integrated multi-channel output
As consumers increasingly dictate the channels through which they prefer to receive communications - and reject poorly conceived marketing approaches - consistency of message, personalisation and creative across every touch point have become critical factors in the success of any integrated campaign.
At St Ives Direct, we recognise that marketing service providers are under pressure to maximise the ROI in their direct marketing and to offer customers a more integrated approach to marketing campaigns. We’ve therefore invested heavily in the technology and expertise to manage personalised, integrated campaigns efficiently and cost-effectively, enabling clients to target consumers across every type of platform in today’s multi-channel world – be it conventional mail, digital, email, mobile, Bluetooth – or any combination of these approaches.
Our advanced software helps clients gain greater value from their DM budgets through more effective planning and management of multi-channel campaigns involving email, personalised websites (PURLs), and of course printed communications. Moreover, our tracking, measurement and reporting tools enable clients to evaluate the effectiveness of every campaign.
delivering the right message, to the right customer, in the right way…
At the same time, enlightened marketers are increasingly scrutinising the effectiveness of each component in their direct marketing programme with a view to squeezing every last penny out of their DM budget. Only by delivering the right message, to the right customer, in the right way can they hope to optimise their outlay on direct marketing. Indeed, research shows that around 70% of adults are 10 times more likely to respond to properly personalised marketing offers, while over 60% respond more readily to direct marketing that reaches them at the right time.
Furthermore, in today’s multi-channel world, it’s important to know whether a customer prefers to be contacted by direct mail, phone, email or SMS. In order to fully personalise their communications, organisations must therefore understand precisely which medium a consumer is most likely to respond to.
Research shows that organisations can improve their response rates by sending an integrated campaign message – for instance, an email campaign accompanying a direct mail campaign has been known to increase response rates by as much as 15%. Similarly, a personalised URL (PURL) allows an organisation to fully personalise its electronic campaigns consistently alongside their digital print and thereby maximise the impact of variable data across the available media. At St Ives Direct, we’re experienced in managing electronic communications and regularly help clients communicate with their audience through a combination of email, mobile and print.
multi-channel solutions
In today’s highly competitive marketplace, where technology is continually driving new ways to communicate with consumers, St Ives Direct is focused on developing integrated, multi-channel solutions to customers’ direct marketing needs. We currently have solutions for all popular delivery channels including:
• Email Marketing. Email is by far the fastest growing direct marketing channel, driven largely by the continued increase in broadband access and the high return on investment due to its low cost. It’s easy to send an email to a database of people - but the key is to ensure the message reaches the recipient’s inbox and is actually read. St Ives Direct is investing heavily in the people and technology to make this happen.
• Mobile Marketing: At St Ives Direct, we design mobile campaigns to integrate with other media or to act as powerful campaign mechanisms in their own right. In this most personal of consumer spaces, it is important to have a targeted and relevant message to maximise response and it can prove to be an extremely effective component of an integrated campaign.
• Bluetooth marketing, also known as proximity marketing, is a fast growing medium and one which St Ives Direct is geared up to support by providing content associated with particular places, products or events. For example, information such as flight arrivals, football scores and news headlines can all be sent with sponsored links, offers or headers to promote the customer’s brand.
The process of managing e-channels is by no means a one-way process, however. Online behaviours must be carefully monitored to ensure that every communication achieves a response from the recipient. For instance, if a customer or prospect fails to react to an email or abandons a web visit, marketers must have strategies in place to contact them again with further inducements. To be truly effective, e-strategies of this kind require sophisticated profiling and behavioural analysis. To this end, we make full use of our bespoke and extensive range of capabilities when implementing campaigns on behalf of our clients.
integrated document composition
St Ives Direct operates an integrated software solution to provide design and composition, through to delivery of any type of document across all media, regardless of complexity, variability, or output channel - from fully customised and complex printed matter to electronic marketing and self-service web applications.
Our solution allows fully personalised and dynamically variable content to be applied to all parts of a campaign using an integrated software platform. This solution brings significantly reduced costs and time, whilst ensuring consistency of brand and message across all customer communications.
high-speed mono / full-colour(digital) variable direct mail production
Variable printing is generally recognised by industry experts and clients alike as the perfect medium for creating more targeted and personalised communications. It enables an organisation to improve the effectiveness of its campaigns by sending relevant offers at the most opportune times.
Full colour digital print enhances the personalised message to the customer and creates immediate interaction with recipients by reflecting their personal transactions and preferences, not to mention its effect in increasing response rates and improving long-term relationships. It not only helps to make communications more appealing, but also provides cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. The benefits of variable digital printing for customers include:
• The ability to engage customers with effective one-to-one communication
• Increased response rates over static and offset mailings
• Reduced operational costs, lead times and wastage
It’s also worth bearing in mind that variable enclosure is equally important to personalised direct mail. The ability to insert pre-printed materials, such as brochures and leaflets tailored to each customer or prospect, can make a huge impression on the recipient. Our intelligent enclosing equipment helps cut costs by reducing the need to insert every item in each envelope. It also ensures complete personalisation of the contents of any communication, whilst saving money through better use of paper and postal discounts.
To illustrate the range of our services, of necessity, we have reproduced customers' registered and unregistered trade marks and representations of their brands. The rights that our customers have in their respective trade marks and brands are fully acknowledged.