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brochures on table, JPS Print Consultants logo blog post about marketing activity post lockdown

How are you preparing to ramp up your marketing efforts?

For the first time in months, the news for the economy is looking positive. The vaccine roll out is a huge success, hundreds of thousands receiving it daily and the takeup is higher than anyone expected.

Now that the lockdown restrictions are starting to ease here in the UK, we have been urging our clients to think about ramping up their marketing activities to increase brand awareness and re-build relationships which may have been lost over the last 12 months.

The pandemic has clearly demonstrated how some companies (within the same industry) have cut back on their marketing and others have changed the way they operate, carried out more marketing and are reaping the benefits.

The best time to advertise your company is when others are not. Now is the perfect opportunity to communicate with your customers and let them know about your current services. A simple message like “we are open, you may not have used our online service before, but we can deliver directly to your door.”

There are many ways of communicating with your customers, you don’t need to be sending out expensive glossy brochures all the time, you could send out leaflets, postcards, smaller brochures or even a letter.

Seasonal events provide the perfect marketing opportunity to reach out to customers

Gearing your marketing towards certain themes or special occasions often helps boost sales – Black Friday probably being the most successful.

There are a number of other occasions coming up – Easter, Father’s Day, a raft of bank holidays and lots of birthdays throughout the year not to mention Christmas which will soon come around again. These occasions make people want to buy for their loved ones, friends and family and it is these occasions that give you the opportunity to tempt them to buy from you. Increase your marketing activity now, whether it be via social media, email or direct mail and gain more customers.

Design, mail and printing services from JPS Print Consultants

We offer a full range of services to help our clients reach their customers, from designing the campaign itself, through to printing and mailing out. 

“JPS Print Consultants have been fulfilling the print and mailing of our seasonal brochures for the past few years. They make the whole process easy and are always quick to respond and ready to help. They deliver to our tight deadlines and keep me updated throughout the project. I would definitely recommend their services.”

Sally Barnard, Lucketts Travel

“We have been working with JPS print consultants for quite a while for the printing of our Mail order catalogues. They offer excellent service, quality and very competitive prices. I would have no hesitation in recommending them. We work with Jason Smith who is extremely professional and at all times helpful.”

Tony Shepherd, Jollimans Essentials Ltd

Our objective is to make the whole process easy for you, so you have peace of mind that the job is being done efficiently and effectively, leaving you more time to carry out your normal job.

Contact Jason at JPS Print Consultants today to see how we can support your marketing activities

To find out more information and discuss your latest marketing plans in more detail please contact Jason Smith on 0800 0834 827 or jason@jpsprintconsultants.com

Direct_Mail_supports_marketing_campaigns

Direct mail important during Covid 19 lock-down

Many direct mail specialists believe that with substantially more people working from home than usual due to Covid -19, direct mail will gain more importance. It is likely more consumers will look at direct mail pieces as they now have more time than normal to read their mail.

“I spoke to a customer earlier this week who receives a catalogue every month which she never reads, however, when the catalogue arrived in the post the other day, she sat down with a coffee and looked through it.”

The best time to advertise your company is when others are not. Now is the perfect time to communicate with your customers, even if it is simply to say “We are open, you may not have used our online service before, but we can deliver directly to your door.”

The public will soon get tired of so much screen time and the negative news cycle. It is an important time to advertise and promote your company to ensure your brand demonstrates it’s caring side by communicating with your customers at this difficult time.

Changing shopping habits

We believe more people will be trying online shopping when they wouldn’t normally do so and will continue to shop online even when this crisis is over. Covid 19 is already increasing the amount of online shopping in different demographics (not just now but forever).

With consumer spending on going out curtailed, they are turning to making purchases online for themselves or their home. We understand that many businesses are wary of spending money on advertising at the moment and are concentrating on cash-flow, supporting their staff and staying open. However, consumers will be trying online shopping at home – this is where direct mail can have a huge positive impact on your business. Website visits are driven more by direct mail than any other marketing channels.

Past history in these moments of crisis has shown that the brands that come out the other side really strong are those that advertise through it, and those that hold back on their advertising spend are the ones that struggle to gain momentum when the country returns to the new normal. After the initial period of transition finishes, trade will return swiftly. Those companies that have advertised to their customers during this time will be ahead of their competitors.

Direct mail, more than glossy brochures

There are many ways of communicating with your customers, you don’t need to be sending out expensive glossy brochures all the time, you could send out leaflets, postcards, smaller brochures or even a letter.

