Q: I’m under pressure to produce and online-only version of our professional development catalog and I need some data to present my case. If I can identify and mail to our top 20% the cost will be significantly less.
A: LERN research has found that most direct mail companies use both an online and print brochure for promotion of their products and services. They have found that this is the best way to maximize sales. One LERN member has indicated that by tracking their registration patters, 85% of their participants who registered online say that they used the print brochure to determine what classes to take, and then they registered online. This is a very large percentage of registrations. There is no "average" percentage of enrollments that come from the print vs online brochures. This varies by the type of customer you are serving--age, income, education, etc. However, at the time, we know of no programs who say they receive the majority of their registrations from online marketing efforts. The majority of enrollments are still generated by the direct mail brochure. Further, no program that we have talked to has indicated that they maintained their typical registration levels when dropping the printed version of the brochure. In fact, the opposite is true. Programs that targeted more carefully were able to reduce the numbers of mailed brochures and cut costs that way, but when these programs mailed twice to their best customers, they saw increases in registrations. Those organizations that invested more in their brochure and upgraded it also saw increased response rates.
Recently a USPS study found that:
Data from the catalog industry that only reinforces why it so important that we continue to invest in printed catalogs…
Printed catalogs are the biggest factor in generating online customer orders.
Regarding consumer behavior – consumers who receive catalogs are
More likely to become multi-buyers online
Account for 15% more transactions than those who did not get a catalog
Will spend an average of 16% more than customers who did not get a catalog.
A similar study conducted by Canada Post replicated these findings.
One recommendation that I would offer is for you to request a carrier route and segmentation analysis from LERN. By analyzing your registration data, we can tell you how to target more effectively to maintain or even increase enrollments while being able to reduce costs for printing and mailing. Also, I would recommend that you submit your brochure for a critique by LERN's professional staff. We can make suggestions that will help you improve your marketing piece and also help you find ways to reduce costs for brochure production.
There is LERN Webinar posted in the LERN Club which provides detailed information on the reasons you should not eliminate the print brochure. Simply log into the LERN Club, click on "Webinars" in the left hand column and select "Your Print Brochure." You will find a lot of information here to support keeping your print brochure.