AKA Direct Blog

AKA Direct Gets a Cool New Place

We are happy to announce that AKA Direct is moving to a new facility in April. The production and administrative offices will be moving to 2415 North Ross Avenue in Portland; not far from two famous landmarks, the Widmer Brewing Company and the Rose Quarter.

This new and bigger facility is centrally located, with better security and a comfy reception area with Wi-Fi and a customer work area. But most of all, this new footprint will allow us to expand our production capabilities. Right away, we’ll be moving from a four color to a six color press and adding new inserting and folding equipment. Our dedicated pre-press room will be state-of-the art. And down the road we’ll have the elbow room to expand into some other anticipated improvements, so stay tuned.

The team at AKA has taken great care to minimize down time during this transition. Indeed, our planning anticipates that equipment and services will be moved and swapped in a phased approach and should result in no interruption to our production schedule.

In fact, as you can see from the photos, a lot of the work has already been done. We can’t wait to get moving!

Stop by and see our new place!
From your friends at AKA Direct.

Just click here or call (503) 454-2200 for an appointment.

Personalized Landing Pages

Boost Campaign Response Rates with PURLs

Direct mail has become more personalized in recent years through the use of variable data printing and one-to-one customization. Personalized web landing pages take the concept one step further by providing the same type of individualized customization and messaging online.

Personalized landing pages, also known as PURLs, are in essence a web page that has been tailored to each intended recipient and is a powerful way to get the attention of current and prospective customers. As a result, companies of all sizes and from all industries are looking to this new marketing technique as a way to increase market share and build profits.

We can help you easily create individualized PURLs and tailor the content to each prospect with a personal touch. With this capability you can improve direct mail response rates, engage customers in a more meaningful dialogue, and dramatically advance the performance of your marketing campaigns.

According to the Direct Marketing Association more than 42% of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online so it makes sense that you provide them a way to do so.¹ Personalized URLs establish a powerful one-to-one connection that will boost response rates, generate more qualified leads, and bridge the gap between printed and online communications.

How do PURLs increase customer response? A customized website address gives prospects a convenient online alternative to traditional response methods like 800 numbers and business reply cards. Recipients enter the web address provided and the landing page entices the prospect to register or find out more information about the offer, product, or service. Best of all, you know which of your customers responded to your campaign and based on the prospect’s response a lead notification is distributed to the appropriate person in your company for a follow-up call.

Next time: Integrating PURLs and Direct Mail

From your friends at AKA Direct. Want to leverage the latest in PURLs? Yep, We Can Do That. Just click here or call (503) 454-2200

Cross Media Marketing

There is a lot of excitement about “cross media marketing” these days. But what exactly is cross media marketing, and how can you take advantage of the approach to attract new customers and improve your bottom line?

Cross media marketing integrates traditional direct mail with modern online communications. The notion of “cross media” means that in addition to paper-based direct mail, online-based communications like e-mail, social media and personalized websites are added to the marketing mix.

Companies using cross media marketing are having remarkable success. For example, the Girl Scouts of America recently conducted an award winning cross media marketing campaign. “Support the Sash” targeted the memories and emotions of former Girl Scouts in an effort to get them re-engaged, and ultimately make a donation. The effort began with a variable data direct mail piece combined with a mix of e-mail communications, personalized Web landing pages, and social media via Facebook and YouTube. The response rate was over 30% and the average donation increased from $50 to $250.

How can you get similar cross media results? Here’s a few tips we can learn from the Girl Scouts:

The variable data direct mail piece was versioned by age group and featured prominent women of the community that had been Girl Scouts.

• E-mail was timed to arrive the same day as the direct mail piece.
• The call to action drove recipients to a personalized (PURL) landing page.
• The PURL was versioned by age with custom copy that would resonate with each group.
• Follow-up e-mails were sent to individuals who visited their PURL and asked them to refer a friend and join the Facebook page.
• Non-responders received an e-mail encouraging them to visit their PURL and join Facebook.
• Those who indicated an interest in making a donation were sent to a custom Web site that would allow them to complete a secure online transaction.
• A representative followed up with a phone call to respondents who did not donate either securing a donation over the phone or offering other avenues to get involved.

The Girl Scouts successfully took advantage cross media marketing to drive campaign success. They used print to drive social media interaction, used e-mail and personalized landing pages to drive response, and by segmenting its audience into different age groups were able to create messaging and imagery that strongly resonated with Girl Scout alumni.

