IVE (ASX:IGL) has today announced the appointment of three new leadership roles across its business. Leana El-Hourani has been promoted into a new group role as IVE’s Head of Governance, Risk and Compliance, Rachel Baldovino has been promoted to General Manager of Data-Driven Communications in Victoria and Jess Ransley has been hired from MMW as General Manager of Data-Driven Communications in NSW.
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29/07/2020
IVE hires Jess Ransley from MMW as it announces a string of promotions
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25/6/2019
After a successful pilot, IVE Group has announced the launch of a new e-commerce platform, Nexus, which is now fully operational in the Australian market.
Nexus transforms traditionally printed materials such as catalogues and brochures and makes them interactive and accessible through web, mobile, email and social channels.
“Nexus allows people to purchase products from online catalogues or brochures with one simple click-to-cart, rather than just showing them what’s on offer or special,” IVE Group CMO, Rob Draper, said.
“It converts browsers into active shoppers. Once a catalogue or brochure has been transformed into a shoppable experience, we can push it out via social media and email channels in addition to pulling more people onto the retailer’s website.
“The platform has embedded video and live enquiry capabilities that cater to the travel, real estate and financial sectors too, however, the real beauty of Nexus lies in its live analytics functionality. We can tell retailers what their shoppers are looking at, engaging with and buying, all in real time. This allows us to change content on-the-go in order to maximise sales conversion and over time provide our clients using the platform with deep shopper insights.”
A four-month trial of Nexus proved successful, more than doubling catalogue views once they were converted, and producing a buy now conversion rate of 14.8%, the company said.
“This technology further expands our retail offering and forms a key part of our diversification strategy. It’s something that our clients, staff and investors alike should all be very excited about,” said CEO Warwick Hay.
As for whether Nexus will impact IVE’s traditional catalogue and printing businesses, Hay said: “In the odd case, it may, but in general this is a complementary touchpoint to traditional printed catalogues and brochures, not a replacement. Based on the trial results and initial client sentiment, we’re expecting total spend to increase in this space along with our market leadership position.”
Mumbrella article: https://mumbrella.com.au/ive-group-expands-into-ecommerce-with-nexus-585915
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In the know
14/4/2020
Guarantee targeted and trackable results from your next Letterbox Marketing campaign by following these expert guidelines.
The potential scope of audience reach using Letterbox Marketing is huge. In Australia alone, marketers have the ability to reach 20.3 million Australians using Letterbox Marketing, according to the Real Media Collective's 2018 Annual Industry Report. At IVE Distribution, we boast an impressive reach of 17 million Australians.
And the more targeted a campaign, the more marketers reap the benefits of it. Like Facebook or Google AdWords campaigns, for example, Letterbox Marketing can be built to target small and more nuanced audiences who share the key characteristics of the brand’s target customer. In fact, Letterbox Marketing campaigns today can be targeted to as few as 200 households.
Having a clear understanding of your target audience upfront will not only help you maximise your distribution and inform all elements of your campaign but also maximise your ROI. Here’s what you need to consider when building your next Letterbox Marketing campaign:
1. Identify your target audience
At the outset of any marketing campaign, it goes without saying that you need to identify your target audience. By just tracking and assessing your campaign, you wouldn’t get the greatest result – a clearly defined audience is necessary.
From a Letterbox Marketing distribution point of view, there are many factors that can be taken into consideration when refining which suburbs or postcodes to focus on. For those with a defined target audience, IVE Distribution’s media planning tool, Swiftplan, can be used to identify where these people live to build a distribution map.
Swiftplan draws on more than 50 data points, including Census data, household expenditure, and psychographic segmentation to generate highly-targeted audiences for customers. The tool is intelligent enough to account for factors such as where target consumers live, where they shop, their age, their disposable income, their interests, and more.
And for brands without a clear target audience in mind, the IVE Distribution team can interrogate your database to identify key audiences within your existing data for targeting. Alternatively, IVE Distribution can build a target audience using exclusion tactics: by identifying who your brand does not want to target.
While this information is imperative for mapping Letterbox distribution, it can also inform the other elements of a Letterbox Marketing campaign.
