The Simons Group: Simons Scoop - Creative Communications | Copywriting, Print & Web Design

Use the direct approach to boost Web sales

Think direct mail has been eclipsed by online marketing tools? Think again — and this time, think about how direct mail can help make your online presence more effective. Done right, direct mail can be one of your most effective marketing tools, especially when you use it as part of an integrated marketing communications program.

The trick is to determine what works best for print and what is best to leave on the Web. In general, when color is important, print will beat the Web every time. Every monitor is calibrated differently, so if it’s critical that your blue widget doesn’t look purple, you’ll have better control in print.

Print is also a good way to remind readers about the website, because everyone has a favored medium, and it’s not always electronic. Hitting customers and prospects from different angles reinforces the message in ways that a single medium cannot provide.

If, on the other hand, you want to give your audience a lot of information that would be expensive to print and mail, then putting that information on your website makes sense. If you have confidential information that should be password-protected, the Web is the only way to go. Finally, if you are doing something experimental that you want to tweak as you go along, a website is easier and cheaper to change than anything in print.

Your mailings should build on your website, and vice versa. Use direct mail to introduce customers to new products, for example, and the website to show them how the products work. Or use the website to survey visitors for insight that will help you plan your next direct mail campaign.

As media becomes more sophisticated, marketing plans can’t rely on just one approach. Companies need multiple contacts with their customers and prospects, in a variety of formats, to achieve their goals. Instead of making print obsolete, the Web has actually increased the need for printed information — not only because printed materials will drive traffic to your website and increase the number of contacts you have with recipients, but also because many people still prefer print and the powerful statement that ink on paper often provides.

For more information about how The Simons Group can help your organization with print and electronic marketing projects while meeting supplier-diversity requirements, contact Lee Zoldan at lzoldan@thesimonsgroup.com.