So, it’s true we are increasingly living in an online world, and hey, you are probably reading this on a screen! However, in this incredibly busy digital world how can you really differentiate yourself, your brand, and your business? How can you engage with customers, or indeed your own staff, and start to overcome that ever-growing digital fatigue?

Back in Renaissance Italy merchants realised the value of physical sales promotional pieces when they started producing and sharing handwritten notes advertising their product offerings. Fast forward to more modern times and every sales rep and sales manager will tell you about the importance of the “leave behind”. Sales leave-behind materials, including sales brochures, catalogues, flyers, or promotional items, act as calling cards, vehicles for further customer engagement, reinforcing the need, desire, and want for the customer to buy your product. They essentially work by continuing to market your company long after you’ve left the building.

In a more digital landscape, the sales leave behind has been, well, left behind, and has become a forgotten and overlooked part in the important sales process. It’s been replaced with a focus on digital marketing and vast sums of money spent on PPC campaigns that can generate loads of vanity analytical data, which may look great in a board meeting, but one could argue, is it really connecting with your audience?

That may all sound a little negative about digital marketing, however, in reality, we live in an omnichannel world, in which the most effective marketing campaigns combine both online and offline sales promotion material. One shouldn’t be forgotten over the other, receiving something physical whether in person or through the post offers a more memorable experience. To hold that physical item in your hands provides a much more deeply embedded memory than words and images on a screen.

We are all of course “au fait” with the printed flyer, the ubiquitous fast-food takeaway menus, and estate agent leaflets that drop through our letterboxes daily, however, printing technology has moved forward, offering the chance to get extra creative and playful with your sales promotion material.

Let’s start by thinking about flat (2 dimensional) printed pieces, though they don’t always need to be a 4 sided square or rectangle in shape. You can be very creative with different shapes, so for example you could die-cut that regular rectangular flyer into the shape of your product or even something more exotic, adding folds and perforations.

The printing process has evolved greatly over the past few years, Full Square can offer an enormous range of substrates to create your unique mailer. Featuring papers and boards from mills like GF Smith, Fedrigoni and metallic boards can add a real touch of class to any printed piece – these are the materials that designers love.

You could also think about the function of a piece. Could you turn a product guide into a reference chart or poster that could be put up on the wall for example?

For direct mail pieces, marketeers have historically utilised flat printed pieces also know as envelope mailers, however, 3-dimensional mail pieces have been shown to have a 6 times greater average response rate over envelope mailers. Dimensional mailers get past receptionists and are hardly ever seen as junk mail because they look important.

So what are dimensional sales promotion pieces? These are printed promotional pieces that have a third dimension beyond the length and width. They include boxes, tubes, containers that can contain further literature, a sample, or promotional item. The extra dimension gives you an additional level of creativity, as you can use each of their surfaces to print information, graphics, and your branding on.

Here are some quick tips for getting the most out of your dimensional mailing campaigns:

 Be cool, creative, and compelling. Take time to think about the design, use tools like Pinterest for inspiration, or give us a call to discuss some of our great ideas with you.
 Stay on point with your brand image, use consistent wording, colour palette, and your logo.
 If you are including a promotional item then think about your audience. A cheap, mass-produced item can send the message that you don’t value the customer and may reflect poorly on your brand. To get your prospect to actually do something beyond opening the box, it’s important to have a high-quality idea that is well thought out and executed superbly.
 Make sure it’s worth it. The item or offer you are delivering must be special enough to meet or exceed the expectations created by the packaging. If not, your target may be disappointed and engagement low.
 Include printed material along with the dimensional piece. This mailing should relate to your overall marketing message and you want to ensure you maximise the effectiveness of the promotion.
 Include a call to action on the object or additional mailing materials, this will help you track the success of your campaign.
 Get feedback. Create a test package that you can send to someone for some honest feedback. If you are posting the piece then do a test mail to make sure your piece will survive the rigors of shipment.
 If you are posting the piece then ensure you use the correcting mailing service, with the right amount of postage paid, the correct customs documents, and any import tax paid in full.

An alternative to delivering a solid dimensional piece is to use a pop-up. Pop-ups are fun and surprising for people to interact with. They are delivered flat packed and when the recipient pulls out the piece it pops up from a flat form into a 3D one. This still allows for each side of the shape to have interesting graphics and branding on them.

If you would like to add an extra dimension to your sales promotion and foster a more physical connection with your customers then we would love to talk to you. We have loads of creative ideas we can share with you.

Contact us on 0116 255 4336 to learn more.