Variable data printing can be one of the most powerful mediums of our time. However, most people who sell this to their clients are not even really doing variable printing. Eighty percent of all variable print is nothing more than mail-merge and fancy fonts. If I get another direct mail offer with my name spelled in sea shells on a beach I am just going to go insane!
"OK, Great, you have a sea shell font - wow - thanks!". What if I'm scared of the ocean? What if I am allergic to seafood of any kind? Are you selling me something to do with a beach or shells?
[First Name] mail-merge is kindergarten at best. The tiny increase in response (if any) will rarely justify the extra expense for this kind of fluff. Plus, you have to worry so much about all the negative associations with an unusual, unrelated approach to selling your goods and services. What's worse, I have seen entire campaigns switch themes away from a companies core brand just to include these fonts. If you are a medical supply company you shouldn't sell yourself with a beach theme just because it looks cool to you. Remember, it should be relative.
Unfortunately the real professionals of variable printing, the database teams in direct mail, have been inundated with printers that are being convinced to buy hundred thousand dollar specialty packages like seashell fonts and PURLs. So, in many ways, this is now the industry standard. To the real database marketing professionals this is very disheartening. However, use this to your advantage! We'll show you personalization that makes sense, creates additional results and is truly tied around the desires of your customers and prospects.
If you don't really know that much about your customers we can append over 100 fields of additional consumer data about them so you know if they like dogs or cats, drive Ford or Chevy, etc. When this is done by real variable data teams in direct mail it will still cost less than all those printers because we do it every day without the baggage of all that crazy software they bought.
At CSG Direct, we have over two decades experience in real variable data: variable data printing, variable data coding, randomization, variable data email, websites, and more. Our entire site is an example of variable data, but you wouldn't know that unless I told you. The images, alts, metas, content, embeds, etc. are all database driven variable content management. All of these tools are built right here at CSG Direct!
CSG Direct lives and breathes variable data so you get better results with REAL personalization!
The mailing industry is going through major changes and I have heard several industry predictions that many mailing services companys and mail processing printers will "get out" instead of keeping up. This isn't a bad thing.
It's an industry reborn!
So as you look for your partner for the next decade I want to tell you what you need to know about mailing services companys.
"They all specialize in something"
Due to the large amount of mail and data processing needs in our country, you'll find that almost every mailshop is eventually pulled into some large account they cater to first and foremost. I have seen it time and time again.
They get pulled into tabloids, invoices, publications, credit card mailings, real estate franchises, etc. You go into any mailshop and see for yourself. What is the primary industry they serve? That is the industry that they are best ready to serve and most prepared to consult in.
These days you will often find out that their primary industry isn't even direct mail. The printing industry started adopting direct mail as a side business to increase revenue about 2-3 years ago.
How would you feel if you found out your "mailing vendor" doesn't even specialize in direct mail at all? It sure would explain some things that have happened along the way with your mailings, I'll bet.
We're a mailing services company through and through. Sure, we have also grown one of the largest digital print shops in the state of Nevada and we keep every traditional press within reach dancing on our projects. But we are a mailshop and we take that very personally. We make a huge difference with the customers that choose us over the status quo. Ask!
It is a big difference and it is what you are looking for. You will never find deep success with people whose core focus is printing. Printing is a secondary skill in our minds. This is database marketing. We're database marketers with a reputation in variable data printing going back to the 80s.
That is just one of the reasons to keep us in mind on your next project. Because we are close, experts in gaming direct mail and have the tools you need.
We cannot claim to be the Greatest Value in Direct Mail without talking costs. Across the nation we cost less than the average mailshop for all our mailing services.
My philosophy is that if another mailshop charges more than half of what we charge, they are overpriced. How is it possible that they can charge the same price we do without giving you all the benefits, service and focus that we offer in every single job we do?
This is why once you try us you won't look back:
We are the Greatest Value in Direct Mail.
I have been in direct mail and working in mailshops and mailrooms for over 20 years now. I know what everyone is doing and I'll tell you we dance circles around almost every other mailshop. Definitely around EVERY shop working with the gaming industry.
We are very passionate about your mail and making you look good during the process. We know that with every mailing it feels like your job is on the line and you are constantly having to cover for traditional mailshops.
That is unfair to you and it gives the more advanced mail shops a bad name. You deserve a shop whose #1 focus is handling the many details of your job like true trained career professionals.
I promise you that after we get through just 2-3 mailings together (to get each others' flow down), that you will never go back to a regular mailshop again.
You know we're qualified.
I humbly ask you to try us out.
We'll work hard to make you shine!
You deserve it and it doesn't cost any more than you are already paying so there is no real reason to say no.
As a mailing services provider and someone who has helped set up many mailshops over the years, I regularly find a lack of honest communication. Too often I find clients want to hold back from revealing the full details of a project for fear of putting too much on the table.
For example, a client may need to sell 500 hotel rooms in the next two weeks for fear of losing their job (random example), but instead of sharing that, they just say "I need a bid on a postcard mailing".
Pull us into your battle! Get us involved in your mission. We have decades of experience at making things happen. Engage us!
