Digital Flipbooks Enhance Cross Media Marketing 

Digital flipbooks are wonderful additions to any cross media marketing strategy. They’re interactive, cost-effective, and drive engagement with consumers. Online flipbooks can be used by businesses in a number of industries as well as with non-profit organizations and educational institutions.  

What are digital flipbooks? 

A digital flipbook can be used to replicate printed materials like brochures, magazines, and catalogs online. A flipbook can be used to create the following: 

  • Educational materials 
  • Travel and Product/Service Brochures 
  • Documents for large purchases and legal transactions 
  • Flyers 
  • Product catalogues 
  • Course catalogues 
  • Training materials  
  • Sales presentations 
  • Customer testimonials 
  • Patient Testimonials and service descriptions for elective dental and medical treatments 

 

Flipbooks have unique features that make them especially engaging with readers. Popular flipbook features include: 

  • Embedded audio, video, and hyperlinks 
  • Viewable across tablets, PCs, and mobile phones 
  • Animations including page flipping 
  • Interactive forms 
  • Easy-to-navigate table of contents 
  • Tracking and analytics for reliable data 

Who should use online flipbooks? 

A digital flipbook is a versatile tool for a variety of organizations. It’s great for small, niche, or independent publications like trade magazines or independent news agencies. Brands with a loyal online following can use flipbooks to announce new products, produce curated catalogues for a segmented audience, and so much more. Beyond business, flipbooks are especially beneficial to non-profit organizations and educational institutions. 

Professionals also benefit from utilizing flipbooks. For example, a flipbook is a wonderful tool for showcasing your portfolio—especially if you’re an interior designer, real estate agent, graphic designer, architect, artist, or home builder.  

Online Flipbooks Offer Key Data Insights for Marketing Professionals 

Adding a flipbook to your marketing arsenal can be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of engaging in thoughtful communication with your customers, clients, students, or donors. The analytical and tracking capabilities associated with flipbooks can provide useful data for your organization. These valuable metrics provide insight on what types of content your readers appreciate and the sources (i.e. social media, e-mail, websites, and direct mail) driving readers to your digital flipbook.  

An online flipbook is just one of many cross media marketing services that Pel Hughes offers. We provide graphic design, campaign automation, direct mail retargeting, database services, and so much more to businesses and organizations throughout the United States. Give us a call at (504) 486-8646 to learn more or request a quote online by clicking here.  

Personalized Video from Pel Hughes 

,

Personalization in marketing isn’t going anywhere. In fact, this approach to reaching customers is likely here to stay because it is engaging and effective. Pel Hughes now offers personalized video, which is an easy and cost-effective way to build relationships with consumers.  

On average, households in the United States watch nearly 44 hours of video on devices each week. Video is a wonderful format for reaching new customers as consumers are very attuned to watching videos in general. Taking video marketing a step further with personalization can make your efforts much more powerful.  

What is personalized video content in marketing? 

In marketing, personalized video content is typically between 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. These videos can feature products and services along with personalized elements that address a consumer by name. Consumers can be routed to personalized videos by links sent to their mobile phone or e-mail. They can also scan QR codes on direct mail that will route them to video content. With Pel Hughes, your videos can include variable text, video footage, and images incorporated into video content showcasing products, services, and information about your business or organization.  

Which industries can benefit from video personalization? 

A variety of industries and organizations can benefit from personalized content—especially video. Below are a just few examples: 

Dealerships: From automotive to RV and marine, dealerships can benefit from video personalization. These videos can focus on reminders for appointments and servicing, announcements of new vehicles, personalized video tours of automobiles, boats, jet skis, and RVs.  

Real Estate Brokers and Agents: The real estate industry can enjoy many advantages in marketing with video personalization. These types of videos are perfect for introducing buyers and sellers to real estate agents and for giving personalized digital tours of new listings.  

Human Resources and Training Videos: Video personalization works well within organizations during the onboarding process with new employees or training new hires and recently promoted professionals.  

Non-Profit Organizations and Higher Education Institutions: Non-profits can use video to announce fundraising events and campaigns or to thank loyal donors while higher education institutions can deploy personalized videos to welcome prospective students or fundraise with alumni.  