2. Design with your audience in mind
The beauty of taking a more targeted approach to a Letterbox Marketing campaign is that you can also tailor the marketing message. Australia is a huge country with differing demographics. What might be a popular product in Melbourne metro may differ greatly from a popular product in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
For instance, if a specific brand of shampoo is popular with residents in the western suburbs of NSW, a brand may produce a targeted catalogue for this area instead of using a generic one that goes out to all Australians. This allows for tweaks to the placement of products in the catalogue. In this case, an image of the popular shampoo product can be on the cover of the catalogue where it instantly catches the attention of the residents.
SuperCheap Auto adopted a highly targeted, local area marketing approach after identifying a series of under-performing stores in its nationwide network. The retailer required a campaign that targeted the catchment areas of these under-performing stores and turned to IVE Distribution to create a highly-targeted catalogue, achieving a five per cent like-for-like sales uplift for targeted stores during the promotional period.
Once you have identified your target audience, make sure that your collateral has the following:
A clear call to action (CTA) (go online, in store, call or sign up to a newsletter etc.)
Imagery that reflects the target audience (if using pictures of people, for instance, are they the same demographic as the target audience?)
If pushing people in store include a map (personalise to local store)
If pushing people online, include a URL (make it short)
3. Build a multi-channel campaign
Letterbox Marketing should be used as part of a multi-channel approach. Like an onion, each campaign should contain layer upon layer of touchpoints with the audience, to build and strengthen the customer’s relationship with the product and brand. Letterbox Marketing is, more often than not, one channel alongside other channels such as social ads, search ads, email and even out of home and print ads.
The frequency of your Letterbox Marketing drops should be considered as part of an integrated multi-channel campaign – consider how Letterbox Marketing sits in the buyer’s journey. Is it the first point of contact? Could you extend the reach of the catalogue by creating a digital version that lives on both your own brand’s website and Australia’s top catalogue aggregator site, Lasoo? What about other digital channels like search ads? Could you push these ads to a digital catalogue?
4. Track and assess your ROI
Before delving headfirst into a campaign, understand what you want to achieve. Is it purely a branding exercise, or do you have quantifiable targets for product sales? Does it include coupon code redemptions or sign ups to your database? These are questions to ask before designing a Letterbox Marketing campaign.
A fast food outlet, for example, may expect a 10 per cent redemption of a coupon code from a flyer campaign whereas a high-end car dealership may be satisfied with two car sales from one Letterbox Marketing campaign. Whatever your campaign goals, be clear about what you want to achieve and put hard numbers against them from the outset.
And remember to align your campaign with a sales period or specific campaign activation, and train your staff on the offers available so they are all well informed.
To learn more about Letterbox Marketing, call our team of experts at IVE Distribution on 1300 725 628 or click here to get a quote.
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11/3/2020
Letterbox marketing can reach more people than many other advertising channels. Read IVE Distribution's guide to getting the best results from your letterbox drop.
With so much marketing activity now focusing on websites, social media and other online channels, the traditional letterbox drop might feel outdated. But door-to-door catalogue and flyer distribution are still among the most cost-effective local marketing solutions you can use – especially when they're integrated with your online advertising.
While digital correspondence such as emails, text messages and social media invites can be ignored or deleted without even being opened, a physical letter, brochure or other marketing material is harder to overlook, especially when it's personalised. Research shows that more people are now exposed to letterbox advertising than other traditional channels, including radio, TV, magazine and newspaper ads.
If you're thinking about letterbox marketing [link to the letterbox marketing page] to promote your latest offers or event, read on to find out how it compares to other local marketing solutions and how to get the most out of your campaigns.
Do letterbox drops work?
Whether you're concentrating on local area marketing or a national campaign, letterbox distribution offers more engagement than most other forms of advertising. According to the latest Real Media Collective Report:
93% of Australians visit a store after reading a catalogue
2 in 3 Australians aged 18–49 read a catalogue every month
This increases to 72% for the main grocery buyer of the home
6.8 million Australians make a purchase from a catalogue within 1 week of receipt
Unlike other traditional marketing channels that are in decline – such as TV, radio and newspaper and magazine subscriptions – the audience for letterbox delivery has remained stable and even increased slightly over the past five years.
