Tag Archives: interactive marketing

3 Ways to Shift Marketing Strategies in the Age of COVID-19

Posted On: Category: Dimensional Print Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing, Ideas & InspirationTag(s): , , , , Posted By:

The rise of COVID-19 has brought an array of challenges for brands, one of which is effective marketing. With a drop in on-site video and photo production, teams being asked to work from home, and businesses being forced to shutter indefinitely, it’s certainly pushing marketing teams to think creatively about how to cope with our “new normal”.

Here are a few ways to shift your current marketing strategy to help better equip your business during COVID-19.

Ditch the handshake: Unfortunately, we’re living in a world in which face-to-face interactions aren’t feasible for many of us for the foreseeable future. At a time when lead generation feels as though it’s being challenged, focus on engaging with the accounts that have the greatest potential for revenue. Refresh your LinkedIn page and increase your engagement with new or former customers. Set up one-on-one webinars to demo a product or service that can be shipped or installed in a safe environment. Create an immersive experience for prospects as soon as they visit your website or social media channels.

Shift dollars to dimensional: We all seem to be spending a lot more time in front of our screens than usual these days. Instead of investing in a one-dimensional marketing strategy, consider using print mailers to your advantage. Dimensional print pieces like the ones at Structural Graphics and Red Paper Plane stand out, deliver the message you want, and offer an interactive experience that’s sure to be remembered.

Communicate: We can’t think of a better time to strengthen your communications skills. Whether it’s updating internal staff on company news or sharing how your brand is pivoting during this time, consistent and engaging communication is integral to the longevity of any business.

Use It or Lose It

Posted On: Category: Dimensional Print Marketing, Direct Mail MarketingTag(s): , , , Posted By:

Thanksgiving is already a little over a week away, which means, the end of 2019 is upon us. For marketers with leftover money in their budgets, the end of year brings the prospect of using it now or forfeiting it next year, especially when revenue goals aren’t being met.

Spending your marketing dollars wisely is essential, even when the race is on to “use it or lose it.” Dimensional mail, the kind we offer at our online ordering division, Red Paper Plane, consistently delivers response rates that are 3X those of traditional mail, which are already superior to those of email.

Dimensional mail is effective, efficient, and at Red Paper Plane, fast. We have over 60+ designs to choose from. Each is ready to be designed by you on easy-to-download templates, and most ship in as little as 7 days.

Don’t waste your “use it or lose it” budget. Get the most from it at Red Paper Plane. For examples on how you can USE IT WISELY take a look at how others have found success below:

First American sent this video mailer to C-level executives, showcasing a recent client success video. These prospects were decision makers, so the piece needed to capture their attention.

The technology solutions provider, Eze Castle, hoped to turn new prospects onto the company’s cloud based solutions. They generated a positive buzz by including a promotional item in the well.

 

 

 

The company, EI Microcircuits, promoted their Ninja Circuits prototype services to prospects using the Flapper®. It continuously folds into itself allowing for multiple panels to showcase brand content.

The state government agency, Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, included this Pop Up Pen Holder, which promoted the agency’s brand beliefs, in a brand kit that conference attendees received.

 

 

 

 

Study: 64% of Marketers Say Direct Mail is their Highest Performing Channel

Posted On: Category: Audio / Video Marketing, Dimensional Print Marketing, Direct Mail MarketingTag(s): , , , , , , , Posted By:

With new technologies being created every day, is direct mail still relevant?

According to a recent study by Lob and Comperemedia, without a doubt. The study, which includes data gleaned from more than 200 marketing industry leaders, concludes that marketers view direct mail as their strongest performing channel and actually plan to increase the amount of mail they distribute in the future.

“These results validate a lot of what we hear from our customers,” said Leore Avidar, CEO and co-founder of Lob in a press release. “Marketers know that direct mail is an effective channel, and they want to utilize technologies that allow them to fully integrate it with other touch points in their customer campaigns. As email unsubscribe rates skyrocket, marketers are looking for similar tools to replicate traditional digital strategies with physical mail. Our customers see impressive results when they deeply personalize direct mail for re-marketing or customer retention.”

There’s this belief out there that direct mail is “old school” marketing, which is why some question its relevance and effectiveness.