Sales: Video marketing can translate well into a variety of sales scenarios. From medical devices and emerging software to B2B sales, videos with variable personal elements can make sales content more engaging for consumers.  

Improve Your Brand’s Personalized Marketing with Pel Hughes 

Pel Hughes offers an array of cross media marketing services including campaign automation, efficient online ordering, direct mail retargeting, and personalized video. Give our team a call at (504) 486-8646 or visit our blog to learn more.  

 

Hyper-personalization in Marketing: What You Need to Know 

Personalized marketing has been a well-established trend for nearly a decade. Hyper-personalization in marketing is an emerging trend that shows great promise in reaching consumers with highly individualized and intuitive content.  

What is hyper-personalization exactly? 

Hyper-personalization derives content from data analyzed by AI (artificial intelligence) and LLMs (large language models). When AI and LLMs work in tandem, these systems can produce substantially personalized content at lightning speeds. Hyper-personalized content can be generated for individuals during chat bot sessions, in e-mail marketing, and in one-on-one social media conversations.  

Hyper-personalization in marketing differs from personalized content we have seen in the past. While personalized content relied on data, it was quite limited. For instance, personalized marketing focused on segmenting audiences based on demographic trends or previous consumer history. Now, AI and LLMs make it possible to unearth an individual’s behavior, preferences, and needs from previous interactions, purchase history, and more. AI is excellent for enhancing e-mail marketing while LLMs can craft content in the form of blogs and product descriptions that can resonate with a specific consumer on a much deeper level. 

Today’s AI software provides a much more thorough analysis of consumer activity than previous software systems. Emerging LLMs produce engaging and human-like content at record speeds, too. Moreover, both AI and LLMs provide predictive technology that can help anticipate a consumer’s needs at speeds that rival software of the recent past.  

In a nutshell, AI and LLMs can be leveraged to improve customer relations while saving businesses time, money, and labor.  

Benefits of Hyper-personalization in Marketing 

Leveraging AI and LLMs in hyper-personalized marketing can yield the following benefits: 

  • Improved customer retention and loyalty: Hyper-personalized messaging produces a more engaging and intuitive consumer experience. A customer experienced based on personalized marketing helps individuals develop deeper emotional connections to your brand while delivering goods and services tailored to their unique needs.  
  • Increased efficiency and cost savings: LLMs and AI produced streamlined content that takes a fraction of the time and labor it would for a conventional marketing department, which saves time and labor costs. 
  • Collects data as it operates: AI and LLMs are continuously learning and improving. As LLMs interact with consumers, it is logging their reactions to content, which will be used to produce key data insights in the future. Over time, LLMs and analysis from AI will help craft even more effective and compelling content.  

 

Pel Hughes is a full-service printing company that can help your business, non-profit organization, or higher educational institution maintain a competitive edge. We offer direct mail, retargeting, database services, campaign automation, and cross media marketing. Call us today at (504) 486-8646 or visit our blog to learn more.  

Small Business Marketing: Direct Mail and Facebook Ads 

,

If you’re looking to improve your small business marketing efforts in 2025, we recommend adding direct mail and Facebook ads to your arsenal of tools. It’s no secret that small business marketing involves tight budgets and limited resources. This reality means that the type of marketing and its quality is highly important to enjoying good results from campaigns.  

The two channels that produce the best ROI in small business marketing are direct mail campaigns and Facebook ads according to a recent Small Business Marketing survey. The following points and statistics will explain why.  

Direct Mail for Small Business Marketing 

Direct mail is a cost-effective method of reaching consumers in their real lives. There are no ad blockers and spam filters where direct mail is concerned. Moreover, direct mail is positively received by all demographics of people.  

Harnessing technology makes direct mail that much more effective. Data, retargeting, and campaign automation makes direct mail a breeze to execute while ensuring that it resonates with the needs of your consumers. Imagine being able to send direct mail to a customer after they have left items in a digital shopping cart or segment your audience with unique messaging meant for specific demographics.  

Pel Hughes offers database services, direct mail retargeting, and campaign automation to enhance direct mail for small businesses.  