The big crime in the scenario I just described is when they end up going with the lowest bidder because that is what they are trained to do. Then the event fails. No 500 rooms, no success - no job.
The proper bid-request should be "How can I use direct mail to fill 500 rooms in two weeks?" and then let the games begin. Now you will have idea after idea flowing your way and the good vendors quickly rise to the top. You can then make an informed decision based on your ACTUAL goals.
When you build a true relationship with a direct marketing mailing services shop as opposed to a average direct mail is an add-on vendor, you will find the direct mail success you seek.
Feel free to email me if you want to talk about it more.
Well, the word is definitely spreading about the unique direct mail innovations coming out of Reno, Nevada. Ironically, the US Postal Service is worried about record profit losses just when the final direct mail dream is realized with US Mail Tracking.
Our innovations on the cover of Casino City Vendors Guide:
We have really started making an impact on reducing the postage expenses of all our Casino Marketing customers.
No matter where your direct mail is processed you have to correctly time your direct mail delivery. For the rest of the country this is still just guessing and estimation, at CSG Direct we're hitting bullseyes.
We're about to roll out three new tools to add to these innovations. I'll tell you about them as we get closer to release.
At first glance database marketing could be seen as either a very vague expression or a very specific one. Obviously in direct mail we are always using databases in our marketing, but that does not really identify which of the above we provide in specific mailings.
We define the difference simply based on volume and functions used due to the volume. For example, even thought it is rudimentary at best; in order for a mailpiece to be considered personalized there is at least one area where you refer to the person you are addressing by name. With database marketing we may not specifically call the person by name, but we will make sure the offer presented will likely appeal to the recipient based on mining, tiers and historical data.
So in many ways both of these can be considered "personalization". However, when the audience gets large enough, we may have to resort to non-personalized printing in order to meet a large scale budget. This eliminates marketing directly to the person, and replaces it with marketing to a segment of people or interests. A quick example would be 20,000 pieces vs. 250,000 pieces. We can easily digital variable print (aka Variable Data Printing) anything from 500 to 35,000 pieces or more and keep costs reasonable and response rates elevated. But at 100,000 pieces it becomes much easier to reduce costs dramatically by breaking down the project into tiers and eliminating variables like "Hello, John" from the copy.
At 250,000 pieces we will have strategically separated the data into many tiers, some of which stay digital to maximize personalization and postage. The other versions are printed on a traditional press to maximize price efficiency and avoid paying the per-click charges that digital presses require. This is database marketing - the management of a campaign to optimize costs and response as well as postage cost and delivery balancing. This is one of the specialized services we are known for, as well as the actual segmenting and variable coding of the project. Much of this is accomplished with our proprietary programs to maximize flexibility.
You don't get this done at a printer, this is direct mail and database marketing at its core and belongs with database marketing professionals so you get real results, real savings and a 360 degree understanding of the balance of all the above. This is where CSG Direct has earned much of our reputation!
Wouldn't it be nice if your vendor knew your lingo, knew your challenges and also knew ways to increase your response or tweak a promotion? If you were to choose between two mailshops you would lean toward the one who could do that more, wouldn't you?
Several of us have worked in casinos - primarily in the database marketing and players club positions. We also have a large team of ex-marketing directors out in the field promoting our services in their consulting packages. Birds of a feather, we are.
We believe anyone who takes their career seriously will find a way to get certified in their field.
CSG Direct has one of the largest USPS certified staffs in the country [link], let alone the gaming industry.
Our 23 Mailpiece Quality Control certified employees work on every aspect of your job. They are your service reps, they run the folders, they run the presses, they work in our quality control department. We have MQC certified employees in every aspect of your job's processing. That is why we have the highest accuracy record of any mailshop we know.
Spend one day observing your local mail receiving dock at any post office and you will see jobs coming off of mailshop trucks and then going back on. That's the dirty little secret of the average mailing. Many times it is delayed because it was rejected by the post office.
You would cringe to know how they "fix" the project after that. You deserve highly trained people in every aspect of your mailing, not temps, not seasonal help! You deserve career professionals certified by the USPS itself. That is what you get from CSG Direct, Inc.
The first time I opened a piece of my own marketing campaign mail more than twenty years
ago, I was astonished to find the letter inside was glued to the inside flap and
as a result came out in tatters from the envelope. After I tried and failed to
open the letter without tearing the piece into bitty sections, I just went at it
until the thing was lying across my desk like a crossword puzzle.
Thing is, the coupons attached were in sections too. I was horrified because the procedures
for accepting the coupons was to have the customer hand the entire letter with
coupons attached to the Player’s Club to be able to acquire their $5 in coin and
$5 in food credit. It said it right on the coupon.
I glanced down at the scattered micro-perforated mess and immediately hurried to the Player’s Club to
make sure the representatives took the coupons no matter how they came into the
counter. Oh my! The line of guests extended for a hundred feet and every one
of them had some kind of abnormal untidy heap of baffling print tangled rag in
their palms.
