Print marketing is far from obsolete. When executed thoughtfully, it can create a lasting tactile impression that digital mediums cannot touch. To truly make an impact, your print collateral needs to stand out, engage, and connect with your audience. Here are some key strategies to enhance your print marketing effectiveness for deeper engagements with your audience.

1. Embrace Sustainability

Sustainability is not just a trend; it’s a responsibility. More and more consumers are making purchasing decisions based on a company’s environmental practices. According to a Nielsen report, 73% of global consumers say they would “definitely” or “probably” change their consumption habits to reduce their environmental impact. Integrating sustainable practices into your print marketing can significantly boost your brand’s appeal. Position your business as a leader in sustainable practices by utilizing vendors with eco-friendly printing processes and options that align your brand with environmental responsibility:

• Use Recycled Materials: Opt for print partners that offer recycled paper and soy-based inks. These choices reduce your environmental footprint and resonate well with eco-conscious consumers. Recycled paper offers a high-quality finished product. Soy-based inks are a renewable resource that reduces harmful VOC emissions.
• Certifications Matter: Look for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper to ensure your materials come from responsibly managed forests. FSC certification is recognized globally as a mark of responsible forestry, assuring your audience that your brand is committed to sustainability.

Consumer demand is dictating that products and packaging be made from environmentally friendly, sustainable, and recyclable materials. When your company invests in producing marketing collateral that protects natural resources and contributes to a greener planet, you’ll be letting your customers know that their concerns matter. 

2. Experiment with Unique Folds and Finishes

Printed material engages not only with visual design, but also connects with consumers through the sense of touch. Use unique folds and specialty finishes to elevate your marketing piece by establishing quick emotional attachments and the full attention of your audience.

• Innovative Folds: Techniques such as gatefolds, accordion folds, tip-ons and pop-ups can capture attention and encourage interaction. With the help of Marketing.com’s efficient equipment, we can fold, convert, glue, tip-on and finish in a single pass!
• Special Finishes: Embossing, debossing, foil stamping, and spot UV coating add a premium feel to your print materials, enhancing perceived value. Embossing and debossing create a raised or recessed effect, adding texture and depth. Foil stamping adds a metallic sheen that catches the light, making your design stand out. Spot UV coating applies a finish to specific areas, creating a contrast with the background and drawing attention to key elements. Adding elements such as soft-touch or lamination provide another tactile feature, enhancing interaction with your piece.
• Die Cut: A versatile technique that involves cutting materials into custom shapes and designs using a steel cutting die. This process can create intricate and unique designs that make your marketing collateral stand out. Die cutting can enhance the visual appeal of your materials by creating intricate patterns, unique edges, or layered effects. 

3. Utilize Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail remains a powerful and effective strategy for engaging prospects and customers, driving website traffic, and enhancing marketing efforts throughout the customer journey. With 71% of consumers eagerly anticipating their daily mail, its relevance is undeniable. Here’s how businesses can leverage direct mail:

• Acquisition: Direct mail is particularly effective in converting prospects into customers. By understanding buyer personas, both B2B and B2C companies can use actionable consumer data to identify and segment audiences. This targeted approach ensures that direct mail pieces offer real value, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
• Loyalty: Direct mail fosters customer trust and builds loyal communities of repeat customers. It establishes brand familiarity and, with interactive print innovations like QR codes, can deliver personalized incentives based on customer habits and experiences.
• Remarketing: Direct mail is an efficient method for retargeting and reengaging audiences. Businesses can automate their direct mail campaigns to send timely reminders, keeping their brand top-of-mind while the initial experience is still fresh.
• Expanded Audiences: With a clear understanding of their target customers, businesses can leverage machine learning and customer data optimization through platforms like GoogleAds and Facebook Advertising. This approach creates lookalike audiences that share traits and behaviors with existing customers, leading to more relevant and effective ad targeting. The result is a greater ROI, improved cost-per-click (CPC), and an expanded customer base.

4. Personalization and Variable Data Printing

Personalization is key to making your audience feel valued. Variable Data Printing (VDP) allows you to customize each piece of collateral with unique information tailored to the recipient. Combined with print on demand (POD), you experience the benefit of adding variable elements to your marketing material and printing the items as needed. From a basic personalization of a recipient’s name to utilizing data about likes, past purchases, or interactions with your company, the personalization options are endless.

• Tailored Messages: Personalized messages can improve response rates significantly. For example, including the recipient’s name or customized offers based on their past behavior can create a more personal connection. According to a study by Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences.
• Segmented Campaigns: Use VDP to segment your audience and create different versions of your collateral, ensuring each group receives the most relevant information. Segmentation can be based on demographics, purchase history, or other criteria, allowing you to target your messaging more effectively.

5. Explore Fun Packaging Ideas with Custom Mailer Boxes

Are you looking for an easy way to leave a lasting impression on your audience? A custom mailer box is the perfect solution. The most innovative brands are leveraging custom mailer boxes to set themselves apart throughout the customer journey. Custom mailer boxes are a powerful marketing tool that can:

• Create a memorable unboxing experience. Use custom mailer boxes for influencer marketing to make a strong impression with influencers who unbox your products.
• Showcase your brand’s identity and distinguish your products on the shelves and in the mail with unique and custom boxes.
• Engage your audience with a unique, tangible piece.

6. Integrate Print and Digital Through Interactivity

Capture the attention of your customers with printed marketing collateral that includes an interactive element like a QR code that bridges the gap between print and digital. When scanned, your print materials take customers through memorable and immersive experiences that can include augmented reality (AR), video, and animation, and introduce them to a wide range of product content, discount codes, and tutorials. Research shows that interactive content is more effective at grabbing an audience’s attention than static content; 88% of marketers reveal that interactive content is more effective in differentiating their brand from the competition.

Adding interactive elements also provides measurement and analytics that static print content does not. Tracking customer interactions initiated through print content connectivity helps you uncover their preferences and behavior and provides a clear look at where marketing promotions are successful and where improvements can be made for better engagement.

7. Effective Use of Multi-Channel Marketing

It should come as no surprise that the most effective marketing campaigns work together seamlessly and are coordinated across print and digital channels. Your print collateral should be part of a cohesive marketing strategy that spans multiple channels to create a unified brand experience for your audience.

The best way to manage and piece together every facet of your print and marketing campaigns is with a customizable multi-channel marketing platform. A fully integrated platform lets you prepare assets, streamline workflows, and provide up-to-date data analytic capabilities all through one user-friendly dashboard. The ideal platform will let you manage print jobs remotely, organize and access files easily, and improve collaboration and communication across marketing teams. 

Keeping your print marketing collateral fresh and exciting requires keeping your messaging consistent and constantly adjusting to the preferences of your customers. Technologies and innovative print techniques give you better ways to create and manage content that motivates your customers and engages them at every stage of your relationship.

As you explore these options, remember that the goal is to create a meaningful connection with your audience that extends beyond the printed piece. Want to dive deeper into any of these strategies? Contact a Marketing.com print marketing expert today to learn more about how we can help you connect the dots to build stronger relationships with your audience.