The Power of Print

In 2018, I wrote about a new generation of print buyers with different customer expectations than the previous generation. They value the customer experience – which includes how a company communicates and engages – more than pricing and features.

This still hold true three years later, but it has also been greatly accelerated by the forces of the pandemic. Mass digitalization and adoption of an online shopping mindset have resulted in fewer communications channels between brand and buyer. It’s no wonder that millennials – today’s buyers – prefer print over digital. Jockeying for buyer attention has led to digital fatigue. The ability to communicate and engage with customers throughout their buying journey has become more critical in order for brands to deliver effective, valuable customer experiences.

Over this past year, three trends stood out that illustrate a shift from the traditional "print is a commodity" mindset to print as a high-value communications channel. Embracing this mindset , PSPs are altering their go-to-market strategies, adding value beyond print, and delivering better customer experiences.

The Boom of Direct Mail and Interactive Print

The first noticeable communications trend is the increased use of direct mail, due largely to the pandemic. With most people staying home and spending more time online, direct mail has become a great way to reach buyers away from their keyboards. Integrating direct mail with digital campaigns is better at driving consumer action than using only one. Combined, the results are roughly 39% more attention retention, 10% more brand awareness and 5% more interest in the brand messaging.

By engaging touch – our strongest sense – active engagement is evoked, integrating the physical and digital into a seamless experience. Interactive direct mail is powerful precisely because it caters to this preference, while also retaining elements of the digital space with which today’s buyers are so comfortable. Printers who provide relevant customer experiences that are targeted and personalized across all available digital, mobile app and physical channels – are improving the customer experience beyond the sale.

Adding interactive print elements augments buyer engagement and is becoming increasingly expected. Companies that offer augmented reality are 41% more likely to be considered in the buying decision, and generate 94% more conversions, on average, over those that don’t.

The Convergence of Transactional Print and Direct Mail

A critical component included in the customer experience is the omnichannel expectation of today’s generation of print and business buyers. Heavily influenced by the consumer hats they wear, they expect to interact and/or purchase at anytime, from anywhere, using any device – even their watch. Providing a quality and uniform omnichannel experience that seamlessly blends the offline physical world with an online digital one increases brand awareness, loyalty and excellence.

Aspire, a boutique CCM and CXM firm defines omni-channel as “unified, coordinated customer communications that enable conversations across multiple channels." In other words, it’s the ability to send a message through print, email, SMS or any other channel in its optimal, most user-friendly format. Moving from multi-channel communications, where messages are shared on more than one channel, towards omni-channel communications, which ensures messages are the same no matter what channel they are transmitted through, has resulted in the second trend: direct mailers and transactional printers working together to provide a fluid customer experience across all channels.

Inherent to transactional print is understanding the nuances of working with, and understanding, vast amounts of variable, personal and highly regulated data. In essence, transactional communicators “get it." Salutations, naming conventions, logos and taglines all leave an impact on the customer experience – however subtle, positive or negative. Direct mailers who recognize the market opportunity are tapping into the mindset (and mechanics) of the transactional print space. The result is a more fluid and engaging experience for buyers, with value-based communications that involve understanding what the buyer needs – and how to suffice those needs.

Each year, more and more Americans are paying their bills online.

"Fifty-four percent of consumers agreed that they use digital banking tools more due to the pandemic today than they did last year," according to a JP Morgan study released in Dec. 2020. 

However, that does not negate the fact that they are still receiving – and would like to continue to receive – printed copies. According to a study conducted by Keypoint Intelligence, 47% of people reported that they wish their providers would no longer ask them to "go paperless" – because they like receiving printed statements in the mail, with very little variance among age groups. 45% of people aged 18-34, 45% of those aged 35-54, and 52% of those older than 55 indicated this wish to stop being asked to go paperless.

Ultimately, people like the best of both worlds, and in this case, they can have that: transactional data communicated via printed direct mail, combined with the ease of paying or tracking such data online. Adding interactive elements like QR codes on bills or statements that bring you to a payment portal; a video that breaks down the details of your statement, promotes another service, and provides discount incentives continues to shift print’s value as a communication channel.

Understanding the crucial role of data, and how to capture, store, manage, output and present it has taken on an entirely new meaning for companies that use direct mail to attract new business – or grow customer wallet-share. Providing a multi-touch, engaging and relevant omni-channel experience is a communication opportunity every step of the way throughout the customer acquisition journey.

The Importance of Workflow and Automation

The third communication trend has to do with intra-business communications – wherein all the systems that help your business function, communicate with each other to provide you with the real-time data insights and dashboards you need to make smart business decisions. This includes your CRM, MIS, W2P, marketing and/or sales automation platforms, analytics engines and so on. While each of these systems has a different function, the better the data, the better they can communicate that data among one another.

At drupa’s virtual 2021 conference, one of the biggest topics was workflow automation. The top four reasons to automate print production workflow are:

• Workflow automation raises the productivity and profitability of your company.
• An investment in the right software increases your output.
• Workflow automation enables the increase of volume of shorter run work.
• It’s easier to avoid bottlenecks.

For example, CRMs that are setup and used properly, provide the ability to track prospects and leads throughout their buying journey. Having insights to customer and prospect relationships aligned to sales funnels and pipelines enables marketers to plan, execute and monitor their email marketing campaigns and get insights into the metrics that would help improve performance.

Another example is print MIS. By automating the workflow process, MIS software allows for greater productivity, quicker turnout, and less downtime. In other words, both you and the customer can get things done quicker – from estimating all the way through to shipping and invoicing. With proper workflow and automation, your customer is kept in the loop and feels reassured about their job in production. When workflow is efficient, their questions are answered with ease. Your CSRs can spend less time looking for information - and more time helping your customer - and growing your share of wallet.

“Selection and effective implementation of a print MIS solution is arguably one of the most important decisions a printing business will make,” said Cary Sherburne, WhatTheyThink Senior Editor and author of the white paper: "Five Keys to a Successful Print ERP/MIS Implementation."

When systems like CRM and MIS communicate data with each other, the points where engagement is most needed can be automatically flagged, or entirely automated. These triggers and alerts can be set for notification of inventory levels, equipment malfunctions and even customer communications. The ability to automate marketing and communications has become integral in delivering a comprehensive omni-channel experience that encompasses digital, social and even print touchpoints throughout the customer journey.

Shifting from Commodity to Communications

These trends illustrate a transition away from print as a commodity toward one that establishes print as a high-value, touch-oriented communication channel – and the perfect complement to digital acquisition strategies. Moving toward a customer experience management (CXM) mindset helps the print industry position itself as a communications channel, primed to deliver the experience that today’s buyers expect. Further, it shows an incredible adaptability and capacity to innovate not only products, but the nature of the print industry itself.