Facebook Ads & Small Business Marketing 

According to a small business marketing survey, Facebook ads are the top performer for digital outreach. This is, in part, because Facebook is a widely used social media channel across numerous demographics, including older generations.  

To help illustrate the importance of Facebook ads, considering the following facts and figures: 

  • Facebook is the third-most visited website globally with more than 3 billion people using it actively each month 
  • The average person in the United States spends at least half an hour a day on Facebook 
  • Facebook ranks in second place for consumers discovering new brands and products through social media 
  • Almost half of Facebook users interact with brands on a daily basis 

Facebook Ads are affordable, easy to deploy, and can be localized to consumers in your community—all of which are ideal for small businesses.  

Cross Media Marketing is an Effective Small Business Marketing Strategy 

Pel Hughes strongly encourages our clients to use both digital and print channels when marketing and advertising to consumers. We offer a suite of services to help small businesses thrive in a variety of industries throughout the United States. To learn more, call us at (504) 486-8646 to speak with a knowledgeable member of our team.  

Personalized URLs: When and How to Use Them 

Personalized URLs are excellent marketing tools that drive consumer engagement, produce a more individualized customer experience, and help businesses develop messaging that grabs a customer’s attention. Using personalized URLs make for a robust cross media marketing strategy that gives brands and organizations a competitive edge in today’s tough business climate.  

What are Personalized URLs? 

Personalized URLS—or “PURLs”—are unique websites tailored to an individual recipient. They can be used to send out surveys, solicit donations for non-profits, provide special offers with discount codes and coupons, or give customers an individualized shopping experience with curated goods and services.  

The possibilities with PURLs are endless, which gives businesses and organizations a variety of ways to develop relevant messaging to their audience that feels thoughtful and appreciative.  

When and How to Use Personalized URLs 

There is no shortage of ways to use personalized URLs. PURLs perfectly compliment e-mail and text-based messaging. They’re also great for adding to direct mail to incentivize digital connections after receiving printed materials. Following are some common scenarios where PURLs make good sense: 

  • Welcome new clients, customers, and even employees with a PURL.  
  • Celebrate customer milestones or repeated purchases with special offers in a PURL. 
  • Provide curated shopping carts specific to individual tastes and purchase history. 
  • Highlight new services or products.  
  • Produce easy-to-complete surveys or digital sign-up forms. 
  • Produce PURLs for new students at colleges and universities. 
  • Use PURLs to direct customers or employees to personalized video content. 

Advantages to Marketing with Personalized Links 

PURLs offer a number of advantages to marketers for brands, organizations, and educational institutions. A PURL makes it possible to personalize messaging. In a time where people long for real connections, personalized marketing adds a thoughtful touch to communication where consumers feel seen and valued.  

Adding a PURL to direct mail increases engagement and drives customers to your digital channels. When PURLs are printed on mail, they make it possible to track valuable metrics when these recipients use their links. Essentially, a PURL is one of the best ways to integrate digital and print messaging for cross media marketing. These metrics can also be used to measure which types of messaging resonate with certain age groups, income levels, and other demographic data.  

Personalized URLs help make audience segmentation a breeze. PURLs can be generated to tailor content to the specific needs and interests of a recipient. For example, a PURL can highlight goods or services based on past purchase history. PURLs can also be used to recommend products most likely to be purchased by certain demographics.  

How Pel Hughes Can Help 

Our team provides an array of services to enhance your cross media marketing including direct mail, campaign automation, database services, and graphic design. We serve businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations throughout the United States. Call (504) 486-8646 or request a quote by clicking here.  

Integrated Marketing Improves the Customer Experience 

With today’s technology, there’s no shortage of ways for brands to interact with consumers. Integrated marketing involves coordinating cohesive and helpful brand messaging from different channels to ensure a productive customer journey. From direct mail to e-mail marketing and social media, well-executed integrated marketing is essential for streamlining communication channels in a way that helps consumers—not overwhelms them.  

What is integrated marketing? 

Integration in marketing utilizes technology to blend of sources of customer interaction into an organized consumer experience. Leveraging data, consumer history with your brand, and coordinated communication helps mitigate customer fatigue, gives you an edge above your competition, and lays the informational groundwork for developing more effective marketing campaigns in the future.  

