5 Ways to Make Your Print Catalog Campaigns Rock

From brochures, business cards, and mailers, it takes a variety of marketing collateral to build a comprehensive, successful marketing campaign.

Among the most critical pieces is a catalog, and it’s still the surefire way to build awareness of your products and services to customers and prospects. According to Data & Marketing Association data, 41% of millennials and 53% of Gen Xers reported enjoying catalogs.

With catalogs making a comeback, let’s make them work for your business.

5 Ways to Make Your Print Catalog Campaigns Rock

Choose the Best Size

Make your products stand out on the page by choosing the right catalog size.

If you have fewer products or services, you don’t need large spaces devoted to photos. The sizes of 5 ½ by 8 ½ inches or 6 by 9 inches will suffice.

On the other hand, if your products are intricate or detailed, you need space for large photos or illustrations. In that case, 8 ½ by 11 inches or 9 by 12 inches will be more comfortable.

Consider Coating

Customers and prospects can feel the difference between the catalogs they receive.

Getting your catalog to stand out is essential to getting it noticed. Adding an aqueous coating is one of the easiest ways to make it pop. To enhance your pages, you can choose from gloss, matte, or satin coating. 

Decide on the Best Binding

Another top consideration is the binding that will keep your catalog together.

Saddle-stitching is often your best bet because it’s user-friendly and affordable. This allows readers to open the catalog and lay it flat while reading.

Discover other styles such as case bound, perfect bound, and pamphlet stitch.

Remember to create your catalog in four-page increments to allow maximum use of the space and prevent the need to add blank pages.

Tell a Story

Essentially, your business is publishing its own magazine with a catalog.

It focuses on your products and services and the people, work, and mission that support your company.

Demonstrate your dedication to your business and the customers you serve. This will help you stand out by explaining why you’re different and better than your competitors.

Solve Customer Issues

Your customers have pain points.

After identifying those issues, show how your business addresses these challenges or how they can overcome them with your help inside the pages of your catalog.

Catalogs can be a powerful marketing tool if done correctly.

Partner with us as your printing provider to get the marketing expertise that makes a difference in your business. Let’s get started!

Attract More Qualified Leads Using Print Marketing

Print media can be an effective tool for generating leads and capturing the interest of potential customers.

With 73% of all consumers showing a preference for print advertising, it's easy to see that print media is still an excellent business initiative today!

How to Attract More Qualified Leads Using Print Marketing

Both affordable and accessible, print marketing can be leveraged to increase your lead generation and capture. Here's how:

1. Identify Your Target Audience

To create effective print materials that will speak directly to your target audience, it is essential to clearly understand who they are, their needs and interests, and how they prefer to receive information.

2. Determine Your Print Materials

Once you have pinpointed your target audience, the next step is determining which print materials will be most effective for reaching them.

This may include business cards, brochures, flyers, magazines, newsletters, or postcards.

3. Design Your Materials

Having determined what materials you will use to reach your target audience, the design process can begin! 

The right images, colors, and fonts will resonate with your target audience and help reinforce your brand.

4. Select Quality Print Supplies

When printing your materials, don't overlook the importance of high-quality paper and ink to produce an eye-catching result.

Our expert team can advise you on the perfect products for your project! 

5. Track Your Success

After launching your print campaign, it is vital to track its success so you can determine what is working and where improvements need to be made.

This critical business strategy could include tracking website visits, social media engagement, and direct contact with your leads.

Capturing Leads Through Printed Materials

Integrating traditional and online marketing methods could prove invaluable in attracting more leads than either strategy alone. Consider these suggestions:

Personalized Mail

Using personalized letters to reach customers is a foolproof way to increase response rates.

To create an immediate bond with readers, tailor your direct mail campaigns to each region by incorporating local landmarks or events.

Response Cards

Direct mail campaigns are a great sales booster.

Your direct mail campaign can create incredible conversion rates with the right incentives and attractive offers.

Maximize this opportunity by creating attractive brochures and including order forms that can be sent back via the mail.

Consider using this for customer feedback surveys to identify areas where your business could grow.

Promote Online Resources with Print Products

Enhance your social media competitions by asking customers to post images of your product or store and include a unique hashtag only available through direct mail, postcards, or posters.

This is an effective way to ensure that participants have seen your print materials and are engaged in the promotion.