JPS Print Consultants have a vast experience in print and direct mail and can help you plan the best campaign to suit your needs and budget.

Contact Jason at JPS Print Consultants today to see how we can support your direct mail activities

To find out more information and discuss your direct mail plans in more detail please contact Jason Smith on 0800 0834 827, or email Jason@jpsprintconsultants.com.

Direct_Mail_supports_marketing_campaigns

JPS Print Consultants help customers increase sales with Direct Mail

Direct mail is proven to be one of the most successful ways of driving people to your website and increasing sales. In a recent survey carried out by Market Reach (a division of Royal mail), it was confirmed that the open rates for mail far exceed those of email.

Many people are overwhelmed by the volume of email they receive. As a result, they simply don’t open the majority of marketing and promotional emails that come into their inbox.

The statistics are staggering in comparison with email which has approximately an 11% open rate.  At JPS Print Consultants, we believe the best results are obtained when using printed mail and email as a combination within your marketing campaign.  With the upcoming GDPR regulations on the horizon, we also are seeing that the demand for direct mail is increasing.

 8 reasons why direct mail adds value to your marketing campaign

  1. It is far easier to capture a recipient’s eye with a clever physical piece than email.
  2. The most effective method of driving traffic to website and increasing sales is via direct mail.
  3. Over 71% of physical promotional mail is opened.
  4. Direct Mail is kept in a recipient’s home or office for an average of 17 days.
  5. 23% of mail is shared and passed on to the right recipient in the home.
  6. Direct mail makes people feel more valued and more likely to buy – almost like receiving a gift.
  7. 87% of recipients of direct mail are influenced to go on and make online purchases.
  8. Including direct mail in your marketing mix can increase ROI by 12%.

Direct mail as part of your integrated marketing plan

Online shopping shows no sign of slowing and continues to grow in strength and popularity.  As such, there is an important role for direct mail in the marketing mix.  By sending an actual piece of literature to a customer or potential client, you have an opportunity to demonstrate the value that you can bring to them in a physical and visual manner.

Choosing to deliver a clever piece of marketing in the post offers an opportunity.  Your product or offering can stand out and rise above the noise of the busy digital space.  As a retail business selling a physical product, you can use Direct Mail to show off your product. By using high-res images and strong colours you can demonstrate the quality of what you sell.

Our customers find that many promotional emails are filtered into a different folder in some email clients.  This is even before a customer has a chance to decide if they wish to open it or not.  A targeted physical piece, created with flair and imagination sidetracks these filters.  If a piece stands out, due to clever words, imagery or perhaps shape the recipient often keeps it in a prominent place in the house or office, where more people will see it.  As an example we received a piece or marketing in the post with a plug attached to it.  It told us “not to flush our marketing budget down the drain”.  This level of recall would be difficult to obtain with an email sales message.

That’s not to say that only direct mail is needed.  It is effective as part of the wider marketing mix and should be used to drive customers towards your digital presence.  Physical pieces can be used to inspire a customer to go online and make a decision on purchase.  To be effective with a small budget, businesses use data, technology and a variety of media together to give customers experiences they will remember and want to talk about or take action.

JPS Print Consultants – Print Management Solutions

One client we work very closely with in the retail industry used to mail 20,000 brochures each month this time last year. They are now mailing over 150,000 brochures per month. Our client is extremely pleased with the results they are achieving as a result of direct mail. We can help you grow your business by working with you on your direct mail marketing campaigns.

“You can’t replicate the delight of holding a brochure in your hands. Its having that physical touch that many customers want.” Market Reach

The upfront cost of investing in a direct mail can be more expensive than email.  However, we find that the average lead value of a customer brought in through direct mail is higher.  JPS Print Consultants can help you get more from your marketing investment.  If you are new to direct mail, we can help you save 15% on the postage of your first three mailing campaigns. There are also other postal incentives available if you already send direct mail.

Call us today on 0800 0834 827 or email Jason@jpsprintconsultants.com for more information.

Mail Services – Royal Mail Postal Incentives

Save Money with 4 great Royal Mail Postal Incentives

We are frequently finding that many companies are not taking advantage of the various Royal mail postal incentives that are available.  Here at JPS Print Consultants, a critical element of our ongoing service to all our customers is to help reduce the cost of the postage element of marketing programmes.  We can do this by selecting the best incentive to match your particular marketing activity.

