What Did You Say? Communicating Across Generations

What Did You Say? Communicating Across Generations

Businesses and organizations engage in two kinds of communication: internal communications among staff members and external communications between the business and its customers and prospects. Both require selection of the communication style – the specific way the message will be delivered.

Much internal communication is between individuals or small groups in the work place, while external communication is usually to a large audience (though with enough personal data, an external communication can be crafted for a small group or even an individual). Individuals differ in how they receive and share information, shaped by how they prefer to process information – visually (seeing), aurally (hearing), kinesthetically (doing) or a hybrid of reading and writing. Interestingly, an individual’s preference for sharing information may be different than his or her preference for receiving information.

When an individual is in a group (say, a participant in a meeting or part of the intended audience for a marketing message), then the individual’s generation shapes communication preferences. Understanding these generational preferences is the basis of communicating effectively.

The generations

Generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe identified a recurring cycle of generations in America dating from 1584. In the work place and for marketing products and services, three of the most recent are of greatest interest:

• Baby Boomers, 1943 to 1960. Born following World War II in a time of increased birth rates, Baby Boomers are widely associated with privilege, a redefinition of traditional values, and the sense that they are a special generation. Currently the oldest workers (retired or nearing retirement, though some will continue to work past retirement age), Baby Boomers value hard work and long hours. As a group Baby Boomers enjoyed peak levels of income and so have abundant resources. Baby Boomers can be divided into two subgroups: Traditionals (1946-1954) shaped by the sexual revolution, drug use, the civil rights movement and feminism; and Generation Jones (1955-1964) whose members have a desire for material success.

• Generation X (Gen X), 1961 to 1981. Born after the post- WWII baby boom, Gen Xers were latchkey kids when younger (due to divorced, unemployed parents) and now are highly educated, active, balanced, happy and family-oriented (belying the slacker, disenfranchised stereotype of youth in the 70s and 80s). In 2012, it was estimated that there are 84 million Gen Xers in the United States, ranging in age from early 30s to early 50s.

• Millennials (Generation Y), 1982 to 2004. Strauss and Howe are credited with naming this generation, which has a deep desire to make the world a better place by using existing institutions and building new ones. Generally optimistic, highly social, engaged and team players, and rather moralistic, Millennials are familiar with and use digital technologies and media for communication. However, it has been shown that these characteristics vary by region, social, and economic factors. Affluent white Millennials often exhibit markedly different characteristics from their ethnically diverse counterparts. Millennials have been criticized for believing that participation alone is enough to qualify for a reward and for having unrealistic expectations about the work place. Older Millennials are the youngest workers (early 20s) while the rest are still in school or are children. Other older generations include the GI Generation (1901 to 1924; also called the Greatest Generation) who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II; and the Silent Generation (1925-1942) who were born during the Great Depression and World War II and fought in the Korean War. These generations are now in their 70s, 80s and 90s. The youngest generation, not yet officially named but sometimes referred to as Generation Z or the Homeland Generation, begins in 2005 and does not yet have an ending date. This generation is currently being born.

It is important to note that generational preferences are tendencies, not hard-and-fast differences. Early and late members of a generation usually show some variation, with early members showing tendencies of the previous generation and late members having tendencies of the next generation. Also, preferences may be less distinct or even different depending on ethnic and cultural diversity. Communication preferences and the generations in the work place According to Paul Storfer, president of HR Technologies, generations have different definitions of the term communication skills. To a Baby Boomer, the term means speaking and formal writing ability, while to a Millennial it means e-mail and text messaging. Baby Boomers prefer hierarchal, rule-driven groups; Gen Xers prefer loose, "as-needed" groups; and Millennials prefer interactive, flat groups with lots of feedback and collaboration. This translates to the following communications styles:
• Baby Boomers: top-down, process-oriented where everyone knows what needs to happen. Office space with acoustic privacy and quality meeting spaces. • Gen Xers: information on demand, where the only information shared is that which is relevant to an individual’s work. An engaging work place (fostering a feeling of belonging, ability to connect with others, welcoming environment) that is safe and secure.