A Roy Morgan Single Source Survey found that catalogue readership increased from 65.6% in July 2014 to 69.9% in July 2018, making letterbox marketing the single largest channel for mass reach in 2019.
Increase engagement
With the average household getting less than two unaddressed items of mail every week, letterbox drops have greater cut-through than a lot of other marketing channels. People are more likely to open unaddressed letters than listen to commercial radio, watch TV or read newspapers and magazines.
Engagement is even higher when your letterbox drop is personalised with a name and address, with 95% of addressed mail being opened. The Roy Morgan survey found that personalised mail is read for 4 minutes on average, compared to 2 minutes for non-addressed mail. This is still significantly longer than the time spent reading emails and other marketing materials.
Catalogues have the highest engagement rate, with 71% of people spending 5 to 19 minutes browsing catalogue offers.
Increase conversions
More than half of people who read catalogues (6 out of 10) go on to make a purchase as a result, whether that's in your online store, physical store or checking out through your digital catalogue. This includes planned purchases and impulse buys for items of all sizes. If a catalogue isn't appropriate for your company, flyers and other promotional materials can also be effective when you know how to reach the right people at the right time.
How to do a letterbox drop
Letterbox marketing puts your brand and your offers in front of more people, but only when it's done effectively. Follow these six steps to learn how to attract customers and get the best return on your marketing investment.
1. What should I send?
Catalogues – some of the best results from letterbox marketing come from catalogue distribution: Catalogues are read by people of all ages and can be linked with your digital catalogue to make it easier for people to complete checkout on your ecommerce site.
Advertising flyers – generally cheaper to print than a catalogue, a flyer can give a brief overview of your brand or your latest offer and is more likely to be seen than an email. Options such as scented or textured flyers can increase sales further, if these are appropriate for your business.
Brand books – generally larger and heavier than catalogues, a brand book carries extra prestige but costs more to print and distribute, so this is usually reserved for a larger campaign.
Free samples – everyone loves free gifts. Giving away a sample of your products will entice some customers to buy more, especially if you include a discount offer for your store.
Promotional items – shaped promotional items with your branding and contact details have a higher success rate than standard flyers. Practical items such as stationery are even better, as they're more likely to be kept around and shared. However, producing these items costs more than printing catalogues or flyers.
When you contact IVE Distribution to help you get your brand into future customers' hands, our experts can discuss the best promotional items and work with you to start planning your campaigns.
2. How to design letterbox materials
When you're designing a catalogue, flyer or other material that will end up in people's homes, you'll want it to stand out. Strong visuals and catchy headings will grab people's attention, and you should put your message across clearly and concisely so people know what and who they're dealing with.
Once you've got their attention, your marketing materials need to be worth reading. Always keep your target audience in mind when choosing the words, images and layout that will appeal to their demographic and make sure your catalogue is easy to navigate with different sections clearly marked.
Last but not least, it's essential to include a call-to-action on every piece of marketing material you produce. This is the next step you want the customer to take after reading your flyer or brochure – whether it's getting in touch with your office, going to your website or visiting your store to make a purchase.
When it comes to printing flyers and catalogues, it's important that your materials are of the same high standard your customers are used to from other brands. Saving money by opting for lower quality paper or printing could make your materials look cheap, and your brand by association. Depending on what you're promoting, extra features such as a scented flyer or textured materials increase engagement by involving more of the senses.
If you need some help designing and printing your letterbox campaign, IVE Distribution's design team and established network of printers can help you create letterbox marketing materials that convert.
3. How many homes should I target?
The size of a letterbox drop can range from your local neighbourhood to a nationwide campaign. However many homes you choose, you can improve the chances of your materials reaching the right people through research and precision targeting.
Local area marketing – inform local customers about your business opening or your latest offers, targeting households that are most likely to be interested or closest to your premises. A local letterbox drop can involve a few hundred homes or a few thousand.