Business Cards

Exchange business cards with potential customers in a professional setting to ensure that your lead-generation efforts are successful.

You can ensure each party gains contacts or leads by taking the initiative and exchanging cards during networking events.

You could print specialized cards for trade shows or events demonstrating how your business fits in with the exhibition to stand out and make a lasting impression.

This will create an unforgettable memory of you and your brand - plus, quick follow-ups are an excellent way to rapidly grow your network of connections and possible sales opportunities.

Are you looking to increase the reach of your print marketing materials? We can help. Contact us for print media that is sure to make an impact! 864-882-3609 www.PrintitinColor.com 

4 Top Reasons to Use Direct Mail to Help Build Your Brand

It would be best to build brand awareness when you start a business or revamp its image. So what's the best way to do this?

Direct mail!

Not only is it what your customers want, but it's also incredibly effective. Research shows that 73% of customers prefer direct mail over other marketing channels! And according to the Data & Marketing Association, in 2019, the average response rate for direct mail campaigns was 9%, and consumers engaged with 96% of direct mail.

So, why not take the plunge into direct mail?

4 Top Reasons to Use Direct Mail to Help Build Your Brand

Direct Mail is Terrifically Tangible

Unlike digital marketing and social media, direct mail requires you to touch it.

You may think digital is the way to go because people are always online. But the reality is that they are bombarded with online ads that they tend to ignore.

Direct mail, on the other hand, requires the viewer to pick it up and read it to take action, whether it's throwing it away or hanging it on the fridge. 

Furthermore, this tangible experience is significant in trust-building. It acts as social proof of your brand authenticity, which is excellent for your awareness-building marketing efforts.

Displays Your Expertise

Delivering whitepapers, reports, guides, newsletters, etc., to customers, without a call to action can help you grow awareness and develop trust.

Sending this type of content to customers sets you up as the expert. They will create an image of your business that causes customers to turn to you when they need your expertise.

Shows Your Audience You Know Them

Direct mail can pinpoint the right people at the right time.

Brand awareness means you know your target audience and get suitable marketing materials in front of them at the right time.

Direct mail is perfect for this as you can mail it out at the right time and send it to a targeted audience.

Improves Recall and Builds Trust

A growing body of evidence suggests that consumers trust direct mail because of the unique way that paper-based advertising connects with the parts of the brain that control how we feel and remember things.

A 2015 study by Canada Post showed that direct mail marketing "requires 21% less cognitive effort to process and elicits a much higher brand recall" than digital media. This helps build trust and recall.

Direct mail also involves more emotional processing than other channels, which is essential for memory and brand associations. As a result, your customers will remember your efforts more when you send direct mail.

When you use direct mail, you boost your image and build brand awareness. And when it's time to create something new, you know where to go. Contact us today!

7 Powerful Postcard Direct Mail Ideas We Love

Postcards are a practical, versatile medium to send in your direct mail campaign. According to the Data & Marketing Association, postcards get a response rate of up to 4.25%, one of the highest in direct mail marketing.

Take advantage of this marketing method with seven postcard direct mail ideas we love! 

1. Switch up the norm

Although standard postcards are 4.25” by 5.5”, usually in a horizontal position, not all postcards are designed this way. 

Try switching it up with a larger postcard format with dimensions of 5.5” by 8.5” or change the orientation by sending a vertical postcard. These designs that deviate from the norm will stand out from the crowd and make the recipient take a second look. 

2. Make bold designs

With bright colors and attention-grabbing images, your postcard will speak for itself. 

Be bold in your design choices. The design significantly influences how long a piece stays in a home. Of course, adhere to your branding guide so the final design still looks like your company and produces the image you want to share. 

3. Include a compelling Call to Action (CTA)

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and brainstorm what message would compel you to act. 

Whatever you decide, ensure the action you’re requesting is easy and will yield high rewards. For example, fill out this short questionnaire to receive a $10 gift card. Or perhaps visit our website by following this QR code to receive 50% off your next purchase.

4. Provide testimonials 

Center your postcard design around a couple of happy customers and their testimonials. 

Testimonials are powerful because they can increase overall conversions by 34%. Perhaps this is because 88% of consumers trust user reviews as much as recommendations from someone they know. Whatever the reason, providing testimonials boosts sales. 