• Millennials: interactive, to understand what’s going on, why decisions are being made, and to provide input. An engaging work place. Communication style and the generations in marketing For marketing applications, it is important to use appropriate language and communication tools, ranging from handwritten letters to social media channels, for each generation. Here are some tips for effectively engaging each generation. Baby Boomers. Though Baby Boomers have embraced communications technology like the Internet and mobile phones, they also still like face-to-face interactions. And because Baby Boomers are relationship-and team-oriented, take the time to build rapport and show a personal interest. When making a presentation, keep it casual and conversational rather than formal. Allow time for questions. Ask for input. Use the phone or e-mail to set up face-to-face meetings and to follow up.

Baby Boomers still love direct mail (which was used heavily beginning in the 1980s) and print. They often use the Internet to conduct research prior to making a buying decision, so be sure your web site has objective information. Gen Xers.This generation grew up with personal computers. Independent and self-motivated, Gen Xers approach communication less formally than Baby Boomers and rely heavily on e-mail. Gen Xers value directness, so be straightforward, get down to business, and avoid too much small talk. When making a presentation, begin by saying what you need or expect (the "bottom line"). Be well prepared. Ask how to move forward.

Gen Xers expect their involvement and action to yield benefits and will quickly leave if that is not the case. Their loyalty must be earned. Gen Xers use the Internet extensively, especially to conduct research. They use search engines intelligently so be sure your web site scores high in search engine optimization. Because this group is very busy with family and work, Gen Xers are a challenging group to reach and are subject to information overload. Millennials: Growing up with the Internet and 24/7 communication, Millennials think and act differently from other generations. Their social structure is complicated and tribal and they are committed to change and fragmentation. Millennials have blurred the line between work and personal life, with social web sites frequently updated to record their activities and thoughts. Millennials take naturally to multitasking and prefer mobile phones and text messaging. They trust peer opinions more than advertising. To communicate successfully with Millennials, use every technology communication channel (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter), and be scrupulously honest. Because this generation likes to manage the communication process, dishonesty or lack of transparency will be found out and the culprit subsequently ignored. Take a positive, collaborative approach and ask for ideas and input. Do not regard a Millennial as inexperienced or childish.

How we can help Because our job is to help our customers communicate with their customers, we've been studying generational differences for a while. We continue to use print and direct mail to communicate with Baby Boomers. We have created marketing campaigns based on social media or a combination of direct mail and social media. We have added services such as mobile web site creation and we have learned how to modify a marketing message so it will have appeal across generations. If you would like more information about putting our expertise to work for your business or organization, call Dennis Smith, 254-773-7391.. It will be our pleasure to help you learn from our experience.

PaperGraphics Tip: Marketing Your Company – Advanced Techniques

In the last edition of PGP Tips, we discussed how to get your brand ready for your next marketing event. In this lesson we will discuss how to get prospects to attend your event so that you have a chance to grab their attention and turn them into customers.

Inviting customers and prospects to attend

Sending invitations to customers and prospects to let them know you will be exhibiting at a trade show can help build traffic. If there is a charge to attend, see if you can arrange for some free passes to distribute to your best customers or prospects.

Invitations can be as simple as a post card that gives the dates of the show, your booth number, and one or two reasons why attendees should stop by your booth. If you limit the size of the post card to no greater than 4.25 x 6 inches it can be mailed at the first class postage rate for cards which not only is lower than the rate for standard mail, but also comes with free address correction in case the invitee has moved.

Additionally, for greater response, a follow up phone campaign is key to getting the most prospects to your event. Just a little personal touch goes a long way and this strategy should always be implemented following a post card or letter campaign.