Below is a complete overview of the incentives and campaigns that Royal mail offer. The discounts are in the form of postage credits.  These credits can be redeemed with Royal Mail or any downstream access providers such as Secured mail, Citipost, UK Mail and Onepost.

Royal Mail Postal Incentives

1.  First time users

Royal Mail offer postal incentives to customers who have never used advertising mail or who haven’t used it for the past 24 months.  By taking up this offer, customers can claim a 15% discount for up to 3 mailing campaigns within a 12 month period with a minimum of 10k items per mailing. (single one off mailings do not qualify).  Recent market research has shown that customers like receiving information in the post and are more likely to purchase from you as a result.

2. Testing and Innovation

Companies that already send out mail may want to test different offers and formats to see which works best.  In this situation, the testing and innovation incentive will be of benefit.  In real terms this can boost your ROI by a huge 12%. Discounts vary between 15% for advertising mail and 30% for business mail. This scheme is for mail sent over a 6 month period, sending at least 10k items and can measure testing activity. For business mail, there is an additional 10% discount for 6 months to support the roll out should the test be successful.

3. Scheme for growth

This is one of the royal mail postal incentives for companies that want to grow their business by increasing the amount of mail they send.  Increasing the volumes you send, can have a direct impact on  your sales.

The postage savings enable you to target new customers or increase frequency of mailing campaigns. Discounts are for the incremental mail of 150k items or more sent over a 12 month period.

Users are entitled to discounts on any items posted above an agreed baseline (determined by Royal mail based on your historic advertising mail volumes). Visit the Royal Mail Wholesale website  here for more details.

4. Door to Door mailing

Door drops such as leaflets and brochures effectively connect with a wide audience at a very affordable cost.  A huge 92% of people say they read door drops they receive.  An additional 67% say they were prompted to make a purchase as a result of receiving door drops. For as little as £500 it is possible to reach as many as 8,000 potential households.

This scheme offers a 10% discount for new users of door drops within a 6 month period.

JPS Print Consultants are here to guide you

Let JPS Print consultants help guide you through the royal mail postal incentives system.  We can save money on your postage costs and would love to discuss your mailing requirements with you.  We seek the most cost effective mailing solution for your company.  Please contact Jason on 0800 0834 827 or send me an email at jason@jpsprintconsultants.com.  Our team are happy to support you.  We are able to deliver your whole mailing campaign from initial design concept, print, fulfilment and postage.

Save money on your next print and direct mail project

Save money on Digital print and mailing services

Take advantage of our extensive print and direct mail expertise.  We can help you save money on your next project.

Our expert team are pleased to advise you on economical print formats to help you save money on your print costs.  We can also help you maximise cost savings on postage.

Through our years of working in the industry we have built strong relationships with a variety of printers.  This allows us to have access to the right machinery for all different types of print work. As a result we can offer our customers competitive prices whilst maintaining high quality service.

We are delighted to offer our clients a wider range of services than ever. We would love to support you with your design, printing and direct mail requirements. Trust us to ensure the whole process runs smoothly from start to finish.

Have a look round the rest of our website for our full range of services, customer testimonials and sign up for our top tips.

Once you are ready, give us a call or drop us an email and ask us for a quote – you will be surprised at the savings we can offer you.  With Christmas just around the corner, we look forward to helping you prepare for this busy season.

Naked Mailing

Naked Mailing as a mailing option – JPS Print Consultants

Naked Mailing could be the ideal solution for your next Direct Marketing campaign.

Is it always really necessary to have your printed items inserted into envelopes or polywrapped?  Did you know you can mail your marketing communications without them?  This method is called Naked Mailing and is a cost-effective approach to mailing.

Name and address details can be inkjetted onto the rear cover of the catalogue.  The items can then be sent out in the post without the need for any envelopes or polywrapping. (unfortunately naked mailings cannot include inserts).

We are helping more and more of our clients to take advantage of this option – saving themselves money on production and postal costs.

Where can cost savings be made?

Production  – By sending items out Naked, there is a cost efficiency in removing the cost of the carrier sheets, plus collation and polywrap.  By removing the need to use envelopes, there are further savings on insertion costs and of course the actual envelopes themselves.

Postal  – Naked mailing is considered more environmentally friendly.  As such they can qualify for Responsible mail postal discounts.  More and more businesses are looking to their CSR and sustainability policies to reduce their impact on the environment, so this can also be a benefit.

Would you like to know more about Naked Mailing and whether your campaigns would qualify?  Please contact us to discuss your particular objectives in more detail.