Finding the best marketing mix is never easy, but with custom printing, it can at least be cost effective. Because you can specify the exact number of prints you need- so you can have fewer pieces printed at a time- you can afford to test your campaigns.
Advertising agencies, marketing teams, and consultants may be in need of more sophisticated research, but these can be an expensive endeavor with third party survey stations and the like. However, studying customer behavior for yourself may not be as costly. If you do want to get more insight on your customer behavior, it may be best to do it and test your ideas yourself.
1) Hypothesize
• This part is largely guess work, something you would do if you had to make an advertising material from where you’re standing from. You can read marketing materials that give you guidelines on how to create your ads, but they can never substitute for the insights and experience you will gain from this experience.
• Start with the basic assumptions you have about your target market and conceptualize the print ad or marketing approach you will use.
2) Experimenting
• Have your sample pieces printed out in the minimum order. You can send out postcards, brochures, or newsletters via direct-mail marketing. You can also test with posters, flyers, brochures, etc. Test individually to isolate each variable.
• Start and create group discussions. Ask questions and observe just how your clients would react to such changes or innovations.
3) Evaluate Data
• Check your sales record. Note any increase in sales and interview customers, if and when possible, as they walk in your shop. You can also include a coupon with your direct-mail-marketing to track down their effectiveness. Include a deadline for your coupons. This forms your quantitative data to check the response rate you can get.
• Posters are harder to track, so you may want to ask your customers from where they heard about your shop and what convinced them to buy from you. Get their suggestions about your marketing efforts.
4) Refine
• With the data now available to you, you can edit your advertising materials. Use your insight to create a new hypothesis with your new found assumptions. Change colors, sizes, as you find necessary. Change your marketing approach and message.
5) Repeat process
• You may have to repeat the process several times to find the marketing materials that will boost your sales. Find the most effective print material from each category, direct mail marketing, outdoor ads, and hand-outs. Use the most effective from each category and combine them. Test this marketing mix and repeat the process. Compare the results from every testing.
Although advertisements have different strengths and weaknesses affecting their effectiveness, finding the right combination will increase their marketing power. Finding the right marketing mix is important if you want to increase your response rate.
Before proceeding with a full scale or nationwide campaign, test the waters before you dip your feet into them. With custom printing, you can get important insight into the inner workings of your customer’s minds. Use the marketing mix wisely and optimize your ads. It’s worth the effort in the long-term when your sales pick up.
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