Larger campaign – if you want you can target a whole city or go Australia-wide. It can even be narrowed down to your chosen demographics.
IVE Distribution’s Swiftplan uses more than 50 variables so that households can be targeted according to their location, shopping habits, age, income and other factors to help you tailor your campaigns. IVE Distribution is Australia's largest distribution network, reaching up to 17 million letterboxes nationwide.
4. When should I do a letterbox drop?
The timing of your letterbox drop depends heavily on the demographics of your target audience. Do you have products or services that sell better at certain times of year? (e.g. Flowers on Valentine’s day, toys at Christmas, barbeque’s in summer etc.) Or do your products and services sell well all year round? How you answer this question will inform the timing of your letterbox drop.
Good timing is critical for the success of a letterbox drop. You need to allow time for writing copy, graphic design and the printing process. If you're promoting a limited sale or an event on a certain calendar date, you also need your materials to arrive with plenty of time to spare before the date of the sale arrives.
Receiving mail on certain days of the week and different times of the day can also impact how people respond. Luckily, letterbox distribution is quite flexible in its timing. IVE Distribution's letterbox distribution operates 52 weeks a year.
5. How can I track results?
To know how successful your campaign is, you need to stay updated on which households responded and which areas or other metrics proved the most (and least) successful. Having access to this data will help you to modify your campaigns for even greater success going forward.
When you partner with IVE Distribution for letterbox distribution, we'll keep track of sales to give you the ongoing insights you need to update your campaigns and prove ROI.
6. Integrate online and offline
Combining a physical letterbox drop with digital marketing will give you the greatest reach possible to cover all the bases and boost response rates as your marketing channels work together.
Some ways you can achieve this are by including details of your website and social media accounts [data-driven section on IVE site?] on all marketing materials to give your customers more ways of reaching you and publishing a digital counterpart to your physical catalogue that shoppers can browse online.
IVE Distribution's digital publishing solutions make it easy to convert your physical catalogue into an online catalogue [link to the data driven page?] that customers can click through to order from your website.
To find out more about how IVE Distribution can make your letterbox drop a success, call our team today on 1300 725 628 or get a quote.
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9/3/2020
Colour is powerful in design. It helps you send a message to your audience without using any words. How do you pick your brand colours?
The right colours can attract attention, evoke certain emotions, and even influence purchasing decisions. In fact, studies show that ads in colour are read 42% more often than the same ads in black and white.
But choosing colours for your flyer design [link to the letterbox marketing page] can be overwhelming. Where do you start?
Enter the colour wheel.
A colour wheel is a tool used by designers to understand colours’ relationships with each other and which combinations work best. But it’s not limited to designers; scientists and artists have been using the colour wheel for centuries (the first known colour wheel was used by Sir Isaac Newton in the mid-1600s). And there’s a lot we can learn from how artists and scientists approach colour.
How does the colour wheel work?
The colour wheel presents a logically arranged sequence of pure hues. There are three categories you need to know:
Primary Colours
All other colours are derived from red, blue and yellow. What makes these three colours unique is that they cannot be mixed or created using a combination of other colours.
Secondary Colours
Mix the primary colours and you get secondary colours e.g. yellow + blue = green.
Tertiary Colours
Mix a primary colour with a secondary colour and you get a tertiary colour, e.g. yellow + orange = yellow-orange.
Simple, right?
Pick colours that work together
You can use the colour wheel to create “colour harmony”, which is the technical term for colours that work together. There are a number of ways to create great colour combinations. Here are three techniques to try:
Colour Scheme #1 Analogous colours
Analogous colours are any three colours that sit side by side on a 12-part colour wheel. So you might pick yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Typically with analogous colours, there’s one dominant colour, either because it appears in the design more often or it stands out more in comparison with the other colours. The other colours are referred to as “accent colours”.
Nature is the best example of analogous colours in action – you can find endless inspiration for harmonious colour schemes simply by looking out your window or searching on Instagram.
Colour Scheme #2 Complementary colours
Complementary colours are two colours that sit directly opposite each other on the colour wheel. Red and green is a popular complementary colour combination (Christmas, anyone?).
