News & Views

Emails going straight into the trash?

Your post that was a winner last week going nowhere this week?

Social media promotes content that serves its own purposes–more likes, comments, and shares are what get content promoted by the algorithms. Your previously successful content may quickly become virtually invisible.

Social media algorithms also favor content that is relevant to the user. This means if a user has not engaged with a particular account or type of content in a while, it may be deprioritized in their feed. Your efforts to reach followers or a new audience are stalled.

Social media algorithms also prioritize content from personal connections over business or brand content. If a user is more likely to engage with content from their friends and family, posts from businesses and brands may be deprioritized. There goes your reach.

The secret for combatting the arbitrary loss of reach due to the fickle nature of social media: Direct mail.

Leaving direct mail out of your overall marketing plan means you are missing out on an effective way to get your message directly into the hands of customers and prospective customers. Direct mail has a higher chance of being noticed and remembered by recipients.

In today’s digital age, inboxes are often cluttered with emails, and it’s easy for marketing messages to get lost, overlooked, or sent straight to the trash. In contrast, direct mail pieces arrive physically and often end up on a recipient’s desk or counter to be seen multiple times and remembered.

Direct mail can be highly targeted and personalized. You can obtain mailing lists that are highly segmented based on demographics. This allows you to create tailored messaging and make offers more likely to resonate with individual recipients. Personalization can also increase the likelihood of a response or sale.

You also own your database of customers. You have data on their history, purchases, and interactions with your company. This is valuable information! Getting more business from existing customers is usually easier than it is to find new customers.

Direct mail is more trusted than email. With the prevalence of online scams and phishing attempts, many people are hesitant to click on links or download attachments in emails from unfamiliar senders. In contrast, direct mail is perceived as a more legitimate and trustworthy channel. This can make recipients more receptive to the marketing message and more likely to act.

Printed materials also are easier to comprehend. They are not subject to the electronic distractions of pop-ups and alerts or competing with simultaneous incoming messages.

Contact us today to begin leveraging the tactile, personalized, and trustworthy nature of print and direct mail to stay in contact with current customers and find new customers!

Econoprint is a full-service commercial printer serving Racine and southeast Wisconsin with a complete range of services to cover every aspect of printed communication, from graphic design through printing, finishing, mailing, and fulfillment plus wide format output for signs, banners, and trade show materials.

The Challenge
At Econoprint, our solutions-driven approach helps solve problems for our clients. Nan Mellem Publishing came to us with a challenge to solve for one of her clients:

“I have an interesting client request and I’m wondering if the printing and binding would be in Econoprint’s wheelhouse. She wants an 8.5 x 11 inch, landscape, tabletop flipchart kind of thing. She does want it to stand up to be seen, but it will also be a notebook/journal,” Nan Mellem.

The Solution
Our Senior Project Coordinator, Glen Barth, has over 30 years of knowledge and experience in the printing industry and came up with multiple solutions right away.

The winning solution was to coil bind the pages so that they can easily be flipped when in the standing position and also lay flat while being used for journaling.

A thick, stiff back page was added for support and stability and an easel backing was adhered to this back page. The easel backing allows the notebook/journal to stand up and function as a calendar, and when the easel back is folded flat, transforms it into a journal for users to make notes in.

The Outcome
Our client was very happy, her client was thrilled, and we had the satisfaction of providing another solution!

About Us
Econoprint is a full-service commercial printer serving Racine and all of southeast Wisconsin with a complete range of services to cover every aspect of printed communication, from graphic design through printing, finishing, mailing and fulfillment. We love finding solutions for our clients that help streamline their processes, save them money, and make them look great!

Contact us to find your solutions.

About Our Clients
Nan Mellem Publishing offers professional publishing services customized to your preferred communications channels (print or online). Whether you have a single project or are looking for flexible design-on-demand services throughout the year, Nan Mellem Publishing has a solution to fit your need.

Jodie Needham Fitness offers personal training, nutrition coaching, and workshops covering all forms of wellness, from personal training to nutrition and mindset coaching. Jodie is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist who meets with clients either in-person or through Zoom. For in-person clients, she has a gym in her home or she can come to your home or meet at the local gym.

Racine, Wisconsin—After being with Econoprint of Racine for 32 years (seven of those years serving as the owner), Mike Hart sold the company to long-time employees Caleb Hart and Adam Olson.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for them,” Hart expressed, when asked his thoughts about the new owners. “With their combined experience, Caleb and Adam will grow into their new roles and I am confident Econoprint will continue to succeed under their leadership.”

Since 1998, Caleb Hart has worked for Econoprint in many capacities including digital print operator, finishing and mailing specialist, advancing steadily over the years to production manager. “I am looking forward to this next stage of my career and the new challenges it brings,” Caleb stated regarding his new role as a co-owner. He continues to manage production, overseeing the staff and ensuring timeliness and quality of projects. He looks forward to helping Econoprint grow and finding new innovative ways to optimize their production process.

Adam Olson started with Econoprint in 1997 as a delivery driver, but quickly moved through the ranks and within a few years was overseeing the pre-press department, IT and network infrastructure. “Econoprint has been a great company to work for all these years, and we have a great team,” Adam stated. “I am excited to have the opportunity to continue what we have built under Mike Hart’s leadership, and to keep the company moving forward.” While continuing to perform his existing responsibilities, he works on equipment and technology acquisition, marketing efforts and overall company direction.

Even with this change in ownership, Econoprint is still locally owned and operated. They will continue to provide the high-quality printing services their customers have come to know and trust for more than 50 years.

About Econoprint
Econoprint is the evolution of 50 years of fast turnaround commercial printing. They offer a full range of services to cover every aspect of printed communication, from graphic design and prepress through printing, finishing, mailing and fulfillment.