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IN A DIGITAL WORLD PRINT STANDS OUT

POWER TOPRINT

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Despite digital being one of the most used formats of marketing and advertising, print is making a comeback from its expected demise. Demographic and environmental trends are pushing against digital and making print the clear winner. Marketers should be aware of these trends and introduce print back into their point of sale marketing campaigns to combine offline and online channels. Having a 360 campaign will allow your brand to flourish against competitors who only specialise in one channel.

Simpson Group’s #PowerToPrint whitepaper addresses current myths surrounding using print in marketing and why print isn’t a dying method of marketing and advertising. From Direct Mail to Point of Sale, Print is very much current. We have decided to focus on the 8-main misconceptions of print.

Marketing today is a very different world to what many are used to, and businesses (especially B2B Businesses) need to market to all types of audiences, including millennials. Though Senior management levels including Directors, CEOs and Board members are currently Baby Boomers and Generation X, the up and coming

Marketing managers and department managers of today are millennials and future marketing impact is weighing on their future decisions.

This whitepaper also discusses the change in generations in a marketing department, and how businesses should adapt to these changes.

OVERVIEW

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The digital revolution hasn’t put an end to print media, but instead created a new type of reader – a hybrid reader. A one who can juggle between digital and print. When considering the pros and cons of digital it is easy to see that print often comes out on top of maintaining an interest amongst readers.

Digital often offers a more convenient and portable solution, however printed media was made to be digested easily without any strain to the eyes. Often screens tire the eyes out over a period of time of intensive reading, however with paper the contrast between the white pages and the crisp text creates an environment that allows your eyes to read and digest the information comfortably.

Did you know, 80% of mail is opened, whereas 80% of emails remain unopened. Recent surveys also show that 33% of consumers don’t trust in those brands that don’t offer printed communications and 69% would never choose a company with no printed bill option for transactions.

Make a change or incorporate print advertising into your marketing campaigns for the following reasons:

1. Printed material is easier to read and to navigate than digital content. Often people get lost in scrolling pages on a tablet giving no sense of where you are in the text.

2. We retain more information when we read printed material.

3. This is due to the fact that we tend to skim content that has been created digitally.

4. Digital content doesn’t offer us the same tactile experience as print reading, giving the user nothing to touch and interact with.

Creating campaigns that utilise both mediums can be more powerful than either on their own. Use printed point of sale such as hanging signs and units to direct consumers to online content.

#1 CONSUMERS DON'T DIGEST PRINT

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#2 PRINT IS IMPERSONAL

A trend in marketing is the power of personalisation and humanising your brand. Consumers like to see something that they know a brand has taken time and effort to know who they are and what they are interested in. This could be the segmentation of the individual’s interests and even down to their name. A common myth today is that print cannot be personalised.

Simpson Group offers a print solution called web2print, this includes variable printing which allows you to personalise print. Variable printing allows you to keep everything on the document the same, including the logo and colour scheme, but you can change the name of a customer, city or any other information which is data driven. Research has found that using personalization in printed marketing materials improves return on investment by an average of 50 percent. Here’s a few tips on how to add a personal touch to the impersonal.

1. If you have multiple stores, try using variable printing where you can add the map of each store along with their names. This gives your consumers

the knowledge of where your store is and directs them towards it. Printed signage and posters in window displays are a great way to do this.

2. Use data to differientiate offers. If you work in a bank’s marketing team and you can save customers in Newcastle 9% if they sign up today, but you want to offer customers in Brighton the same deal but with a different %. Using variable printing allows you to offer this and gives you the power of changing it and then submitting to be printed direct.

3. Use images to connect to your consumers. Segment your customers off into different categories that categorises their interests and hobbies, and engage with them using these images that they positively respond to.

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#3 MILLENNIALSPREFER DIGITAL

Millennials may be digitally savvy, but they’re not constantly connected. We often assume that millennials live in a cyber world where all they do is stare at social media and other phone related activities, however what we don’t realise is that so many digital ads are being pushed to the millennial that they have started to ignore the messages and opt for other options that target them. It’s no surprise to see that 80% of emails are left unopened, this is due to mass-marketing becoming tedious and repetitive, where the receiver presumes it’s a same message they’ve received time and time again.

The “Millennials: An Emerging Consumer Powerhouse” study from print and marketing services provider Quad/Graphics conducted a study amongst millennials to see what type of advertisement they best reacted to. The results came out that 77% preferred Direct Mail, compared to only 51% preferring Internet and email.

It’s hard to pin down which type of messages are read best by millennials, however analysing the reports from the study provided by Quad/ Graphics it is clear that millennials respond best to a multi-channel approach, combining both online and offline.

Companies need to start learning how to target millennials to ensure a smooth customer journey and brand experience. 47% of millennials state that they discover a brand from Twitter, however prefer to use physical printed coupons and catalogues.

