In the digital age, sending or delivering a direct piece of marketing the old-fashioned way can have surprising impact. Standing out from the crowd is harder than ever, and savvy businesses are combining physical and digital in their overall marketing strategy.
“When targeting millennials and Gen Z, for whom receiving physical information is a novelty, an attractive physical, personalised document creates a lasting impression,” says Heidie-Mari Middel, production specialist at Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa.
Inkjet production printers like Kyocera’s TASKalfa Pro 15000C make it possible to either do a low run of personalised marketing or a mass distribution of physical printed materials.
Here are five factors to consider when looking to inkjet to increase direct marketing productivity and quality:
* Flexible workflows: Consumer habits continue to evolve and print providers must be adaptable. Single-function devices often force companies to outsource jobs – reducing profit margins – or risk losing business. With outstanding versatility across different paper types, the TASKalfa Pro 15000C has game-changing flexibility. The device excels at printing personalised content, making it ideal for Variable Data Printing (VDP) in both transactional and trans-promotional marketing. Users can customise each piece of direct marketing with recipient-specific information, such as names, addresses, and personalised offers, improving response rates and customer engagement.
* Consistent quality: Kyocera’s inkjet device produces vibrant and attractive brochures, posters, and other material for short and heavy runs. In these uncertain times, peace of mind is priceless. A drop in quality leads to second or third versions of a job – productivity and profitability suffer as a result. With the TASKalfa Pro 15000C users can consistently hit G7 colour targets on offset uncoated stock.
* Efficient finishing: There’s no point producing top-quality output in a flash if it can’t get to the customer quickly. Kyocera’s inkjet device has a dual paper path and a highly efficient instant air-drying unit that makes flat printed output sheets ready to go straight to finishing. A high-capacity stacker and features such as hole punching, booklet maker and staple functions speed up delivery to customers.
* A reliable inkjet printer: On top of productivity, printer downtime disrupts workflows, deadlines are missed, and business is lost. Reliable machines are the foundation upon which business growth is built. Kyocera’s press has a projected duty cycle of 1-million A4 pages per month. In practice, print shops are running at twice that number, with more than 96% uptime. With fewer moving parts and superior technology, paper jams are drastically reduced, and paper edges remain smooth throughout. With maximum uptime, Kyocera’s inkjet printer allows print professionals and in-house marketing professionals to exceed customer expectations.
* Sustainability helps productivity: Sustainable organisations are more productive and resourceful because they do more with less. Kyocera’s TASKalfa Pro 15000c prints at a much lower temperature than its toner counterparts; this low energy consumption reduces overheads and company carbon footprint for more sustainable operations. The press runs on standard 220 Volt power, simplifying installation and reduces energy consumption significantly. Cost savings free up cash that can be used to create value in other areas of the business.
“A device that allows for the unique benefits of direct marketing to be combined with the convenience and interactivity of the online world, drives engagement with your brand,” says Middel. “With short consumer attention spans, getting engaging material in front of people is key. We don’t get a second chance to make a strong first impression.”