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Dynamicard streamlines high-volume direct mail campaigns

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About Dynamicard

Dynamicard is a one-stop marketing firm that specializes in cutting-edge direct mail assets, The California-based agency designs and manufactures a range of products, including popular die-cut postcards, alongside real-time response tracking services

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The challenge: managing client feedback and approval on high-volume direct mail campaigns

Dynamicard has always evolved its offerings beyond print-and-ship basics to meet modern marketing requirements. Today, recyclable mailers align with clients’ environmental preferences. Robust analytics, delivery tracking, QR coding offer clients forward-thinking campaign options and increased direct mail response rates by up to 25%.

The company’s in-house design team wanted to bring this same modernization to the internal processes that occur prior to printing: design mockups and client approvals.

With dozens of project requests flowing through the design team’s inbox each day, Dynamicard’s creative team needed an efficient way to process a high volume of different kinds of design mock-ups for review and approval and intake feedback in an organized manner.

Although the team relies on many marketing systems to complete work, Dynamicard’s Production Manager, Travis Wester, realized that online proofing solved this challenge in ways that other marketing systems couldn’t Wester notes, Ziflow is the only tool that could fully facilitate client review at this volume.

We couldn’t run this workload via email, and it’s not a challenge which project management could solve. This process requires a particular approach, which online proofing provides.

Travis Wester, Production Manager

The solution: standardizing review and approval from insertion order to final design

Wester’s team now uses Ziflow as its creative collaboration and online proofing platform the moment a new insertion order is submitted. Working with a wide variety of clients and offer types each day means the design team must quickly align with each client’s branding, background, and target audience to create innovative campaign assets.

Once the design team has created an initial mockup, the team begins the review and approval process in Ziflow:

  • The first design is uploaded to Ziflow as an Art Preview and shared with both the internal account team and the client. 
  • A 24-hour deadline is set and enforced in Ziflow for initial feedback.
  • All feedback from both the account team and client is captured directly in Ziflow on the mock-up.
  • As the project drafts progress, custom notifications are sent to the client every day with precise instructions for required review.
  • Once a decision maker has approved the final version, designs are “locked” from further changes or comments.
  • If additional changes are requested by the client, a Ziflow notification automatically sends them an outline of additional costs incurred to make the change.

“We love having this capability in the product because this frees us up to continue pushing client work through the pipeline, rather than spending our time on the phone chasing feedback. This helps us cut down any misunderstandings as to what we’re looking for regarding feedback and approvals," said Wester.

Furthermore, Ziflow’s quick implementation enabled Wester’s creative team to get started with a new client approval workflow right away.

"Over the last 15 years, I’ve implemented a lot of different software packages for digital, print, product packaging, and other proofing needs. This is the first time I’ve implemented a new process, workflow, and software all at once with literally zero complaints from the team," said Wester. "Ziflow is simple and easy to use. The staff loves it, and it’s worked really well for us."

We love having this capability in the product because this frees us up to continue pushing client work through the pipeline, rather than spending our time on the phone chasing feedback. This helps us cut down any misunderstandings as to what we’re looking for regarding feedback and approvals.

Travis Wester, Production Manager

 


One review process for every client project

Dynamicard Direct Mail Proofing

Benefits

Having every comment, markup and decision documented in the same place, alongside an enforced timeline of approvals, has been key to cutting down on feedback confusion and last-minute change request costs. Core benefits include:

Across its client portfolio, the agency is able to:

  • Locking proofs from change request after a decisionmaker has approved a design enables the team to hand off completed projects to clients at a much faster rate.
  • Side-by-side comparison enables the design team to reference past designs, campaigns, and approvals when re-running campaigns for repeat customers or evolving new designs.
  • The design team can concurrently manage up to 20 direct mail projects each day in one system, allowing graphic designers to focus on design innovation, not project management.
  • Increasing the visibility of shared feedback and markups has created a clearer division of tasks between designers, reviewers, and approvers.

Over the last 15 years, I’ve implemented a lot of different software packages. This is the first time I’ve implemented a new process, workflow, and software all at once with literally zero complaints from the team. Ziflow is simple and easy to use. The staff loves it.

Travis Wester, Production Manager

20

Daily projects

2059

Monthly proofs created

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