Make sure to include short but impactful quotes. There’s not much room on a postcard, and you don’t want to oversaturate it. 

5. Send multiple postcards 

Sometimes marketers make the mistake of contacting a prospect once and then leaving it at that.

But clients often need multiple points of contact before the conversion. Therefore, make it part of your strategy to send several postcards to the same person over time. It’ll keep your business on their mind and give them the nudge they need to act. 

6. Personalize the postcard

The more personalized, the better. 

Some 84% of customers say being treated like a person instead of a number is very important to winning their business. Therefore, try to personalize your communications as much as possible. Identify all possible points of personalization and use what you know about the customer, such as demographics and past purchasing history.

Treat your customers as people, not numbers. 

7. Narrow your focus

Postcards don’t have a lot of surface area.

Therefore, narrow your focus on one key message to not overwhelm the client. Tie in this vital message with an attention-grabbing headline that is true to the intent of the postcard. 

We love postcards thanks to their unique benefits and versatility. Send the best postcard by following the above postcard ideas.

Contact us today to craft a compelling post card campaign that gets your customer's attention!

3 Top Tips to Get Inside the Mind of Your Customers

Don't you wish you could read minds? That would make marketing so much easier. 

But it's not possible, or is it?

There are some legitimate ways you can get inside the minds of current and potential customers. Take a look at the top three ways to do this.  

3 Top Tips to Get Inside the Mind of Customers

1. Talk to Your Customer Service Representatives

Customer service staff have the inside scoop into what customers want and need.

Interview them to find out what customers are calling about, what issues need to be resolved, and what products are the most popular.  

Here are some sample questions to ask your customer-service employees.

• What expectations and disappointments did customers express?


• What improvements did customers want?


• What value were customers hoping to find, and what price were they willing to pay?

2. Analyze the Data 

You probably have spreadsheets of data and information on your customers' buying habits.

Take a look at these carefully. 

Are there certain times of the year when they buy certain items? Decipher their buying habits and then reach out to them on their timetable. Finally, make sure your offer is compelling.

3. Do Spy Work 

Go to social media sites you think your customers are frequenting.

Dig in and learn about who they are and what they're trying to achieve by using your product. See what you uncover. 

Where would you turn to find help for your issues? Hopefully, you will learn what customers want. Then, by aligning your goals with theirs, you can improve customer communications and make sure you're focusing on the right things. 

Now you have tools to get inside your customers. First, make sure you approach them consistently and effectively. Most people need to see your business message seven times to get a response. Keep knocking on those proverbial doors. 

And when it comes to using this information to reach your customers using the printed word, trust us to get the job done right. We go above and beyond to make you succeed. 

Check us out today!

The Ultimate Guide to Running a Print + Email Campaign

Print and email campaigns are not an either-or situation. Instead, they work best when paired together, thanks to their unique, complimentary characteristics. 

Why print? 

Print marketing has stuck around thanks to its many benefits. Print stands out from the crowd, is tangible, sticks around, and is easier to recall.

Why email? 

Email helps build customer relationships, boost brand awareness, and promote content. 

Email marketing has an extensive reach since there are about 4 billion email users worldwide. Due to its many benefits, 79% of marketers list email marketing in their top 3 most effective marketing channels.

A multi-channel approach to marketing is the most effective, perhaps because 72% of customers would like to connect with brands through multiple channels.

Here's what you need to know about crafting a winning print + email marketing campaign. 

The Print Campaign

A properly executed print campaign will drive sales. 

1. Choose Your Audience 

Create a list of people to send printed material to.

Ensure you're sending your print to the right customers for maximum impact. Often the most receptive clients are those who have already bought from you. 

2. Design the Print Marketing Piece

Ideal print marketing materials to pair with email include postcards, stickers, posters, flyers, and booklets. 

3. Increase Engagement & Brand Recognition

Be sure to include… 

• A call to action. Get the customer to act with a compelling call to action that gives them an offer they can't refuse.


• Personalization. The greater the personalization, the more receptive the customer will be. Include their name and other points of personalization.


• Design. Stick to your branding guide and let someone with design experience put it together. The design can make a big difference in capturing the customer's attention.  

4. Send out a Test Run of Your Print Campaign First

Print campaigns cost money, so you want to ensure your campaign will have a high return on investment.