Ideal integration coordinates messaging across the following channels: 

  • SMS text messaging 
  • E-mail blasts and newsletters 
  • Print advertising such as direct mail  
  • Landing pages 
  • Social media 

Why is integrated marketing necessary? 

Integrated marketing is necessary because having so many avenues for communication can become messy and cumbersome for consumers. Moreover, a consumer may interact with your brand through different channels at different stages of their consumer journey. Integrated marketing and the technology that powers it, helps brands identify customers across all channels and segment messages based on where these consumers land within their journey.  

Without integrated marketing, a consumer may be inundated with unhelpful, repetitive messaging that isn’t driving them toward making purchases. Imagine the following scenario: A consumer receives a piece of direct mail directing them to your website with a QR code. The website then displays a pop-up offering a 10% discount when he or she signs up for e-mail notifications. Then, the consumer receives an e-mail that is essentially a digital copy of the direct mail campaign that initiated their customer journey. This breakdown in messaging can actually become a roadblock to productive customer activity.  

Let’s juxtapose this scenario with how this could play out through integrated marketing. A customer is directed to a website or landing page via a QR code on direct mail. The customer is offered a discount for signing up for e-mail notifications. Their first e-mail offers a digital coupon with links that send them back to your website to shop for items. While your customer is simply receiving communication, clicking links, and perusing your website, integrated marketing software is collecting helpful data and building a consumer profile that will analyze demographic data, their habits, and more to help your brand tailor future messaging. With technology, integration can eliminate repetitive messaging and guide consumers through each stage of their customer journey.  

Pel Hughes is a full-service printing company that offers an array of services to help you develop effective integrated marketing including campaign automation, direct mail retargeting, database services, and cross media marketing. Visit our website or call (504) 486-8646 to request a quote with a friendly member of our team.  

Data-Driven Marketing for Carwashes 

Marketing for carwashes can be tricky since this is a highly regionalized industry with some challenges such as equipment repair, seasonal upticks, and competition. One way for carwashes to gain a leg up on their competition and attract customers is to develop a data-driven marketing strategy. Data-driven marketing for carwashes helps target ideal customers, increase revenue, and build a solid brand identity.  

What is data-driven marketing? 

Data-driven marketing utilizes sophisticated technology and information sorting to better understand consumer motivations and behavior. Leveraging data to your advantage can help you develop more powerful messaging in marketing campaigns, improve the customer experience, develop brand loyalty, and boost revenue.  

Typically, data comes from customer feedback, analytics from digital campaigns, and third-party sources that compile consumer data and sort it by demographic information and location. With data, brands can isolate the type(s) of customers they would like to attract as well as segment their audience with customized messaging most likely to resonate with the needs of specific groups of people.  

What types of marketing for carwashes should I consider?  

Since carwashes are regional businesses serving adjacent neighborhoods and commercial centers, it is important to take a blended approach to marketing.  

Cross media marketing, for example, involves utilizing both digital and print forms of advertising. One effective method for utilizing digital marketing is to enroll customers in rewards programs that require an e-mail address to sign-up. Quarterly or monthly e-mails can be sent to repeat customers showcasing news about your carwash, promotional offers, and other incentives to patronize your business. For print, we recommend developing personalized direct mail campaigns targeted to locals in your area. Direct mail is useful for attracting people who have just moved, celebrating repeat customers’ birthdays, showcasing customer testimonials, or for offering friendly reminders that it’s been a while since a customer has had their car detailed.  

Direct mail can also be used to drive customers to your digital channels through QR codes, social media links, e-mail addresses, and your website.  

Are there other benefits to marketing with direct mail? 

Direct mail is a perfect addition to marketing for carwashes. This form of marketing resonates across most age groups and demographics. According to the USPS, direct mail is viewed as one of the most trustworthy forms of advertising by consumers. 

 Unlike digital marketing, direct mail provides a sensory experience that aids in consumer recollection. In fact, consumers recall up to 75% of the businesses who sent them direct mail. Another advantage to direct mail is the absence of ad blockers or spam filters that plague the efforts of reaching consumers through digital channels.  