It all boils down to authenticity. millennials are experts at zoning out radio ads, youtube ads and lightbox pop ups. Instead capture their attention with print, whether that is indoor signage that captivates the consumer or a postcard with an offer on. Whatever the point of sale, it needs to be something that creates a call to action and makes the consumer want to research your product more. 91% of all referrals in the B2B market are through word of mouth, however use print to tap into the millennials emotions and offer them something digital marketing cannot.

Millennials can look up any problem up online and find the solution. That means they aren’t interested in what product or service you have: they want to be told how it solves a problem. Make this your key angle when using direct mail or printed media, and you’re sure to see a positive response.

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#4 PRINT DAMAGES THE ENVIRONMENT

False. Many printed materials are produced using recycled waste products rather than virgin timber. At Simpson Group, we print on recyclable material, which in the long run will benefit your business.

Most of our units are constructed from a number of corrugated cardboards. When it comes to corrugated cardboard, there is a whole range to choose from. By recycling your units, it reduces the demand for virgin timber. It takes approximately three tons of timber to produce one ton of virgin timber, therefore we are advocates of recycling at Simpson Group. We are currently ISO9001 recognised and have also achieved a ISO14001 certification. We have also attained a number of industry certifications, including: ISO Environmental & Quality Standards.

We are committed to the environment through reducing the amount of wastage that we produce. We were also one of the very first printing companies in the UK to move to solvent free UV ink. As well as all members of staff undertake waste management and recycling training.

We work with a range of different types of flute profiles, however the most common one that we use is EB Flute. EB flute is usually 3800-4100 microns (3.8mm – 4.1mm) in thickness. EB flute consists of a thin wall consisting of a fine thinner E flute, and then supporting this is the commonly used B flute, which is thicker in depth. This gives our unit an exceptionally sturdy finish that looks great when printed on.

Some of the key facts about paper’s sustainability highlighted are:

• Between 2005 and 2015, European forests grew by an area the size of Switzerland - that’s 1,500 football pitches every day!

• Europe recycles 72% of its paper

• 84% of the industry’s raw materials come from Europe

• Between 2005 and 2013, the CO2 emissions of the European pulp and paper industry were reduced by 22%

• 56% of the industry’s total primary annual energy consumption is biomass-based

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#5 PRINT CAMPAIGNS ARE NO LONGER EFFECTIVE

Use print to capitalise on how the brain works. In 2009 Millward Brown conducted research on how the brain reacts to print compared to digital. Print created a more of an emotive response because of the feel and touch of the materials. This can help in the development of the experience and the brand association that comes with the touch and feel of the print campaign.

Digital campaigns can only be looked at and to the full extend a screen can be touched to interact with the campaign. However, the touch and feel of a print campaign is more dominant in printed advertisements. Print media when packaged properly can pack a punch, using cleverly thought out campaigns can drip your customers into the sales pipeline without them even noticing. Where digital can be very “sell, sell, sell” “buy me now!”, which the first response would be resistance.

The term print is dead has been around the block a few times, and the saying is becoming somewhat outdated and old. Whilst advertising and marketing have always had problems, print media is a channel that has stood strong despite challenges from other marketing channels.

Another misconception is that printed campaigns are hard to track compared to other channels. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

1. Use ad specific sub domains. By doing this you are able to track the traffic landing on each sub domain. You can measure the ROI of the ad and see how many people are seeing your ad compared to how many transactions are being made. If you have used an ad specific discount code, you will be able track this using who clicked on the sub domain and used the discount code corresponding to that page.

2. Use ad specific coupon/ discount codes. You can easily track who has seen your printed advertisement if you include a discount code to the printed ad. Once a purchase has been made using the code, this is when you can measure the effectiveness of the ad compared to how many sales you made before and after it was placed.

3. Monitoring sales is always important when you place ads. You will have to consider other possible factors of an increase in sales such as other marketing channels. However always measure your sales before and after a printed ad is placed. Say you have 50 sales before the ad is posted and 150 after the ad was posted. You can presume that your print campaign was effective in driving and uplift in sales.

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#6 PRINT AND DIGITAL DON'T MIX

The vast majority of companies don’t combine their offline and online channels because most of the time they don’t know where to start. If you’re of the latter and are looking for some tips on how to utilise print and digital then read the next few steps on how to create the perfect point of sale synergy.

1. Use digital opt-ins for direct mailings.Direct mail will become the new form of communication to send prospects and clients information regarding your products and services. The GDPR has given print a new lease of life amongst marketers.

Use a digital opt-in to learn about your customers needs and wants from your company. Offer your clients the service of sending out product catalogues and booklets, even though this information is likely to be online, nohing beats holding a glossy (or matt) brochure with your name on it. This is where personalisation is key! You don’t want to create a direct mail shot where you make your client feel they are part of the mass. Make them feel special and go that extra step further.

An Omni channel marketer knows when mail is arriving and can use this knowledge to activate other touch points such as email and telemarketing. Direct mail can be used to anchor and drive a digital campaign.

