Print/Direct Mail

Behold the future. And it is good.

Fire up your smart phone (Droid, Blackberry, HTC or even your fancy shmancy new iPhone 4G) and keep reading.
 
You’ve heard of 1-800 numbers, Purls, Texting, and even the most ancient form of response – the reply slip in the #9 envelope. Introduce, the Quick Response code, aka QR code.

If you were at the Career College Association’s Annual Convention this year, you might have noticed that there was a funny block of black and white squares (similar to a bar code) on the registration form for the guitar giveaway at the PlattForm booth. If you happened to scan that with your smartphone, and applicable app, you would have been taken to a mobile-ready mini site that had several links to PlattForm related topics. Such as the “We’re not Gonna Take It” video, PlattForm’s main website, and several other informational pages. That block of squares is what is known as a QR Code.
 
Quick Response (QR) code is a 2D glyph that serves as, well, basically think of it as a paper based hyperlink. These customizable glyphs were developed by in Japan by Denso Wave in 1994. They are widespread in Asia, becoming mainstream in Europe, and are just starting to emerge in the United States. The QR code reader currently has to be downloaded as a third party application, but are starting to be included as standard issue on modern smart phones.
 
To use a QR code, simply take a picture of said code with your super cool smart phone, and you get magically whisked away, or in technical terms, redirected to a website using your phone’s browser. What’s even cooler, is that these codes can be scanned from computer monitors so you can transfer information directly to your cell phone.
 
QR technology provides cell phone users the ability to scan paper-based content using the cell phone’s camera to decode information, on a magazine, business card, gift card, coupon, or dah-dah-dah, DIRECT MAIL PIECE. Once the QR code has been scanned and decoded, the user has access via their cell phone to the information or destinations programmed into the block.
 
What can you do with a QR code?
Consumers are finding codes in magazine ads, maps, food packaging, posters, leaflets, business cards, emails, websites, billboards, on the sides of buses, and more. With these vehicles in mind, the current technology could be used in the following manner:

Encode a 2 page document
Enable an easy connection by a mobile device to a website. You could also encode a map with directions for company visitors
Link to a video
Track print-based media effectiveness – track by concept, list, creative, etc.
If you can put it on a website, you can direct them to it through scanning the code

PROS
· 70% of cell phones have cameras
· 2D reader software available for easy (and usually FREE) download
· You don’t have to type in a URL to navigate to a website
· Codes are cheap to create
· Fast way to provide complex information to mobile users
 
CONS
· Not widely used in the USA yet
· Probability of short term user confusion as 2D codes are known by many names
· Most cell phones in the US do not come with 2D reader software installed
· QR codes can not be edited, they must be replaced
· The more information you store in a code, the harder it is to decode.
 
So, get ready for the future. The most effective way to determine how QR codes can work for you – test them. Need some help? We’d be glad to fire up the Delorean and come visit.

In our business, there is always another great idea right around the corner. Usually Michael Platt comes up with these ideas, but recently we came across ShipShapes. These are hard plastic direct mail pieces, some of which are done in very unique die-cuts.

According to their website, ShipShapes are “the next generation ad media”. In addition, “ShipShapes delivers your message with maximum impact”. Sounds pretty good to me and I have to admit, the samples I’ve seen are pretty gosh darn good (you should see the die-cut of the guy in a Zoot Suit).

But do they work for our industry? We always need to keep in mind budget, Cost Per Lead and Cost Per Start for every campaign that we conduct. I definitely think these pieces would stand out in the mailbox, but does the potential response outweigh the cost?

This week’s topic: have you ever used these hard plastic, die-cut pieces for any of your campaigns and what were the results? Do you recommend these for our industry?

So remember to ask yourself one question before your next direct mail campaign, paper or plastic?

You have the topic, now let’s get some responses.

We continue to throw out ideas and questions in an effort to elicit responses from the readers on how they have seen direct mail affect their advertising efforts – good or bad. A few months back, we threw out the challenge to get 10 responses in an effort to get a fellow coworker to dress up like a chicken. It didn’t happen. Regardless, we’re marching on with a new topic this month.

Two weeks ago we had one of our clients who consistently use direct mail come to us with the idea of having an open house at several of their campuses. Open houses – we love ‘em. What a great way to get potential students on your campus.

Our plan involved setting up a mini-site people could log-on to reserve their spot, a calling campaign and a 6×11 postcard. All of these were targeted to old leads that didn’t start for whatever reason.

As for the results, we’ll have to get back to you on that. The event is later this week. In the meantime, we want to know what types of methods you use to push an open house. What have you found worked and what didn’t work?

You have the topic, now let’s get some responses (don’t be a chicken).

By Kevin Jones

As 2008 begins, direct mail doesn’t look to be going anywhere. Currently, fourteen states have tried to pass bills similar to the popular ‘Do Not Call’ Registry. Out of these fourteen, zero passed.

No matter where you stand on this issue, direct mail is a very important part of the mail service these days. With a decreased amount of mail going through the post office, postal workers will be left jobless, and companies will find it hard to keep or attract new customers. Some have gone as far as to say that the loss of direct mail would be an infringement on their rights. While I’m not prepared to go that far, many people’s livelihoods depend on it.

Additionally, direct mail allows us to communicate more information than we would ever be able to in face-to-face or phone communications. Direct mail has survived everything from the fax machine to e-mail, and it won’t become obsolete anytime soon. It may not be as glitzy or glamorous as other mediums, but it is effective, and that is what really matters.

According to the U.S. Postal Service, “U.S. companies sent 35 billion pieces of direct postal mail in 1980, 64 billion pieces in 1990, 90 billion pieces in 2000, and 100 billion pieces in 2005. That’s more than 300 pieces of bulk mail for every man, woman, and child!”

While opposition may be growing towards direct mail, industry’s reliance on it is still quite evident. One reason that I think this trend will continue is because of the ‘Do Not Call’ Registry and people’s aversion to spam. With more restrictions on telemarketing, the reliance on direct mail has increased.

So as we look forward to the rest of 2008, several states still have decisions to make on what to do with these ‘Do Not Junk’ bills, but I would expect more of the same. Direct mail will be as important as ever.

We failed – well, sort of.

Last month we encouraged responses to our direct mail blog by promising that our very own Michael Mackie (M2) would dress up like a chicken if we had 10 responses to the question that we posed. It didn’t happen. We ended up with six responses, which is six more than any other blog we have posted. So in a sense, it was a success to actually have some feedback, but how funny would it have been to see M2 in a chicken outfit for a day (as a side note, M2’s reaction when he read the blog was “Cluck Off!”).

In our business of generating leads for schools, we want responses. Actually, some of us go to bed praying for responses – they’re what keep us in business. And that’s the point of our direct mail blog as well – we want responses. We want to get the facts and opinions from others who are involved in direct mail and not just from the ones involved in the career education industry. We’ll pose a question or we’ll throw out an opinion of ours in an effort to open up a dialogue with anyone who has feedback – good or bad.

The topic I’d like to throw out there today is the life of direct mail. With the growth of e-mail and the Internet, where do you see direct mail going in the next year, five years or 10 years? What are some of the complaints you have or have heard regarding direct mail? How do you sell direct mail to a client? What are your clients saying about direct mail?

You have the topic, now discuss. (Sorry we can’t promise having anyone dress up like a chicken this time.)