases via printed catalogues at least four times each year.
5. 67% of online searches are driven by offline messages, with 39% ultimately making a purchase. Shoppers who receive a direct mail piece directing them to an online site spend on average 13% more than those who do not receive the printed piece. Printed catalogues associated with online sites have been shown to boost online spending by 28%.
Print can build your brand and influence decision makers. Try to be creative with it and don’t ignore the power of printing.
Sources
1. United States Postal Service – Household Diary Study
2. Direct Marketing Association (DMA) / Pitney Bowes Direct Mail Survey
3. DMA, The Power of Direct Marketing, 2008-09
4. Art Technology Group, Cross-Channel Commerce: The Consumer View (2010)
5. Prospect Offline Channel Influence on Online Search Behavior Study
