Survival Guide 2021

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Survival Guide 2021

Has it really been a year since COVID upended everything about everyday life? In some ways, it seems like it’s been a month. In other ways, it seems like it’s been 10 years! We don’t know when we will get to the other side of the pandemic. What we do know is that the way we do business will look different when we get there. This issue is devoted to industry trends and lessons we’ve learned helping clients navigate this new environment.

You have to be more digital (and you have to do it well)

Safety protocols are keeping us from getting together in person; traditional fundraising events, trade shows, and receptions have been replaced by video calls and digital presentations. Yes, we hear you saying, “If I have to sit in another Zoom meeting or watch a boring video I’m going to pull my hair out.” Your clients are feeling the same way. But compelling video content is the best way to overcome “Zoom overload” and effectively reach your clients.

In March, Alliance Medical had to cancel their fundraising luncheon, but they were able to quickly pivot to a digital presentation. Using video already created for the luncheon, we added interesting speakers and visually engaging graphics to help Alliance raise a significant amount of money at a time when donations to non-profits had slowed considerably.

Videos do not need to be long presentations or extensive productions to be effective. Sometimes, short and simple are best, and often you can work with what you already have to create a great product. Scouts BSA had us pull together an impactful fundraising video using photos and videos they already had in stock. Graphics and simple animation brought it all to life.

Whether it’s shooting and producing a video or creating a quick digital presentation, we understand the challenges and opportunities of today’s ever-changing landscape and are here to help.

and you also have to be more than digital (it’s easier than you think)

The last few months have made our digital world even more digital. According to campaignmonitor.com, the average number of business emails received in a day is over 120. The average number of consumer emails received in a day is 111. Yes, between work and home, you receive over 200 emails per day! And then there is social media. In the United States, people spend an average of 2 hours and 3 minutes on social media each day. And those are Pre-Covid numbers!

In short, digital is saturated. Banner blindness and display ad fatigue are prevalent – site visitors now ignore banner ads, and seeing an ad over and over digitally (in re-targeting, for example) reduces its effectiveness.

No one is advocating dropping digital advertising (you are reading this post, right?) But in this saturated digital world, printing has gone from an afterthought to a proven way to reach and inspire your audience. Here are 3 takeaways for using print in today’s digital world:

Use print as a premium
Sending a printed piece (such as a letter, a handwritten note, or a marketing package) makes an immediate impact — it shows you are investing in the recipient and value them as a customer. This is not an older generation strategy either. A USPS study found the following about how Millennials love direct mail:
• 87% of Millennials like receiving direct mail.
• 90% of Millennials think direct mail advertising is reliable.
• Nearly half of Millennials ignore digital ads. Yet only 15% say they ignore direct mail.
• Participants’ recall was 70% higher if they were exposed to direct mail rather than a digital ad.
• Participants had a stronger emotional response to physical ads and remembered them better.
• Physical ads triggered activity in a part of the brain that corresponds with value and desirability.

What used to be seen as on old, cheap way to reach clients has now become an effective way to better connect and increase engagement, which leads to a better response.

Print improves response through sensory benefits
One of the reasons printed pieces resonate is they add the feeling of touch to a piece. An article at Think.co points out “Medical research has proven that pleasant touching experiences cause the brain to release the so-called “love hormone,” oxytocin, which leads to feelings of calmness and well-being.” Tying this emotional response to your messaging creates a better customer experience and response. Fortunately, the options for expanding the tactile experience are increasing every day. You can use papers with traditional textures (linen, felt, laid), papers with new finishes (such as soft-touch), or papers that don’t look like paper (wood finish, extra-thick sheets, and magnets). You can also increase touch by adding dimension through the printing process. Raised transparent ink, embossing, engraving, and laser die cutting make adding tactile effects extremely impactful but still cost-effective.

Combine print with digital advertising in a campaign to increase results
Multiple emails can annoy a recipient, but a postcard or letter follow up to an email campaign increases response. The Women’s Center is using Metro to send coordinated email and print pieces throughout the year for great results. Some clients respond better to digital, some respond better to print, and some just need a reminder – an integrated campaign leads to better results by telling your story the way the client prefers to hear it.

Print has the ability to raise your customer experience by standing out from digital — and it’s working better than ever. A well-done business card, a unique brochure, an attractive direct mail piece gets your message across and makes an impact on your customer. If you’re looking for ways to incorporate print, we’re ready to talk options, show you samples and get pricing together for you.

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