Next time – Personalized Landing Pages (PURLs)

From your friends at AKA Direct. Want to cash in on the value of cross media marketing? Yep, We Can Do That. Just click here or call (503) 454-2200

This campaign won the 2010 PODi Best Practices Award. Find over 400 other case studies on digital print applications at www.podi.org/casestudy

Build Business Intelligence and Business Revenue

Companies today are taking advantage of the power of personalized communications and techniques to identify and maximize the value of business data to drive direct marketing success. That’s where the concept of “business intelligence” comes in.

Capturing the value of personalized documents requires that you tap into the “intelligence” of the data available. Simply using a digital printer to print each mailer with “first name”, “last name” does not take full advantage of personalization. Indeed, turning raw data into the kind of businesses perspective and intelligence that will make a real difference for your business is less about the technology used than the thoughtfulness that is applied to the strategy.

How do you get started? Here are a few questions to consider:

• What straightforward ways can you use the information that you are already gathering?
• How can you identify overall trends in your customer data?
• Do you regularly review your database for accuracy and completeness?
• How are you capturing key bits of customer data that could be useful in your campaigns?
• Were can you customize your campaigns based on data – demographic, location, account activity?
• How do you analyze your marketing efforts in view of customer preference or history?

The notion of business intelligence is often wrapped up – at least conceptually – in costly and complex data mining approaches that can seem overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Indeed, straightforward analysis of the data you are already collecting can uncover significant opportunities to more effectively tailor and target your direct marketing campaigns. Good data equals good decisions, and tapping into the power of personalization depends on your ability to apply intelligence to the data you have collected.

Next time – Cross Media Marketing

From your friends at AKA Direct. Want to cash in on the value of personalized communications? Yep, We Can Do That. Just click here or call (503) 454-2200

Personalization

The Postal Service estimates that U.S. households receive over 170 billion pieces of mail each year.¹ How can you cut through this clutter to rise above the din of competitive messages? One way is by using Personalization; a technique that capitalizes on the information you already have about your customers to craft mail pieces that perform well beyond generic mail and command dramatically improved customer response.

Studies show that the response rate for a black and white mail piece traditionally performs poorly. Add color and customer response jumps substantially. Add personalization and the response rate raises approximately 300 percent.² The bottom line is that there is a quantifiable advantage when you use personalized documents as a direct marketing tool, especially as the level of personalization increases.

How do you get started? Here are a few ideas:

• The quality of your data is the number one factor that you should be concerned with
• Customize each piece with a customer name
• Use individualized images to reinforce your message
• Tie special offers and options to customer demographic, account history or purchase preferences
• Use advanced techniques like QR codes or personalized web pages to put customers in direct contact

Every company must do more with less, and personalization gives you a way to make the most of your marketing dollars. After all, you are already paying for the creation, production and delivery of your direct mail; so why not take full advantage of your investment by making each piece more personal, more relevant, and more effective?

Next time – The Importance of Good Data

From your friends at AKA Direct. Want to make your marketing more personal? Yep, We Can Do That. Just click here or call (503) 454-2200

Notes:

1. United States Postal Service. http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/ratesandhistoricalstatistics.htm
2. Entrepreneur Magazine http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/194702089.html

Welcome to the AKA Direct blog

We know…everyone has a blog. But ours will be different. We promise.

How will our blog be different?  One way is our content. In coming weeks stay tuned for a series of entries exploring what we believe to be the most exciting and compelling techniques and strategies in direct cross-media marketing. No hype, no marketing, just straightforward talk about ways to reach customers, build revenue, and make the most of your marketing dollars.

Let’s face it. It’s 2011. Every company is looking to gain market share and increase sales. We feel strongly that companies that integrate print and direct mail with the latest online technologies and techniques will come out on top. Our blog is different because we explore those ideas and not simply sell you on how great we are… you’ll have to find that out for yourself.

Marketing in today’s information-rich environment also requires a different approach.  It’s not about just printing and mailing anymore. Social media, smart phones and viral websites have taken successful marketing beyond the pressroom and into the world of cross-media.

That’s where we come in. We’ve been in business 40 years. We have a history of innovation and expertise. And we know where the future lies: Building success through strategies that link traditional marketing with cross-media techniques to gain maximum benefit.

So do things differently with us. Stay tuned twice a month for more educational…and hopefully entertaining…segments. It wouldn’t be the same without you.

Next time – “The Power of Personalization.”

From your friends by AKA Direct. Want to build an affordable cross media campaign? Yep, We Can Do That. Just click here or call (503) 454-2200