Following up after the event    

Exhibiting at a trade show or putting on a group meeting takes resources – time, money and manpower – but can yield a large number of leads. However, not all the leads will be high quality since trade shows in particular do attract a share of “lookers” as well as buyers. This means that an important task following the trade show or group meeting is to qualify the leads received.

A common way to follow up is with a mailing. Some businesses like to use a personalized letter; another option is a larger post card that is a takeoff on the small post card used originally to promote the trade show or event. This gives attendees another exposure to the trade show or group meeting marketing theme and serves as a reminder of the message being promoted at the show or meeting.

Just like you did when you invited attendees to attend, you should also make a follow up phone call to thank them for their time and to see what else you can do for them. This extra personal touch is extremely important and a proper script and plan is necessary to achieve maximum results.

Tips & Tricks

When creating trade show graphics, remember this principal: keep it simple. The purpose of the graphics is to attract attention and hold it long enough to deliver the marketing message. This is best accomplished by a clean, simple design and a color palette that works with it to increase viewer comprehension.

Be especially careful when selecting fonts. Decorative fonts, while interesting and eye-catching, can be very difficult to read or may not render well in the large point size needed on a banner or sign. Changing fonts too often may cause the graphics to look messy or haphazard. Select fonts that are easy to read in the large point sizes required for viewing from across an aisle or from an oblique angle.

White space or background color is a good way to balance text and visuals and can be used to draw the eye to important elements of the design. Also remember to keep the important visual elements high enough so they can be seen above the heads of booth visitors.

Q&A

Q. I’m not sure how much material to take with me to the trade show. I don’t want to run out, but I don’t want to print more than I’ll need. Can you help me decide on a quantity?

A. One approach is to base your estimate on a bottom-to-top basis. Thinking about where your booth is located and using the trade show promoter’s statistics on previous attendance, break down the total time you’ll be on the show floor into one-hour increments. Estimate how many visitors are likely to pass by in each hour, and how many will ask for literature (or how much literature you’d like to pass out). Add your hour-by-hour estimates together, add a fudge factor, and see if the answer seems right to you.

We’re your support service for trade shows, group meetings or marketing campaigns

At PaperGraphics we can teach you how to properly follow up with prospects using our specialized training with CPrint® International. Through our ManagedMarketing™ program we can help you attract prospects and begin a dialogue with them through direct mail, email, and other integrated marketing methods teach your staff how to prepare, invite and close the sale with your prospects. In fact, we are the only printer in this market that is certified to do so.

If your organization or business regularly attends trade shows or hosts group meetings, let us know the schedule of upcoming dates and locations for the events you are participating in. We’ll work out a timeline that will let you know when you must start planning and designing the printed materials you’ll need and by what date you must order advertising specialty items. We’ll also give you critical due dates to help keep you on schedule and within budget. Call us at 254-773-7391 to get started.

PGP Tip: Marketing Your Company

Reaching prospects is the #1 task for sales and marketing. Direct mail using post cards and brochures takes your message to prospects in their offices. But when there is an opportunity to reach a group of prospects at a meeting, seminar, conference or trade show, you need to put your best foot forward. Here’s how to do it!

Participating in a group event

Participating in an event for a group of prospects has three phases:

• Preparing for the event
• Attending the event
• and Following up.

In each phase there is a need for materials to be printed, distributed and given away. These all need to be graphically coordinated to reflect your company or organization’s image or brand – especially since some of the staff at the event may not be seasoned marketing or sales professionals.

Begin by deciding on a marketing theme for the event. Tie it to your company’s overall marketing focus but tailor the theme to reflect the interests of the target audience who will be attending the group event. Some typical themes are how your product or service promotes efficiency and saves money; how it solves problems encountered by the target audience; what competitive advantage it imparts; or what enhancements to customer service it brings.

Trade show graphics

Trade show graphics are the large-scale photographs, signs, banners, posters and booth displays that are intended to draw the attendee’s interest and attract them to linger at your booth. In addition, trade show graphics can impart information that provides a context for explaining what your organization or business does or provides.

