Tag Archives: direct mail

Los Angeles Direct Mail – The Key to Success is Experience

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Los Angeles Direct Mail – The Key to Success is Experience
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Los Angeles Direct Mail – The Key to Success is Experience

“Rick” is a young entrepreneur who has an idea for a business that is so obvious, well, it’s one of those services that you hear of and say, “It’s about time.”

Rick is young, but he’s sharp and he impressed us with his knowledge of our business during our first meeting. Like most twenty-somethings, he’s completely dialed in: Bluetooth in the car, Android S6 in his pocket, and an expensive tablet with Windows 10 for sharing when things need to be shared.

Rick has a website and a Facebook page and has a small but steady presence on all the relevant social media sites.

But Rick needs more. “The Internet is crowded,” he told us, “and I’m having trouble getting noticed.” It was a little hard for us to believe because Rick’s business is so unique and it should be in great demand.

After months of testing, tracking, and adjusting his online presence and reputation, Rick threw in the towel. “I’m not going offline,” said Rick, “I’m just shifting strategies a bit to see if something else works.”

That “something else” is direct mail. 

Remember that we just told you Rick is sharp. He’s sharp enough to know when to stop doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different result and he’s sharp enough to do his homework before making a commitment with his marketing dollars. Rick found out that direct mail has shown a tremendous resurgence in the last few years, with reliable estimates of response rates approximately seven times that of a similar digital campaign.

After consulting with us, Rick chose to start his direct mail campaign with a,postcard series, followed by a self-mailing brochure. And he is relying on the full capabilities of Southern California Graphics’ experienced direct mail team to print, sort, and mail all six “touches” of his new marketing approach

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The better printing difference

The creative development of your print job is crucial, of course, but having your direct mail campaign produced by an experienced printer will help ensure that it gets the attention it deserves. And nothing beats printing with a firm that is concerned about the environment.

In the world of Los Angeles printing services, Southern California Graphics (SCG) has been a trusted name for over 40 years. Our design and production teams understand how a target audience experiences a brand, and produces exceptional visual products, including direct mail pieces that get response. Our print shop houses only the leading edge technology print equipment and machinery, including the new HP Indigo 10000 Press, which provides super sharp images and text.

SCG is the commercial printing company with the complete printing experience to grow your business, including:

  • Business cards
  • Brochure printing
  • Folder printing
  • 3D printing
  • Large format printing
  • Catalog printing
  • Direct mail
  • And much more…

When first impressions can make or break your business, turn to SCG to help print what you need to get the response you want. For more information, call us at 310-596-4244 or click here to reach us online.

Direct Mail Los Angeles – Improved Response

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Direct Mail Los Angeles – Improved Response
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Direct Mail Los Angeles – Improved Response

Costa Mesa High School in Orange County, Calif., has not produced its school newspaper, The Hitching Post, for three years. The last time it was produced, it was available only in a digital format, called The Equestrian.

When the recent decision was made to resurrect the publication, the journalism teacher in charge chose print. About the decision, the school principal, Jacob Haley, said, “I don’t think that people get the same feeling from a virtual paper. It wasn’t creating enough conversation. When a print paper is delivered to a classroom, students are excited to read it. It really becomes the voice on your campus.”

testing-direct-mail

The reinvention of a printed piece supports a recent theme in this blog – that those who wrote off print media were premature.

One of the most powerful print options available today is direct mail, which has shown a tremendous resurgence in the last couple of years.

But why? Why is this “old-fashioned” way of communicating becoming such a hot format? The answer is simple: It works. One reliable source estimates direct mail response rates approximately seven times that of a similar digital campaign.

To understand why a prospect would respond seven times more to a printed piece than to a banner ad, tower ad, e-mail, or any other digital format, one has only to understand the target audience.

In any sales situation, the target audience is a cheapskate with the one part of their lives that they can never get more of: They are cheap with their time. Digital formats have made it very easy for all of us to be so efficient with our time that we can delete messaging even before we see it: We can delete e-mails without opening them and we can unsubscribe so that a sender will never be again be able to reach out to us.