Do a test run by sending the printed marketing piece to a smaller section of your target market. Monitor the results, and see what went well and what you could have done better. Apply this to the primary print marketing campaign. 

5. Be Patient

It can take time for results to come in.

This is in part because of the staying power of print. This means people will often set the printed piece aside on their fridge or table, which they'll get around to later. 

The Email Campaign

Email campaigns can look different ways, but below are some strategies that should help boost sales. 

Putting Together Your Email List

When putting together an email list, it's less important to worry about only sending it to the right customer because emails cost nothing.

Email's low cost is the main reason their return on investment is $36 for every $1 spent.

Instead, the focus should be on creating email segmentation for optimal personalization. Segment the email lists based on location, buyer stage, previous purchases, occupation, hobbies, etc. 

The hardest part of emails is acquiring the email list because, often, people do not want to share their personal information. Try giving them something valuable in return for their email (like an ebook, whitepaper, infographic, report, study, or template). 

General Email Marketing Tips

Below are some more general email tips: 

• Because 55% of emails are opened on phones, make sure the email is optimized for mobile


• Certain times lead to more opened emails than others. Research and test to find the time that works best for you.


• Craft a winning subject line. Draw the prospect in but don't mislead them.


• Follow proven, tested templates to save time and create the optimal email design. 


• Comply with email regulation laws. 

Follow these tips for your optimal email campaign. 

The Winning Strategy

Send a couple of emails, follow up with direct mail, and then send more emails. 

The first set of emails will get your company in the customers' minds. This way, they'll recognize your brand when they receive the printed piece in the mail. Then, follow up with more emails to remind the customer to act. 

Email allows you to reach the customer multiple times at a low cost. This is important because it usually takes about eight points of contact to make a sale. 

Contact us today if you want to take your print marketing strategy to the next level by combining it with email (or vice versa)! We are here to help!  

How to Do a Direct Mail Marketing Campaign on a Budget

Even with a tight budget, you can still run a direct mail marketing campaign with a great return on investment (ROI).

If you focus your campaign, design the mail well, and perfect your mailing list, investing in direct mail can be a wise choice for your company's budget.

Here are five steps to ensure your direct mail is effective while sticking to an affordable budget. 

Step 1: Choose the right product or promotion to market

It's best to start crafting your marketing campaign with a specific goal.

Your company can use direct mail marketing for advertising a new product, a popular service, or even an update or improvement that you've made. 

Promoting something specific that will interest most of the public is wisest. Considering this will help your marketing dollars further increase the likelihood of people taking action after seeing your print marketing materials. 

Step 2: Refine your target audience

80% of consumers are more likely to purchase after seeing an advertisement that they feel is relevant.

Thus, advertising to only a specific subgroup of potential customers can help keep your direct marketing budget low while getting you the best possible ROI. 

Understand the demographic of most of your customers so that you can seek out and target more prospective customers with your direct mail marketing. 

Step 3: Use mailing promotions to keep costs down

Direct mail postage doesn't have to drain your company's budget!

Make sure to research different options available to you since your mail is part of a marketing campaign.

Multiple mailing services like USPS offer discounts for companies sending out ads in bulk. Take advantage of these deals; they could help you save up to 4% of your company's direct mail cost. 

Step 4: Create a straightforward message

If you want your company's direct mail marketing to be effective and cost-efficient, it needs to elicit a response from the consumer. 

The best way to do this is to include a clear call to action (CTA) within your ads. Time-sensitive offers and coupons are a great way to hook prospective customers. Make sure to include contact details so the customer can connect immediately.

Your CTA could be anything- asking the customer to send a reply, use a coupon, buy a product, or visit a website. As long as it's simple and engaging, it has a bigger chance of increasing your ROI. 

Step 5: Track your responses.

If you're spending your company's budget on a direct mail campaign, you want to see what works and what you could do differently next time to improve results.

Include a unique QR code or personalized URL on your print ads that will send customers to a designated webpage and allow you to track responses. Then look at the sales made and the number of coupons used to adjust your campaign so that your money is only being spent on the most effective ads. 

Contact us today to help you craft the perfect message, design the most compelling visuals, and make the most of your print marketing dollars! 864-882-3609 www.PrintitinColor.com