Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "Why You Should Use a Commercial Printing Company," considers why marketing teams and brands should be using a full-service commercial printing organization, and more importantly, how the commercial printing industry infrastructure has evolved over the past several years. We'll also take a gander at a select subset of tactics marketers can implement to augment any digital marketing objective and, most notably, those outcomes. Digital traffic has become much slower as more people rely on the Internet now, due in part to the effects of the pandemic. Sure, marketers, agencies, and brands embrace the "all things digital" mentality given its new shiny appeal, and newfound bolstered allure, again, due to the pandemic. However, it's critical to remember that the print industry is also digital from the ground up. The advances and benefits of print technology serve marketers well in a near post-pandemic world.
Our Quote of the Day:
"You can't have an industrial revolution; you can't have democracies, you can't have populations who can govern themselves until you have literacy. The printing press simply unlocked literacy."
— Howard Rheingold
New Print Technology
Print technology continues to evolve as a direct result of the evolution of digital applications and technological advances. Commercial printers can now produce digital color reproductions that are on par with the former offset presses. This advancement in digital color reproductions speaks to several benefits that marketing and entrepreneurial communities can utilize. The following is a quick list of a few of the advantages:
- Added Inks and Colors
- Quick turnarounds (no color plates required for set up)
- Print on various textures and substrates
- Print on Demand (can be from a preexisting job)
- All files remain in the digital format before and after output
Print Integration
One of the primary benefits of technological advances is integrating print with a variety of other digital technologies. Computers, smartphones, tablets, internet applications, and apps that provide unique printing solutions are seamlessly interchangeable. Data management, which includes collecting, sorting, purging, and cleansing, can all be done and applied to a printing solution. Data is the primary tool that feeds the variable data printing (aka variable digital printing, or VDP) technology that opens the door to personalized printing solutions. QR codes embedded in printed collateral take advantage of mobile prospects looking for print solutions and thus provide a mechanism for print recipients to be connected to online destinations instantly.
Save Time and Resources with Commercial Printers
When a marketing entity decides to utilize a professional commercial printing vendor, several benefits can come to fruition. While desktop printing requires a particular skillset, high-level commercial printers can provide expertise and insights that can deliver a more efficient outcome, and more importantly, can simplify bulk desktop printing requirements. Further, commercial printing characteristics help eradicate former worries about technical quality and angles, thereby reducing stress related to overall marketing efficiencies and output.
If peace of mind is a value that is of primary importance, commercial printers know the technical requirements and how to navigate the particulars of a professional print job. These skills alone can deliver a massive benefit by enabling you to provide timely, sensitive print collateral.
Direct Mail Marketing
Over the past several years, the American Marketing Association (AMA) has produced many reports and surveys that indicate direct mail marketing is enjoying a resurgence. Direct mail marketing has a positive effect on a variety of demographic groups. These numbers suggest, for example:
- Teens and Millennials prefer reading mail offers and printed books above digital.
- 78% of automotive drivers make purchase decisions based on direct mail marketing collateral
- 29% of upscale demos prefer printed catalogs over digital ones
We can conclude that the high volume of internet traffic has diminished the effectiveness of digital advertising. And, as a result, these types of ads are becoming more challenging to justify the ROI. To be sure, there are effective sweet spots in the digital landscape; however, one would need an experienced digital marketer and analyst to compete in this space effectively. Besides, fake news stories, false advertising, and the general untrustworthiness of the Internet and social media platforms are harming users' willingness to trust what is on the web. Untrustworthiness is one of the primary reasons to lead with a print collateral campaign that is arguably more trustworthy than digital. Use print to direct prospects to a digital destination. Any printed collateral will invariably lift the trust factor associated with a given digital destination.
Short Runs on Demand
Generally, ad campaigns run over some time, ranging from a week to a full year, and everything in between. Campaigns that run a course of several months may require tweaks and edits along the way. Commercial printing vendors have digital printing technology capabilities that can instantly pull any campaign, edit the content and graphics, and deliver accordingly. The following short run is available, stress-free, and ready to execute.
Mailing
Some full-service commercial printers can also mail the final collateral to wherever the marketer requires it. Mail solution providers deliver a significant benefit to organizations that require continuous, timely marketing collateral.
It takes more time for a marketer to receive the final print output, barcode, stamp, sort, pack, and deliver to the USPS. Full-service commercial printers can ease that workflow burden. As approved collateral goes through production, the entire operation can be presorted, coded, output, and mailed to the intended destinations without manually executing any of the steps. Mail solutions also save brands time, money, and resources, while adding security and convenience for any marketer looking to achieve timely direct mail marketing results.
The Net-Net
In the age of the coronavirus, new marketing strategies will continue to arise. After all, adversity is the mother of invention. That said, brands and marketers alike should look for ways to maximize the value of their marketing investments. The best way to do that is to consider variable marketing tools that are efficient and produce the most effective means of attracting prospects and retaining customers. Your full-service commercial printer will have the tools and skills to augment the marketing spend with higher results than any other marketing medium. We hope you enjoyed reading "Why You Should Use a Commercial Printing Company!"
Let's have a conversation about integrated business solutions and how they can help grow your business, change behavior, and improve the customer experience. Let us show you how to improve your document processes to optimize your workflow, reduce your costs, and maximize your organization's printing, letter shop, and mailing capabilities.
Dove Direct has an official USPS certified bureau located within our offices to save you time and money. We can even create a demo file for you. For more information, call Carla Eubanks at 404-629-0122 or email Carla at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Dove Direct, your Atlanta based print and mail solutions provider, offers organizations end-to-end data, printing, and mailing solutions:
- Data Management
- Variable Digital/Data Printing
- LetterShop and Fulfillment
- Digital Mail Scanning Services
- Fully Automated MLOCR Presort Bureau
- Marketing and Production Management Support
- Secure Data Life Cycle Management
If you don't want to wait, you can reach Dove Direct today by calling 404-629-0122 or use the Contact Form for Dove Direct.