But “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these [postmen] from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” And the delivery of your direct mail.

The better printing difference

The creative development of your direct mail is crucial, of course, but having your masterpiece produced by an experienced printer will help ensure that it gets the attention it deserves. And nothing beats printing with a firm that is concerned about the environment.

In the world of Los Angeles printing services, Southern California Graphics (SCG) has been a trusted name for over 40 years. Our design and production teams understand how a target audience experiences a brand, and produces exceptional visual products. Plus, our print shop houses only the leading edge technology print equipment and machinery, including the new HP Indigo 10000 Press, which provides super sharp images and text.

SCG is the commercial printing company with the right collateral materials to satisfy all of your B2B marketing strategies, including:

  • Business cards
  • Brochure printing
  • Folder printing
  • 3D printing
  • Large format printing
  • Catalog printing
  • And yes, direct mail

In a B2B setting, where contracts have crucial dollar value and importance, turn to SCG to help position your brand to get the response you want. For more information, call us at 310-596-4244 or click here to reach us online.

Direct Mail Advertising: Little Things Make a Big Difference

Data drives direct mail
Direct Mail Advertising: Little Things Make a Big Difference
Data drives direct mail
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As we reported last month, there is much renewed interest in the use of direct mail advertising to retain existing customers and attract new ones. There are two important reasons for the rebound of direct mail.

Data drives direct mail

First, there is now an entire generation of consumers whose primary source of marketing messages has been digital, that is, they rely on their computers to get shopping and buying information. For them, the mail is an exciting alternative.

Second, everyone – and we mean everyone – is becoming increasingly numb to e-marketing, which makes the tactile sensation of the mail attractive. That doesn’t mean that e-marketing has no place in your overall marketing strategy, it’s just that you cannot rely on it nearly as much as you used.

Your image is at stake

If you’ve decided to embark on a mail campaign, or are considering it, there are many important things to know – so many, in fact, that Southern California Graphics (SCG) has expert staff members whose primary function is ensuring the proper handling and delivery of mail campaigns.

The biggest deal-killer can be the postal regulations, which seem to change more often than Google algorithms. And the list doesn’t just get edited, it grows. Knowing the infinite details of what is required and when can save a migraine or two.

The other key element in a mail campaign is list management. Sure, you have a mailing list and it would seem like a snap to just mail to everyone on that list, but there are practical as well as technical issues to address. If you’ve ever gotten the same two pitches in the mail from the same company, or if you’ve ever received mail for someone who moved from the address a long time ago, you know exactly what we mean. Good list management supports positive perception of your business and reduces costs.

And the list of details grows…

Jaime Penado is SCG’s  Database Management guru. Jaime’s expertise stops problems before they start and helps ensure accurate and timely delivery. SCG has recently invested in new software that helps ensure innovative data quality and improved mailing and document management. All of this means that SCG provides superior speed, accuracy, and message delivery – the three things you need most in your campaign.

Our expanded mailing service now includes:

• List Management (conversion & formatting)

• De-Dupe (auto delete duplicate records)

• Data Preflight (data scan and reporting feature for non-relevant records)

• NCOA certification (on the fly data edits, volume-unlimited record counts)

• Barcoding Automation

• Presorting First Class, Standard, Priority Mail, etc.,

• Palletization (presorting with palettes for Post Office)

• Mail.dat (electronic data submission to Post Office)

• Addressing

• Postage Estimates

SCG is the commercial printing company with the state-of-the-art technology and experienced staff you need to satisfy all of your B2B marketing strategies, including:

  • Business cards
  • Brochure printing
  • Folder printing
  • 3D printing
  • Large format printing
  • Catalog printing
  • Direct mail
  • And more… If you don’t see what you need – call us!

Turn to SCG to help position your brand to get the response you want. For more information, call us at 310-596-4244 or click here to reach us online.