Pel Hughes is a full-service printing company that works with businesses and organizations throughout the United States. We offer direct mail including retargeting, database services, campaign automation, graphic design, and cross media marketing. Call us at (504) 486-8646 or request a quote with our convenient online form.  

Small Business Tips: 7 Guidelines for Better Sales 

Are you on the hunt for small business tips that work? Operating a small business is tough. Business owners wear lots of hats and have far less resources and personnel than larger corporations. When it comes to implementing new ideas or improving an existing marketing strategy, it’s vital that small business owners seek out evidence-backed and reputable information.  

Our team at Pel Hughes is no stranger to collaborating with small businesses for their cross media marketing and direct mail campaigns. Following are 7 helpful small business tips to help get you started in a more effective direction.  

7 Small Business Tips for Better Sales & Brand Messaging 

#1 Understand Your Audience 

Think about your ideal customer. What qualities does that customer have? Understanding who your target audience is, what their life is like, and what their needs are will take your brand messaging a long way. Your business needs to identify your ideal consumer and develop a solid strategy for how your brand can make them feel seen and heard.  

#2 Focus on Building Relationships with Consumers 

Sure, a one-time sale is good but what’s better is repeat business. Building relationships with your clientele helps accomplish a lasting relationship of mutual benefit and patronage. Placing too much pressure on consumers for a one-off sale can lead to buyer’s remorse later and may even keep a person from patronizing your business in the future.  

Instead, focus on an approach that earns a consumer’s trust and makes them feel like you genuinely understand their needs. A positive, lower-pressure experience with your brand is memorable with consumers and typically leads to repeat business and recommendations to their friends and family.  

#3 Convey Authenticity 

Authenticity goes a long way with improving sales. Conveying a genuine passion for your product(s) or service(s) to consumers is a great way to make them feel at ease with your business. Authenticity is key for creating a positive and memorable consumer experience.  

#4 Develop an Elevator Pitch  

An elevator pitch involves putting your best foot forward for about 30 seconds (about the length of an average elevator ride). When used for sales, an elevator pitch serves as a great introduction to your product/services as well as what makes your enterprise special and different from similar businesses. An important component of an effective elevator pitch is to rehearse it so that it flows naturally during interactions with customers.  

#5 Learn About the Sales Cycle 

The sales cycle comprises seven stages. It’s critical to understand where each individual interaction between a consumer and your brand falls within this cycle. Understanding the sales cycle will make it easier to make meaningful contact with consumers that facilitates a successful journey with your products or services. You can learn more about the seven stages of the sales cycle by clicking here.  

#6 Take Moments to Teach Your Audience 

Teachable moments can go a long way with your customers. Whether that is helping them select the correct product for their needs in a brick-and-mortar store or publishing a blog with tips to extend the life of a product you offer, teachable moments tend to make for lasting relationships. Taking time to give your customers helpful information builds trust and creates a positive experience with your brand, both of which help boost sales.  

#7 Leverage Technology to Your Advantage 

Technology can help a business of any size—but it is particularly useful to small business owners who are stretched for personnel, resources, and time. CRM (customer relationship management) platforms, database services, and other technology that automates digital and print campaigns can ease the burden small business owners face when trying to market their products/services.  

Pel Hughes works with small businesses throughout the United States. We offer an array of services to help you produce efficient and effective print and digital campaigns, manage databases, and automate campaigns. Visit our blog to learn more small business tips or request a quote.  

 

 

Benefits of QR Codes in Cross Media Marketing 

Using QR codes in cross media marketing is a win-win for both businesses/organizations and consumers. This technology makes your print marketing campaigns more effective, trackable, and engaging. Following are five benefits to implementing QR codes in cross media marketing strategies.  

Five Benefits to Using QR Codes in Cross Media Marketing 

Below are five helpful ways to use QR codes in cross media marketing.

#1 QR Codes Bridge the Gap Between Print and Digital 

Placing a QR code in circulars, catalogues, print ads, and direct mail bridges the gaps between the physical world and the digital one. QR codes can route consumers to everything from personalized video and landing pages to social media accounts. This technology makes it possible for consumers to interact with your brand or organization online with little effort.  