However, even with its reputation, 64% of respondents said direct mail delivers the highest response rate of any marketing channel they use (5% or greater compared with an average email response rate of less than 1 percent) and 60% indicated that direct mail provides the highest ROI of any of the channels they currently use.

In a nutshell:

  • Direct mail remains an effective channel for marketers across all types of campaigns. A majority of respondents indicated that it is currently their highest performing channel.
  • Customer acquisition is no longer the primary use case for direct mail marketing. Direct mail volume is now spread relatively evenly across the customer life-cycle.
  • Technology has a growing influence on direct mail. Companies are increasingly using software platforms to manage and execute their campaigns, and many expect to see a closer integration between their offline and online campaigns

To read the full survey results, see the report here.

5 Video Marketing Trends You Should Be Paying Attention To

Posted On: Category: Audio / Video Marketing, Dimensional Print Marketing, Direct Mail Marketing, Technology, Virtual Reality / Augmented RealityTag(s): , , , , , , , , Posted By:

Regardless of how you use it, video has become the most popular type of digital content used by people the world over. As such, it’s also a supremely effective communication tool for business, allowing advertisers, marketers, and sales teams to share everything from testimonials, product demonstrations, educational messages, reviews, and more with a target audience.

The research is clear.

According to a report from HubSpot Research, 54% of consumers want to see videos from brands they support in comparison to email newsletters (46%) or social image content (41%). Additionally, the report states that video is the most memorable content (43%) in comparison to images (36%) and text (18%).

But between customers’ varied preferences and the ever-evolving digital landscape, it can be difficult to know where to start. To help you out, we’ve outlined five video trends worth paying attention to, and how they can be used in your own marketing efforts.

Trend 1: Video First. “Video First” is a term coined by Facebook in reference to a growing phenomenon: consumers not only want to consume video, but also produce it. As today’s consumers look to express themselves, video makes it easier to provide a holistic view of ourselves, our lives, and the items we love.

Pro Tip: When developing your marketing campaigns, consider it from the lens of this “video first” mentality and get closer to your audience than ever before.

Trend 2: Live Video. Maybe you’ve heard of them: Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Stories, Periscope. Nowadays there are so many opportunities for live video, whether it’s based upon turnaround time, platform, or something else entirely. Live video, unlike pre-recorded content, draws people in nearly three times longer, according to the same HubSpot study. And brands have noticed.

Pro Tip: Look for the platforms that your target audience is using the most and experiment with live streaming. Perhaps it’s a Q&A session where you can interact in real-time with your customers or maybe it’s a simple look at a day in the life at your company. Whatever topic you choose, make it engaging – this is an opportunity to make your customers feel like they’re truly a part of your brand.

Trend 3: Cost Reduction. With so many high-quality tools at your fingertips, producing video is easier and more cost friendly than ever. At Structural Graphics, we offer custom Video in Print Brochures that marry the tactile feeling of print with the sights and sounds of video.

Pro Tip: With a smartphone, microphone and solid game plan, you’re sure to win the hearts and minds of your audience.

Trend 4: Virtual Reality. You know that cliche about walking in a man’s shoes? Well, with virtual reality, you actually can. Global revenue for this market is expected to reach $3.7 billion by 2020, according to SuperData Games and Interactive Media Intelligence.

Pro Tip: Get ahead of your competitors with our SleekPeeks®, customized virtual reality viewers that assemble in seconds and don’t break the bank.

Trend 5: 360-Degree Video. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a video that offers multidimensional perspectives of places like a room, landscape, or event. Implementing 360-degree video into your marketing efforts offers a customized experience for viewers, literally allowing them to fully emerge themselves in an experience.

Pro Tip: Start small. Think Google 360 View or Facebook’s relatively new functionality that allows users to pan or tilt a panoramic image that’s posted to its platform. Not to mention, 360-degree video content works great with our SleekPeeks® Virtual Reality Viewers! 

Collection: The Custom Flapper

Posted On: Category: Branding, Design, Direct Mail Marketing, Marketing Insights, Print ProductionTag(s): , , , , , , , , , , Posted By:

The Flapper is one of Structural Graphics’ most popular design templates — with it’s inexhaustible space, completely customizable design and interactive nature, consumers are discovering some brands are harder to forget thanks to this creative marketing mechanism that lands your message right into consumer’s hands.   Continue reading →