Complementary colour schemes create maximum contrast and high intensity – perfect when you want something to stand out – but they can be difficult to balance and therefore jarring in large doses.
Colour Scheme #3 Groupings
Finally, there are different ways you can group colours:
Triadic groups any three colours that are evenly spaced around the colour wheel. This scheme tends to be vibrant, regardless of which colours you choose.
Split complementary uses any colour on the wheel, plus the two bordering its complement. This creates visual contract without the jarring of a pure complementary colour scheme.
Tetradic (rectangle) uses the four colours of two complementary pairs. This results in an extremely eye-catching design with lots of possibilities for variation. It tends to work best if one colour is dominant.
Square uses four colours spaced evenly around the wheel. Again, it works best with one dominant colour.
Explore and play
The best way to find out what works is to take inspiration from the scientists of yesteryear: experiment. Check out one of the many free colour tools online, like Adobe Color CC, Paletton or the Color Calculator.
Ultimately, the colours you choose for your flyer come down to what works for your brand and your audience. Why stop at one colour scheme? Keep exploring and trying new things to see what gets the best results. That’s what great marketing is all about.
Ready to create your next flyer design? Our designers are ready to help. Call us on 1300 725 628 to get a quote.
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25/2/2020
Think letterbox drops are old news? Think again. Here's why letterbox is still an extremely effective marketing channel.
With websites, emails, and social media platforms now considered powerful channels to reach out to customers, it’s not surprising that business owners might view letterbox advertising as old-fashioned. However, this form of advertising is far from stale and outdated – it actually delivers some surprising results.
A study by Roy Morgan in 2019 found that letterbox drops are read by 13.4 million people in Australia every week.
The appeal of letterbox delivery
Businesses both small and large are increasingly identifying the benefits of flyer distribution in letterboxes, and more consumers want to be contacted through letterbox drops and direct mail over other media methods. But why?
Firstly, brochures or leaflets delivered to a customer’s letterbox tend to be more personal than the mass messages received through email. Businesses can tailor collateral to the needs of the recipients in a particular area or demographic, and short-run digital printing allows them to run small, highly targeted campaigns.
Like email or social, letterbox drops allow for targeted marketing campaigns – focusing on area demographics for cold leads, or your own lists crafted using existing customer data.
Finally, with Australian households receiving on average less than two unaddressed promotional items per week, you can take advantage of this uncluttered channel to get your message across. When a potential customer takes your business's materials inside, they read them in the relaxed, private atmosphere of their own home. Skimming through emails or flicking past online ads feels like a chore, but taking the time to go through the mail at the end of the day gives your reader a chance to really absorb your messages.
Design and execution are vital to success
Though letterbox drops offer limitless opportunities for your business, this form of advertising can fall flat if not executed well. For your letterbox campaign to be successful, it is crucial that you pay attention to two key factors: the material and the distribution of the campaign. For some serious inspiration, head to B&T to check out these 8 Letterbox Media Campaigns You Wish You'd Thought Of. From karate magazine subscriptions sold through a plank of wood to UNICEF's toy soldiers, these campaigns show the power of mailbox to deliver tactile experiences that shift perspectives and take audiences on an adventure.
Material
Keep your material simple, both in content and design, by having a clear objective and sticking to it. Complex and cluttered information will only result in the customer skimming through it. On the other hand, an eye-catching design with bold colours, attractive images, compelling headlines, and well-written copy will keep the reader engaged.
Liquor retailers are known for their highly successful letterbox campaigns, with 38% of readers saying it is the media most useful when purchasing alcohol. This industry excels because customers know what to expect each time they pick up a catalogue: great deals, clear information, and a compelling call to action.
In order to get your prospect to take the next step, your material should broadcast attractive offers that are likely to instantly grab their attention, and prompt them to reach for their phone, computer, or wallet. These could be in the form of coupons, a contest, a discount code, or even a complimentary gift.
Execution
Your material might be the best, but it will fail to reap results if it’s sent to the wrong audience. Take the time to do your research, so you can target a receptive customer segment. It’s necessary to have a long-term mindset while executing the campaign. Not everyone will respond to your letterbox delivery the first time, so frequency is king.
