About Direct Marketing

How can you win over new customers in B2B? By captivating their senses. Wherever digital marketing can’t get in, printed direct comes to the fore. We spoke with Martin Hollý, the head of POINT CZ’s online division, about how this is a step forward and not back.

How do you see things going with direct marketing?

Approaching new B2B clients was never easy; with the GDPR restrictions it’s become even harder. Every salesman is always working on how to open that first door leading towards an in-person meeting. Printed matter sent via post is a rarity today, which is probably why printed direct is celebrating such a return.

So print campaigns are coming back?

We see this trend among our customers. Companies understand they’re not operating over a wide area, but in a segmented way. Recently there’s been an increased demand for these printed adverts. The most striking change is in the quality of the materials used and in their surface refinements. Companies devote a lot of attention to both design and content.

Can you advise on how to do direct right?

I won’t tell you anything new. It’s all about appealing to as many of the senses as you can. We did one direct that had a nice “sound”. Lots of customers love the smell of printing for example; we’ve worked with that theme too. Touch is direct’s biggest advantage, and if a printed advert has a nice surface, you’re halfway to success. As for the creative side – surprise and humour are in the lead.

Is there any way at all to save on printing today?

Investing into graphics definitely pays off; you can find savings in production or distribution. Our Point4me e-shops with online printing mainly save time. In the online calculator you can compare printing prices, quantities and production timelines. Companies often make use of our separate shipping service, where printed materials are sent straight to customers’ addresses. We also offer express production of selected materials within 24 hours.

What services are involved?

We have two e-shops with online printing. The first one is Point4mePROFI, which offers fast production of the most common types of printed materials, for companies, agencies and individuals. The second one is the Point4meEASY e-shop, which contains an online editor where customers can turn their photos into a calendar. It’s mainly used by end consumers, but for example clubs and town halls use it too.

If you were to highlight the most attractive direct marketing product, which one would it be?

Definitely calendars. Even though we all have calendars in Outlook or on our phones, the printed ones are still in vogue. We print nine million calendars yearly, and their numbers rise each year. We’re also newly seeing an increase in the clients who produce their company calendars themselves in our Point4me EASY e-shop. Multiple prints really pay off with us and bring savings on graphics too. We’ve responded to this demand and made further improvements to this e-shop over the summer. Customers will find a new quick editor here with new features and templates.

Text: Markéta Švábová, Martin Hollý