Print people respond to: connecting physical pieces to your marketing
Five thousand flyers delivered. A poster run across the suburb. A brochure reprint for the trade show. A mail-out to past customers. Ask how each one performed, and most businesses can't say. Responses unknown.
That is the main reason print gets cut from marketing budgets. Not because it doesn't work, but because nobody can prove it does. The fix is simple: give every printed piece a way to respond, and track it.
The short version
Print becomes measurable when every piece has one clear response linked to something you can count: a QR code to a dedicated page, a unique offer code, or a tracked number or URL. Plan print with Marketing and Digital, connect responses to the CRM and compare results with other channels.
The short version
Print becomes measurable when each piece has a clear next step linked to something you can count: a QR code to a dedicated landing page, a unique offer code, a tracked phone number or a specific URL. When Print, Marketing and Digital plan the campaign together, physical pieces feed into the same reporting as digital channels. You can then see which pieces produce customers, improve them and reorder with confidence.
Why most print is a dead end
Most printed pieces end with a logo and a phone number. If someone responds, there is no way to know which piece prompted them. The flyer, the poster and the brochure all blur together, and the marketing report shows nothing.
Without measurement, print decisions get made on gut feel. Budgets shrink, not because print failed, but because it couldn't show it succeeded.
How to make print measurable
01Give it one clear action
Every piece should ask for one thing: scan, visit, call or redeem. One action is easier to follow and easier to track.
02Use a QR code to a dedicated page
A QR code that goes to the home page tells you little. One that goes to a page built for that piece and that audience tells you exactly how many people responded and what they did next.
03Add a unique offer code
A code specific to the campaign, redeemed online or in store, links sales directly to the printed piece.
04Use a tracked number or URL
For audiences less likely to scan, a dedicated phone number or short web address does the same job.
05Connect it to the CRM
Responses should flow into the same CRM as other leads, tagged with the campaign. Then the print campaign can be followed through to sales, not just scans.
> I've generated more than 100,000 leads, and the lesson that applies to print as much as digital is that you can't improve what you can't see. The first mail-out we tracked properly showed us that one version outperformed the other by a wide margin. We'd been sending the wrong one for years.
Print, Marketing and Digital as one plan
At NOIZE, measurable print is a joint effort. Print produces the pieces to a high standard. Digital builds the landing pages and connects responses to the CRM. Marketing plans the campaign, sets the measures and reports results alongside every other channel. When the three work together, a flyer is just another channel with numbers attached.
“Things really got moving beyond our expectations.”
An illustrative example
Picture a real estate agency sending a spring mail-out to homeowners in its area. Each card carries a QR code to a short "what's my home worth" page and a suburb-specific URL. The results show scans, enquiries and appraisals booked, broken down by suburb. The next mail-out goes heavier where it worked and changes the message where it didn't. Print stops being a cost and becomes a channel that can be improved.
What to measure
Responses (scans, visits, calls), conversions (enquiries, bookings, sales), cost per response and cost per customer. Compare those with digital channels and print often holds its own, especially for local and high-value offers.
Where to start this week
Take your next printed piece and add one trackable response: a QR code to a specific page or a unique offer code. Even on a single run, the result will tell you more than years of untracked print. See print.noize.com.au, marketing.noize.com.au and digital.noize.com.au.
Testing print like digital
Once print is measurable, it can be tested. Send two versions of a mail-out with different headlines or offers to similar groups and compare responses. Try different formats, such as a postcard against a letter. Test timing and areas. Each test shows what works, so the next run performs better.
What good print response looks like
Response varies widely by industry, offer and audience, so the best benchmark is your own previous campaigns. Start measuring, record the results and set targets for improvement. Over a few campaigns, a clear picture forms of which pieces and messages bring customers in.
Keeping print in the marketing plan
When print can show results, it earns its place in the budget alongside digital channels. Marketing reports print responses and conversions in the same dashboard as paid search and social, so decisions about where to spend are made on evidence. Print stops being an act of faith and becomes one more channel to optimise.
Questions to ask before you start
Ask what you want each printed piece to make people do. Ask how you will count that response. Ask where responses will be recorded. Ask how you will compare print with other channels. Ask what you would change in the next run. The answers make print measurable.
Related reading
- Why print still works when everything else is digital
- The rebrand rollout: getting a new identity into the world on time
Common questions
How do I track the results of a flyer or mail-out?
Add a QR code to a dedicated landing page, a unique offer code, or a tracked phone number or URL, and record responses in your CRM.
Do QR codes still work?
Yes. Most phones scan them natively, and they are an easy way to link print to a measurable action.
Is direct mail worth it in Australia?
It can be, particularly for local businesses and high-value offers, as long as it is targeted and tracked.
Who builds the landing pages?
NOIZE Digital builds them and connects responses to the CRM.
Can print be reported alongside digital campaigns?
Yes. NOIZE Marketing reports print responses and conversions alongside other channels.
Can print and digital be measured in the same report?
Yes. When responses are tracked and recorded in the CRM, NOIZE Marketing reports them alongside other channels.
Where should a QR code go on a printed piece?
Somewhere prominent, with a short line telling people what they will get when they scan it, at a size that scans easily.
What makes a good offer for direct mail?
Something relevant to the recipient, simple to understand and easy to act on, such as a free assessment, a limited booking or a useful guide.
How many responses should we expect?
It varies widely. Measure your first campaign carefully and use it as your benchmark for improvement.
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