Designing for large-scale displays is different than designing for brochures and similar printed marketing materials. The primary difference is scale – display graphics are significantly larger than those used in collateral pieces and also simpler. Headlines should be trim, images large, and text short and easy to read. As a guide, think of a highway billboard that is read in three seconds or less. Your trade show graphics need to convey who you are, what you do and why a prospect should care in the amount of time it takes to stroll past your booth.

For consistency of image and brand, tie trade show graphics to your product or service marketing literature. But be careful here – the images used in a brochure may not be of sufficient resolution when enlarged to sign, banner or poster size. Ask us to evaluate the suitability of any photograph or other image you are considering.

Printed material

Besides having a supply of brochures, sell sheets and business cards to distribute during the trade show or group meeting, you might need other material to support the trade show or meeting activities such as:

• name badges for your staff and attendees
• copies of an agenda or program
• entry forms for a drawing or giveaway
• tickets to invitation-only activities such as a luncheon or sponsored entertainment
• new product announcements and product guides
• show special flyers or discount offers
• mini catalogs or CDs with product information
• order forms

As with trade show graphics, these materials will have greater impact if they are visually tied to your company or organization’s regular marketing and sales material and also reflect the marketing theme of the trade show or group meeting. Give all your printed materials a consistent look and message by using the same color palette, fonts and graphics throughout.

Promotional items

Whether you are a group meeting host providing a thank you gift to attendees or a trade show distributor who wants to attract traffic at the booth, a supply of promotional items – sometimes called advertising specialty items – are a way to be sure your company or organization is remembered after the event has concluded.

When deciding on a promotional item, select one that pertains to your business and simultaneously appeals to the target audience. A promotional item of higher quality or real utility is both more appealing and more likely to be taken back to the office and used by an attendee. If the projected meeting or trade show attendance is very large, consider having a low-cost item to attract people to your booth and reserve the higher-quality item as a prize for a contest or a drawing. It is also a good idea to select a promotional item that can be used as a giveaway after the trade show or meeting.

You may not be aware that we can be a source for any advertising specialty or promotional items that you need. We are a member of ASI, the Advertising Specialty Institute, which gives us access to over 3500 suppliers of advertising specialty items. Our membership in ASI means that we can offer you product catalogs to have handy in your office and also can search online for any of the thousands of products offered by ASI suppliers.

Your Brand . . .

Your graphical image or brand is vital to your marketing success. You have only seconds to make a first impression so it’s important to put your best foot forward. At PaperGraphics  we can help you make your next event a success. To get a free consultation call us at 254-773-7391 and we’ll schedule a meeting to assess your needs and explore options

EDDM Continued...

What Businesses Benefit Most From EDDM

EDDM's saturation mailing is different than a targeted mailing that uses demographic characteristics (such as household income, age, gender, ethnicity or presence of children) or other criteria (such as owning a swimming pool or specific make of a vehicle) for determining who to mail to. Generally speaking, unless your customers are a broad cross section of the population, a targeted mailing is probably best.

But if you are a retailer or service-based business that wants to build foot traffic and or your customers are clustered in a neighborhood, the EDDM could be ideal. A neighborhood could be a radius around your location or could be a neighborhood you want to prospect in. Some examples or businesses that benefit from EDDM include fast food, take-out or neighborhood restaurants; florists, bakeries and convenience stores; service and repair (automotive, computer); personal services (beauty and barber shops, dry cleaners; pharmacies; car washes); and home services (house, carpet and window cleaning; landscaping/yard service; pest control; handyman services).

There is no restriction on the content of EDDM, so you can use it for a variety of purposes including announcements (grand opening, business anniversary, holiday promotions); to send coupons and special offers; to promote sales and events; or to acquaint potential customers with your hours and operation and location.

Designing the Mail Piece

Because an EDDM mail piece doesn't require a large mail panel to accommodate the address and because the physical specifications for flats allow a wide variety of sizes, there are more design options than are possible with a smaller mail piece. For example, you may be able to include several coupons as part of the mail piece, to be used for different products or services, or having different expiration dates.