They all looked confused, but more importantly angry. Instead of
throwing my hands up, quitting my job and running to the nearest pub, I decided
to call in every slot attendant I could get my hands on and give them directions
on making our customers feel at ease. Each one of our guests were told we would
honor every coupon and I ran upstairs and created a sign to post at the casino
entrance and the player’s club that we would handle their bewilderment without
argument.
The next two weeks went fairly smoothly and we actually had comments
that the staff had done a fantastic job in the presence of catastrophe. The GM
gave me a pat on the back and then told me to fire the mailing house, but I had
already communicated my frustration to the company and they gave me a credit on
the next mailing. Apparently, the auto-letter stuffer had just been cleaned and
the equipment malfunctioned that added the minute amount of moisture needed to
seal the flap. Instead, the amount ended up being about a tablespoon and was
not caught by handlers at the end of the line who were wearing gloves to protect
their hands from paper cuts.
More than ten thousand letters were ruined, but a
lesson was learned. Always be prepared for anything happening and think through
the confusion to the solution that ultimately makes the customer happy.
John Evanoff
jevanoff@redearthcasino.com
IMPORTANT!
If you are researching direct mail vendors on, what you really need to ask is:
"HOW QUALIFIED IS THIS VENDOR?"
The direct mail industry is full of "so-so" companies that struggle every day with new barcodes, new postage, new technology and changing regulations.
PLUS, what about the results you want from your direct marketing investment?
At CSG Direct, we have a long history in direct mail as direct mail trainers, mailroom managers, database marketing managers and mailroom equipment operators and technicians. We know you aren't dabbling in direct mail and neither are we. We have one of the friendliest but most experienced teams in the direct mail business.
America's First Live Job Tracking System in Direct Mail - 1999
America's First public bulk mailpiece tracking systems - 2008 (reuters)(Yahoo News)
25 USPS Certified Employees working on all aspects of your projects
Direct NCOALink® Limited Service Licensee with the US Postal Service® (USPS.com)
Our prowess in database-driven everything
Providing some of the Greatest Value in Direct Mail - Bonus Bucks, free advertising, great pricing and more...
We live and breathe direct mail strategy and results! In my experience, if you go with the cheapest bid in direct mail you are likely better to have not mailed at all. The road to direct mail success is littered with the bones of people who thought they tried direct mail only to fail because they thought they we're saving a few bucks.
You are here today because you need results - so don't click away. We promise you the Greatest Value in Direct Mail right here! We have the testimonials, the skills and experience; you have a project. Let's get to work!
We often pitch projects to clients related to advanced marketing: model
development, behavior-driven segmentation, pricing optimization, data
mining, and other fun things. However, I always ask my clients if
they're doing the easy things before calling us in to refine their core
targeting methodologies. Without further delay, here's a quick
list:
New Player's Card Signups:Treat your new Club signups like
Gold. Get them a welcome letter as
quickly as possible, preferably within a
week. Personalize it,
acknowledge their earned level, and if they triggered
a good rating,
include a bounce-back. Bonus points if you integrate this
first contact
with your VIP introduction. Most properties do this, few do
this weekly.
W2G Winners:Here's one of the most valuable lists that
often goes ignored. Although
small, here's a great chance to recover your
payout. Send a
congratulations communication quickly, and several weeks
before the
first anniversary of their win, arrange a "winner's package"
where
you'll book their same room, comp dinner at the same restaurant, and
remind them of their great luck! On a side-note, if your behavior
models don't account for post-high-win sessions, the models will
overestimate this player's baseline play amount.
Hotel-only
first-time visitors:Just send a simple postcard to acknowledge their visit,
and include your
favorite retail-grade offer. Its a nice reminder of their
trip. If you
make the front of it postcard-like, it might find a place on
their
refridgerator! After this first contact, include this populuation in
your modeled hotel population.
Keno Players:The data is sitting
right in front of you. Find all those Keno
players! They're different from
the video poker players, ya know.
Very, very different.
Younger
players:Have you looked around your casino floor lately? Gaming has
traditionally been a leisure sport for a slightly older population.
However, there are many players in their 20s and 30s. Dig a little
deeper, push a little harder. Some of these players will become your
foundation over the next several years.
Spa or other
amenities:Just an easy initiative to bring people back to the service they
hopefully enjoyed. If your marketing database is sophisticated enough,
cross-reference this list with your player's club to find out if any of
your spa visitors are the spouses of your VIPs. Hint, hint... "Wow,
honey, they offered me a FREE spa session, can't you just play blackjack
for an hour or two without me?"
Simple Zip-code untargeted
mailings:Just kidding. I was just wondering if you were reading this far.
I
have never seen a program like this generate a positive return. Stop.
Your time & budget is better spent on other projects. Continuing to do
this is broadcasting to your competitors, "Hey, we don't have any
end-to-end analytics!"
Ed Gianos is the founder of North Leaf
Solutions LLC, a consulting
agency helping clients in gaming and other
industries maximize the value
of their data through data quality, modeling,
segmentation, testing,
reporting, and various methodologies to please both
players and
marketing budgets.