#2 QR Codes Provide Analytics and Data from Print Campaigns 

Print advertisements and direct mail don’t provide the analytics and tracking that digital media can. Fortunately, embedding QR codes into print makes collecting helpful data much easier for businesses and organizations. Data from QR codes can tell you how effective a specific campaign was or which demographics responded favorably to your ad.  

#3 QR Codes Enhance the Consumer Experience 

When it comes to print, space is precious. Today’s modern consumer wants information. They want to know about a company or organization’s impact and values. This information can be difficult to cram onto a direct mail piece or one-page ad. A QR code is a wonderful way to invite consumers to learn more about what makes your enterprise or non-profit exceptional.  

#4 QR Codes Make for Great Calls to Action 

Sometimes, the hardest part of creating a great ad is writing a compelling call-to-action (CTA). A lackluster CTA typically yields low consumer engagement. Incentivizing consumers with enticing promotional offers by scanning QR codes is a surefire method for boosting engagement with your brand.  

#5 QR Codes are Cost-Saving 

A QR code can be easily edited or adjusted for seasonal promotions, announcing new services or products, or informing consumers about events like grand openings or fundraisers. This makes it possible to recycle existing print campaigns with up-to-date information in a cost-effective way. Additionally, QR codes save money by allowing your print campaigns to be as concise as possible.  

If you’re looking to implement QR codes in cross media marketing, our team at Pel Hughes can help. We offer an array of cross media marketing services including direct mail retargeting, database services, and campaign automation to help your business or organization thrive. Call us at (504) 486-8646 to request a quote.  

Boost Consumer Engagement with Personalization 

Consumer engagement can stagnate—particularly when your customers are overwhelmed with brand messaging online and in-person. One effective method for combatting low consumer engagement is through personalization. Personalized messaging is beneficial both in the digital world and the physical one. Everything from e-mail marketing to direct mail can be personalized.  

What is consumer engagement and why does it matter? 

Consumer engagement really boils down to building rapport with your customers. This is done by providing exceptional customer service, accessibility to your products/services, and personalization. Salesforce, for example, conducted a survey and found that 80% of consumers feel that their experience with a brand is just as important as the quality of the goods or services they provide.  

In a hyper-competitive and global business market, brands face serious challenges earning the repeated business of their clientele. Moreover, consumers are inundated with emails, commercials, social media ads, and more on a daily basis. These factors affect consumer engagement, which over time, can result in lackluster revenue. Boosting engagement with thoughtful communication and helpful service gives brands and businesses a competitive edge.  

Personalization is an important avenue for providing an exceptional brand experience that boosts engagement.  

How is personalization implemented? 

Personalization is implemented with sophisticated software and AI that analyzes consumer data. Technology evaluates consumer patterns, purchase history, and several other data points to predict how best to serve the needs of an individual customer. Personalization can involve simple direct mail campaigns wishing a loyal customer a happy birthday to sending emails with curated products that a customer will likely enjoy.  

Does Pel Hughes offer services to boost consumer engagement? 

Our team at Pel Hughes can help you improve consumer engagement with a variety of services including campaign automation, personalized direct mail, database services, and direct mail retargeting.  

Campaign automation is a time- and labor-saving service we offer through our client portal called “Storefront”, which allows for easy online ordering of pre-approved campaigns as well as automated direct mail campaigns that can be sent to celebrate repeat customers’ birthdays, first purchase anniversaries, and more.  

With technology like variable data printing (VDP), your direct mail campaigns can be customized to the individual recipient.  

We also provide database services and direct mail retargeting. Database services help ensure that all your mailing lists are clean and accurate so that your marketing materials reach the right recipients. Direct mail retargeting is a new technology that triggers automatic direct mail campaigns after a digital consumer interacts with your brand by signing up for email notifications or places items in a shopping cart.  

Pel Hughes serves businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations throughout the United States. We provide client-forward service, advanced technology, and a suite of services to help your brand put its best foot forward. Call us today at (504) 486-8646 to request a quote for your next campaign.