Because there are so many possibilities and the physical specifications for EDDM are strict, we suggest you have us design your EDDM mail piece. The USPS continues to adjust EDDM specifications, and we are notified whenever changes occur. We will make sure the mail piece complies with the most up-to-date USPS size specifications and also has the proper indicia for EDDM and wording for the simplified address.

How Often To Mail

When it comes to deciding how often to mail, EDDM is no different than any direct mail marketing program. Mailings need to be periodic and ongoing. We suggest mailing every 4 weeks and once started, to continue mailing indefinitely. The results of regular, repeat mailing are cumulative-the more you mail, the more likely the recipients will remember your name and come to your business when they have a need you can fill.

Get Results With EDDM

Since the launch of EDDM in 2012, over one billion pieces have been printed and mailed- and the number continues to grow. Businesses everywhere have come to rely on EDDM as a cost effective way to build traffic and attract new customers. For help planning and carrying out your EDDM campaign, call us at 254-773-7391. We'll show you your options and demonstrate just how cost effective marketing with EDDM can be.

Direct Mail Made Easy: USPS EDDM

Direct Mail Made Easy: USPS EDDM

In our last Blog, we discussed the viability of direct mail as a marketing tool and presented the elements that make up a successful direct mail campaign.

In this issue, we are introducing a simple first-step campaign for businesses that are new to direct mail or have a smaller budget. The program is called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) and it does just what its name implies- the letter carrier delivers your direct mail piece to every single active address in a neighborhood along with the rest of the day's mail.

Here's what make EDDM different from regular direct mail marketing:

• you don't have to put an address on the mail piece, and
• the postage rate is the lowest one offered by the USPS- currently about 17 cents per piece mailed.

So, in addition to saving between 40% and 70% on postage, there is no need to spend money on purchasing a mail list, checking the names and addresses for deliver-ability, or affixing labels.

History of EDDM

Every Door Direct Mail was developed by the USPS as a way to help local businesses build sales using direct mail marketing. Announced in December 2010, the USPS tested EDDM for two years (2011 and 2012) before making it a permanent product offering in January 2013. During the test period, the USPS heavily promoted the use of EDDM to businesses and to professional mailers and launched a number of online tools that explain and help mailers implement EDDM. As it gains experience with EDDM, the USPS keeps making changes in the program to improve it.

In mailing terms, EDDM is a saturation mailing--meaning it targets every active residential/business address in a carrier route--using a simplified address--Postal Customer or Residential Customer and sometime the city, state and Zip Code. Before EDDM, the USPS had restrictions on using the simplified address format on city routes, making it unavailable for almost all mailers. For EDDM mailings, USPS regulations were changed to allow simplified format for city routes.

EDDM also requires that a mail piece meet the physical standards for a flat--basically, an over-sized mail piece. The reason for this is that letter sized mail, including the 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 size that is so popular for post cards and self-mailers, is provided to letter carriers in fully-sorted, line-of-travel order.

Flat mail is not co-mingled with letter mail during sortation (think of when your letter carrier hands you letter-sized mail, then separately hands you magazines, large catalogs, and envelopes and other over-sized mail). So, because EDDM is flat mail, it bypasses line-of-travel sortation and thus requires no other instructions to the letter carrier than to add one piece to the day's mail being delivered to each active address.

The requirement that EDDM be flat mail does not mean that there is only one size that meets the requirement. On the contrary, it opens up a lot of very interesting size possibilities for the direct mail piece that will:

• make it stand out from the rest of the mail;
• provide more room for the advertising message;
• still be cost-effective to print

For more information or to get started with an EDDM project, call us at 254-773-7391 or visit us at www.papergraphicsltd.com.