Finally, it’s vital to integrate letterbox distribution with your other marketing channels to boost response rates. For instance, a customer might read your material in the brochure, but they might not act upon it until they visit your website, or click through your Facebook or Twitter page.
Carrying through the message from your letterbox collateral to the tone of voice of your Twitter account, the banner on your Facebook page and the hero imagery on your website not only reinforces your offering, it positions you in the reader's mind as a consistent, reliable brand with a clear personality and message.
Very few marketing channels can promise the targeted marketing and large-scale coverage of letterbox distribution. If you’re ready to reach your target audience where they’re most relaxed and receptive, IVE Distribution can provide you with over 40 years’ experience in letterbox distribution and strategy.
Call us today on 1300 725 628 to learn more about letterbox marketing or visit the distribution section of our Production & Distribution offering for more information.
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18/2/2020
Find out how marketers target customers on a community level with local area marketing (LAM) as part of a national campaign.
Local area marketing is a highly effective way to reach a specific audience with a specific message in a specific location. By running campaigns in local communities, you can closely engage with the individuals, groups, organisations, and businesses you’re targeting in certain areas.
Free reign for all businesses
LAM is all about leveraging the buying power of a local community and connecting with them in a meaningful way. An ideal marketing strategy for local businesses – like plumbers, cleaners, and accountants – LAM can boost awareness, drive sales, and establish greater connections with customers in a community.
But that doesn’t mean mid- to large organisations or franchise businesses can’t take advantage of a local campaign {href in letterbox marketing page to small business section TBA) . One of the most successful examples of LAM in action is Aldi’s Special Buys catalogue. It’s the most-read supermarket catalogue, with more than five million readers every week, increasing consideration, footfall, and sales for this international brand at a local level.
Owners of franchised businesses can also use LAM campaigns to promote specific stores or locations, supplementing the larger franchise’s regional or national marketing campaigns. Aussie brands, such as Coles, Dan Murphy’s, Myer, and JB Hi-Fi are all examples of retailers using this approach.
Driven by data
Marketers today have the tools to target their LAM campaigns with even greater accuracy. Data sources that provide insights into how and why your customers buy – such as loyalty programs, purchase history, and interactions on social media – can be mapped against metrics like location, demographics, and industry-specific data on life stages or socioeconomics to find your target audience. IVE Distribution’s media planning tool SwiftPlan is a great tool to find and target your audiences on a local level.
Reaching local consumers
Traditional LAM strategies that connect with people at the local level include:
Cross-promotion and partnerships with local businesses . Sponsorship of community events or teams engaging with local media (newspapers, radio, cinema, outdoor). Letterbox or direct mail campaigns.
Marketers can use these channels on their own or as part of a broader integrated regional or national campaign.
LAM strategies can also be applied online. For example, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), can be used to target potential customers in your local area. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) can be used to target a local audience by setting up online adverts so that they only appear on devices in your local area. Thirdly, geo-targeted email campaigns can allow you to focus on recipients in areas where there is a high concentration of stores or your target audience. Finally, location targeting on social media also lets you refine your campaign’s audience to people who live in your set location.
Local area marketing in action
A great example of LAM in action is a campaign conducted by TShopBizGroup. This Telstra franchisee used accurate targeting and a timed letterbox drop to capitalise on the rollout of the NBN [this was linked to this Case Study https://www.salmat.com.au/our-expertise/case-studies/tbc-kawana-letterbox] and connect with potential customers near its outlets in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The objective was to get residents to register their interest with the group’s Telstra stores and drive uptake of the NBN packages they had on offer. The company used the rollout as the trigger for the communication. The drop was timed with the rollout and went to specific households on a street-by-street basis. Residents then had to return the flyer to their local store or text a code to register their interest.
This local letterbox campaign proved more successful than any other medium used as part of the campaign and achieved a 3:1 return on investment for TShopBizGroup.
Sound like an approach that could work for your business? Get in touch with IVE Distribution to find out more about our letterbox marketing services [this will need to link to the distribution page] or call us on 1300 725 628.
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