Today, there are many tools available that can help make your printed marketing collateral stand out. Printed pieces can be integrated with other marketing channels, be cut into unique shapes and sizes, and be personalized to each and every recipient it goes out to.

At R and R Images, we know that, print is still a very effective and important marketing medium …despite all the noise about it being “dead.” That’s why we wanted to put together a few cutting edge tips so that you can make your audience say “Wow” to your next printed campaign!

QR Codes and NFC

You may be familiar with QR Codes, but NFC, near-field communication, is going to be “the next big thing” in the upcoming years.  Similar to QR Codes, NFC codes can be printed on your marketing collateral so you can link your printed piece to a website or landing page of your choosing, through a mobile phone.  The difference is that, unlike QR Codes, NFC codes don’t have to be scanned.  If you have a phone with an NFC application on it, you can simply tap whatever it is that has an NFC code printed on it…and your phone will take you to the landing page!

One great example of how NFC-technology is being used right now is in a campaign called ‘iMobSMRT spaces’ that utilizes “smart posters” in the public transport stations of Singapore.  NokiaConnects.com explains, “…commuters will now be able to make transactions, exchange digital content, and even book a taxi by tapping their NFC-enabled smartphones on NFC tags. Commuting is suddenly a whole lot more interesting.”

This is a very new technology, but is something that should definitely be on your radar when it comes to the future of direct mail.  In the meantime, stick with QR codes, and make sure they are directing to mobile-optimized pages! 

Die-Cut Printers for Customized Shapes

It’s easy for printed marketing pieces to get lost in piles of brochures, papers, and mail, but customized shapes could be one way to make your collateral stand out.  With the use of die-cut printers, your printed collateral could be in customized shapes that are relevant to a specific campaign, topic, audience, interest, and more.

For instance, if you are a restaurant, make your printed piece be an image of a burger or pizza, with the shape cut to its size.  If you are in a sports-related industry, make your printed piece be an image of a baseball or football.  The same strategy can be applied to almost any industry vertical. 

DeliverMagazine.com shared a success story of one Florida-based company, whose owners claim that shaped mail can increase the response rate over “regular” direct mail by at least two to three times.  It also states, “New Postal regulations that allow for custom-shaped mail in sizes as large as 12″ x 15″ to be delivered to mailboxes without envelopes have resulted in the shaped mail craze.”

For a number of years now, R and R has offered laser die cutting for low quantity die cutting and production prototypes. We also recently added traditional die cutting to further raise the bar in variable data mailings.

A unique shape to your marketing material will definitely make your audience look twice!

Use the Information You Have

With the help of databases, we are able to store important pieces of information about our audiences.  If you are not utilizing this information for future campaigns, now is a great time to start!  Some great ways to take advantage of existing data you have are to utilize PURLs and previous orders.  PURLs help create a personalized marketing piece, so your audience can be addressed by name, and any other listed information about them on the collateral.  You can also use previous orders in order to help you develop campaigns around specific audiences within your database.  If there is a product that just received an update at your business, you can create a campaign for all past customers who purchased that product.  If a customer downloaded an eBook or brochure concerning a particular subject matter of your industry, you can use that information to position new, related material as a follow up campaign.

These tactics are strategies that will make your audiences feel like you know who they are, and what their needs and wants are.

We hope you have found this informative and helpful! Please let us know if there is anything else you would like more information on…or if you would like our team to help you execute your next direct mail campaign!