TransPromo Special Report — TransPromo Communications: More Than a Pretty Statement

TODAY’S CONSUMERS are bombarded with thousands of promotional messages on a daily basis, from television or radio ads and out-of-home advertising, to e-mails and Web ads. Marketers face the challenge of getting their messages out in a way that breaks through this clutter and encourages desired behaviors in recipients. These behaviors can range from simply recognizing a brand to changing investment strategies or purchasing the latest product or service that the marketer represents.

With increasing economic pressures, it is time for marketers to use a tried and true communications medium—transactional documents—in new and different ways to ensure that their messages are noticed. This means of communications is called transpromotional—or TransPromo—communications, and it is creating a significant buzz.

TransPromo provides an opportunity to blend marketing messages or solicitations with those must-read transaction documents, including statements, invoices, confirmations, benefits explanations, and other notifications to influence behavior and, ultimately, drive business volume. Marketers and print service providers need to focus on the breadth of TransPromo documents in today’s market and develop strategies to effectively leverage this communications medium.

In the dictionary, “transaction” is defined as:

• An act of carrying out some form of business between two persons or businesses;

• A business agreement or exchange; and

• Any activity in which two or more persons are involved.

A transaction document is the supporting proof of the relationship. The “2006 USPS Household Diary Study” defined transaction mail as bills, statements, payments, donations, rebates, notifications, and orders sent and received by households. Transactions sent and received account for 25 percent of all household mail volumes and 58 percent of household First-Class mail. They are a critical part of the mailstream.

I queried a number of data service bureaus and print service providers to gain their perspective on the role of transaction documents in the world of marketing today, and learned that they are beginning to recognize that the TransPromo opportunity offers more than the ability to place a marketing blurb on a statement. It is an opportunity to re-engage a known customer in a dialogue based on past services and products purchased, or to extend a relationship and affiliation with an organization. TransPromo communications are designed to meet a variety of marketing and operational objectives, including: