Marketing Your Way to Success

Contrary to popular opinion, print is not dead, and it remains an integral part of marketing and advertising.  Today, you can't rely solely on digital ads to increase customer traffic. Likewise, you can't just rely on old-school advertising to do the job. Writing words on paper is tactile and fun to hold. It also creates a feeling of value that a pop-up ad can't do. Paper is something that has to be reckoned with. You can't just turn a blind eye. You have to physically throw it away--after reading it.  Once it's your customers' hands, you have the advantage of grasping their attention. Be forthcoming about what you are selling or trying to call their attention to. Using high-quality paper and fine print can give the impression of prestige and quality, and with the physical item in your hands, it is way more engaging for readers than an email or a pop-up. Digital helps expand on the conversation you started with the customer. It allows for more information t...

When you think of the holidays, what colors come to mind? Red, green, white, or maybe even blue and gold. These festive colors can evoke emotions from consumers by drawing them to colors they might not naturally be drawn to outside of the holiday season.  Using color theory, the study of how color impacts perceptions and behaviors, we can help get customers in the mood for the holidays and, hopefully, buy your products. Here's what the experts say about the holiday colors we love. How to Use Color to Impact Holiday Campaigns Red We know red as a warning: fire, stop signs, danger, and so forth. But it is also a powerful color representing love, passion, importance, and hunger.  Red can raise blood pressure and respiration rates and enhance human metabolism. We think of things like red berries, Santa, and more. Use this color as an accent, and you'll be doing well. However, if used in abundance, it tends to get overwhelming.  Green Green has both the calming attrib...

Direct mail is a simple, cost-efficient way to reach your target market.  The response rates for direct mail are about five to nine times higher than other advertising channels. However, five to nine times is quite a range. Getting your direct mail to reach the nine times higher statistic requires certain elements.  Here are four things your direct mail piece needs to convert direct mail into sales.  1. Personalization Recipients respond well to personalized advertisements.  The more personalization, the better your target market can say, "Wow! This is for me!" One study showed that 93% of businesses that incorporated an advanced personalization strategy experienced revenue growth. Personalization starts with data. The more customer data you have, the more personalized your direct mail can be. Gather data regarding geographic, demographic, and behavioral characteristics so you can…  Include the recipient's name in all outgoing marketing materials. Refe...

 In its simplest form, a call to action tells the recipient to buy now.  However, sometimes saying, "buy now!" won't be quite as effective as an alternative, more creative strategy.  Below are some tips for crafting a call to action for your print marketing campaign so you can have a better response rate than the average of 4.23%.   1. Be straightforward  Tell the reader what they can expect if they complete the advertised action.  No games, no tricks. If you say this is what will happen, then advertise it accurately. If the deal only holds if they buy $X in merchandise, then clearly communicate that. You're not doing yourself any favors by making a misleading call to action. It'll just frustrate the client.  Avoid misleading calls to action by including relevant numbers, such as pricing and discounts.  2. Use strong command verbs Begin your call to action with a strong command verb.  Strong command verbs can help people follow your ...