Elements Part 3: The Schedule

The Schedule

Direct mail is most effective when mailed repeatedly and regularly. For planning purposes, figure a typical response rate of 1-2% (though this number can change based on many factors). The response rate is cumulative based on minimum of three mailings. If your budget allows for a mailing of 6000, the response rate will be higher if you mail three times to 2000 rather than one time to 6000.

Space the mailings between 4 and 6 weeks apart and coordinate the dates with a supporting  e-mail and/or telemarketing campaign. Using more than one marketing channel will improve response rate.

Tips and Tricks

Creating a direct mail marketing campaign that also includes using e-mail outreach is becoming increasingly popular. Adding a QR code to a mail piece makes it interactive and takes the recipient to a web page for more information, to enter a contest or take a survey, or retrieve a coupon. Some QR codes make a phone number pop up on a smart phone; by clicking, the recipient is connected with a contact center-effectively completing an inbound telemarketing response.

The shoe company DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) learned something interesting about its customer's use of QR codes: namely, that men like to use them but women often ignore them. DSW found that their male customers don't like tearing a coupon from a mailer and putting it in their wallet, but will click on a QR code that provides a coupon that can be downloaded to a smart phone. Women, who are more inclined to put something in their purses, were less likely to use a QR code-based coupon.

Direct mail is effective

Direct mail is a proven and viable method to communicate with customers and prospects. For help planning and executing a direct mail marketing campaign, contact us at 254-773-7391 or by email dennis@papergraphicsltd.com. We'll guide you through the process to bring you success.

Elements of a Direct Mail Campaign: The Mail Piece

There are three basic elements of a direct mail marketing campaign: a mail list; a mail piece; and a schedule. Each element influences the response rate (and therefore the effectiveness) of the campaign. In our last Blog we looked at the mail list, this time we will take a look at the mail piece.

The Mail Piece

There is much debate about what format for a direct mail piece is best. If the job of the mail piece is to engage the reader, then information from the Direct Marketing Association indicates that format isn't as critical as you might think. In the Statistical Fact Book for 2006, the read rates for postcards, catalogs, flyers, letters and large envelope letters ranged from 42% for postcards to 34% for letters.

So the best advice is to choose a format that is most appropriate for your message. Here are a few suggestions:

• Post card/self-mailer. Good for a message that doesn't require a lot of explanation. Use to build traffic (to a website or a physical location) or complete transaction (place an order).
• Flyer. Good for a general message or announcement, especially when the target audience is prospects rather than customers.
• Direct mail package. A large envelope with multiple inserts-letter, brochure, order form, response device etc. Used more for customers or hot leads than for general prospecting.
• Letter. Use when you want to give a personal feeling to the mailing. Because two-page letters elicit a higher response rate than a single page, either write a longer letter or include something else- a brochure, an article or a product sheet- to serve as the second page.

The content of the mail piece must always include an offer and a call to action. A good offer is relevant to the target audience; promotes only on thing; it's time sensitive (to create a sense of urgency) and is easy to understand. If the purpose of the direct mail campaign is to secure an order, the offer can be product-related (such as buy one, get on free; free trial; premium with purchase; free sample; or price discount). If you are trying to secure leads, then the offer should provide a motivating incentive (educational or information white paper, free consultation, research results).

When the target audience is consumers, include a coupon. Across all age groups, 70% of buyers respond to a message that includes a coupon.

You may be surprised to learn that the design of a mail piece accounts for only 20% of the response rate. What this means is that unless your target audience requires it, you can keep the design simple. The rule of thumb is that the recipient will invest from 3 to 7 seconds to decide whether to open and read; keep to read later or pass on to someone else; or discard. Use this time to best advantage by following these tips;

• Use a large, short headline as teaser copy on the front of the envelope or post card.
• Stress benefits, not features in the body copy.
• Make the call to action simple and easy to find.
• Include contact information prominently but not dominantly
• Keep your logo and name visible but don't make it compete with key elements of the mail piece (headline, offer, call to action).

In our next Blog, we will look and scheduling your direct mail campaign.