2. Use personalised URLsReaders will probably disagree with the statement that QR codes will make a comeback in 2018, but the improvement of technology from the likes of Apple they look like they could really come back. Gone are the days where people would stick a QR code on anything just so that they look like they understand how to use them, people are actually putting them to innovative use and harnessing the data that they can possess.

All you need to do is launch the iPhone’s native camera app, and it will automatically read the codes — no extra software required. Companies are using QR codes to drive their content marketing and social media

initiatives. For instance, retailer Cath Kidston recently teamed up with Pinterest to launch “Colour” QR codes.

It seems that gone are the days where a one size fits all to retail. In the retail industry, we expect to see a new type of store on the market, a one that has evolved and has made sure that they are doing the correct procedures in a market that is coming more and more digitalised each day.

With QR codes you can leverage humanising your brand by offering personalised URLs for your audience to click through. This gives you the opportunity to effectively track metrics of your direct mail campaigns.

3. Combine social media and in-store displaysIn-person events are a big driver for brick and mortar businesses, as well as any brand that are trying to drive footfall into their stores. During these events, you can distribute print materials to engage in one-to-one conversations that helps build your brands equity, but you should also be using a strategy to take these offline customers online.

Having customers who you can contact on both offline and online channels can benefit the way that you distribute your marketing messages. Use your printed materials to get your customers to follow up online.

Using social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram allows you to take over an event space through promoting your brand and directing prospects to your stand. Social media allows your brand to interact

Using an unconventional marketing tool in the B2B sector isn’t unheard of, a lot of brands such as IBM, Cisco and MailChimp are utilising Snapchat to connect to their target market, who at the end of day are still consumers looking to buy into a service for their business. We take a look at how your brand can utilise Snapchat to elevate engagement and to make your client’s experience more personal.

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#7 PRINT IS ONLY AFFORDABLE IN LARGE VOLUMES

In the past companies had to spend more to save more, however thanks to innovative technology at Simpson Group, companies can print short runs when necessary. Our online stock ordering system allows you to select pre-printed stock from a branded online store-front.

This online solution allows you to simply choose a product, add to your basket and order. Your professional quality promotional items will be delivered to any branch of your business direct. It’s as simple as that.

It’s brilliant at reducing the time managers need to spend on stock for branches. Adjustable levels of approval also allow Head Office control combined with local knowledge to ensure that only relevant POS is issued in exact quantities, eliminating waste and ensuring timely deliveries for every event.

Simpson Group has a web to print UK service available online to allow our clients to produce targeted, regionalised and highly relevant POS for direct delivery to shops or area managers. This online solution for fully customisable in-store advertising allows you to simply choose a product, check the proof and order. Your professional quality promotional items will be printed and delivered to your business. It’s as simple as that.

It’s brilliant for campaigns and brand-wide advertising, while allowing complete control over your branding. Adjustable

levels of approval also allow Head Office control combined with local knowledge to ensure that only relevant print is produced in exact quantities, eliminating waste and ensuring quality every time.

Our web to print service saved one of our clients £2,000 over two campaigns and saved their marketing manager 40 hours in administrative work per month.

We have an ongoing commitment to reduce our customers’ print costs through re-engineering, design and investment in the latest workflow and print technologies. Land and property costs in North East England are amongst the lowest in the country. This is combined with a front-end design and sales office in the south at Langley, only 30 minutes out of central London meaning we don’t compromise on service. Our buying power means we are able to source materials direct from paper mills when necessary and allow us to negotiate the best deals on ink supplies. Needless to say, this is reflected in our competitive print prices.

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#8 ALL PRINTERS ARE THE SAME

A common down side of using different printers for your in-store campaigns is that no two printers are ever alike. Often this is a misconception about point of sale printing, however from the options offered, the equipment and where they source materials might differ. Using more than one printer for your marketing materials might result in noticeable variations in your print, which could lead to brand confusion.

The best way to ensure a constant flow of high quality marketing material is finding a printer who goes beyond meeting your expectations and using that printer for all of your printing needs. At Simpson Group we have a policy of constant investment in both our staff and kit, ensuring that high quality is something that we’ll always offer our clients. Having a working relationship with your printer is important, it’s often not enough to send your printer your order and be done with it. Simpson Group’s dedicated client services team are with you every step of the way, making sure your print is perfect from start to finish. We love to add a humanised aspect into our customers purchasing journey making sure that we fully understand your brief and what you expect from us.

We have 46 years’ worth of experience in the printing industry making any questions you may have answerable

by our team. We can offer suggestions on materials, printing finishes and more to suit your brief to help you achieve that uplift you want in your product sales. At Simpson Group we have a team of in-house CAD designers who specialise in new product innovation, these talented individuals can create your media from scratch.

For more information on our services and products please contact 0191 416 1579 or email sales@simpsongroup.co.uk.

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