Office supplies company works with Datam to ensure its message is always seen
Envelopes don’t have a glamorous reputation. For most people, they’re little more than paper receptacles – but for Ash Ready, OfficeMax’s database and strategy manager, they’re a valuable marketing tool.
First Impressions ensures messages are receive
OfficeMax provides a vast range of office supplies nationwide through direct sales, catalogues, e-commerce and retail stores.
Beforehand, a plain envelope that didn’t get opened was a dollar in the bin. Using Datam’s First Impressions – a customised business envelope service – customers still see the message on the envelope even if it doesn’t get opened.
“The envelope has become like a billboard. It’s all about putting a relevant message in front of the right person," Ash says.
First Impressions allows the company to change envelope designs each time it does a mailout to its customer database quickly and easily – segmenting by purchase history, industry or location. The service helps bring its regular or promotional mailouts to life.
“The envelope becomes a teaser as to what’s inside, or an educational tool showing products that the customer may not have otherwise associated with OfficeMax,” Ash says.
“If it says there’s free chocolate or food when you buy stationery, you get a fairly high success rate. It’s Marketing 101 stuff.”
Easy, customised direct mailing
Previously, customised direct mailing was more difficult to organise and had to be carefully planned.
“Now it’s all variable and done on the fly,” Ash says. “It’s only limited by how many variations of the artwork you want to do or the segments in your data.”
OfficeMax’s designer sends the envelope designs for each mailout to Datam, which prints the letter and the address with the personalised images on the envelopes – and dispatches them. Datam’s on-demand printing also means the company is only billed for what they use.
“They can do it in five working days at a pinch – we supply the data on Monday, with lodgement on Friday – though we usually give them eight working days.”
Smart direct mail still performs well
Ash says he’s often asked why the company isn’t doing everything digitally. His response?
“The reality is, smart direct mail still performs well in a digital world.”
Alongside First Impressions’ variable printing, OfficeMax also uses Datam to check and correct address information in its mailing list database. OfficeMax applies a code to each of the envelopes so returns can be forwarded to the relevant account manager.
This process is highly accurate – and returns have reduced to less than 0.05%.
Ensure your message is delivered straight to your customers – and seen. Get in touch with the Datam team today. Let’s talk.