Direct-Mail is Not Dead

Direct-mail marketing is not passe--not even close.

The DMA (Direct Marketing Association) reports that in 2009, marketers--commercial and non-profit--spent $149 billion on direct marketing which was over 50% of all advertising expenditures for the year.

A big part of this effort was direct mail.

Direct-mail marketing is popular and results in a high return because:

• It is targeted to a specific prospect by name.
• The content is customized.
• The return and results are measurable.

For more information on how you can make direct-mail marketing work for you, please call Jennifer Beaty at 214-217-7000 or visit our website at www.executivepress.com.

The Executive Pressman

Invitations

Courtesy, kindness and protocol die hard.

While it is popular (and sometimes, accepted) to issue and respond to invitations electronically, the days of printed and mailed invitations and thank-you notes are far from numbered.

Invitations to important life events still are popular and alive. The kinds of events that still rely on printed invitations include:

• Weddings
• Bachelor and bachelorette parties
• Baby showers
• Super Bowl parties

Step back, Evite, you aren't the end-all-be-all.

As for other printed cards, consider that hand-written notes still have a significant impact with those who receive them. For example:

• A new business associate remembers a hand-written thank-you note longer than an email thank you.
• Newly married couples still follow the protocol of sending hand-written thank-yous to their wedding guests and gift-givers.
• A potential or new employer not only remembers a hand-written note, they appreciate the gesture.

Printed invitations and notes live on because personal interaction is still very important.

For more information about how to design, print and distribute these important printed items, please call Jennifer at Executive Press at 214-217-7000.
The Executive Pressman

Coupons and Offers

Quite often a story appears in the media about people who buy their groceries with coupons and little or no cash. But coupons and offers aren't just for groceries.

"We've been experimenting with text offers and Q codes," Jennifer Beaty said. "We've had a good response, too."

Jennifer is the managing partner of Executive Press. They found that using these new age "coupons" was a natural extension of their direct-mail and other marketing offerings they provide for their clients.

"We first have tried it for ourselves to see how it would work to build our business," Jennifer said. "Our first text offer came at the recent North Dallas Chamber of Commerce's Building Business Expo."

Executive Press started with a sign in their Expo booth with an offer to text to a number for either dollars off your next order or a free digital print.

"The response was more than we expected, quite frankly," Jennifer said. "It shows that people are far more digitally oriented than we imagined in a business-to-business environment," Jennifer said.

Q codes are another option. The simple barcode variation allows customers to scan them and be taken to a specific website or custom URL.

For more information about direct text marketing and Q codes, visit www.executivepress.com or call Jennifer at 214-217-7000.

The Executive Pressman