by Cynthia Fedor | August 16th, 2011
Small business owners and entrepreneurs brave enough to take the do–it–yourself approach to advertising and marketing—tackling everything on their own from website development and management to lead acquisition, customer retention and more—are finding that things are getting complicated. The growing importance of integrating digital, mobile, and social media elements within the marketing communications mix is just adding more pressure on top of an already full workload.
Simply keeping up with marketing trends, emerging technologies, and communication strategies is hard enough. Luckily, there are plenty of resources available that the DIY marketer can use to make their job a bit easier.
Here are five helpful resources for do–it–yourself marketers:
Many small business marketers and entrepreneurs are turning to easy–to–use and often free web content management systems—like Wordpress, Drupal, and Joomla, among others—to develop and maintain a company website or blog. Often, setting up a small business website or blog is as simple as picking a template; users just plug in their content and go.
Basic knowledge of certain programming Read More »
by Cynthia Fedor | July 19th, 2011
Flyers are known as a versatile media type. Because of this, they’re often a staple within the small business marketing arsenal. They can be used to promote an event, feature a product or service, act as an insert, serve as a product specifications sheet… the possibilities are endless. To be effective, however, printed flyer designs should follow best practice guidelines similar to that of direct mail.
Here are some common mistakes to avoid when designing flyers for print:
Using the wrong paper type or finishing options
Prior to printing your flyer design, think about how and where they will be distributed. Flyers that will be used outdoors—for example, as house flyers stored in an acrylic holder—should be printed on thicker, more durable card stock so they’ll hold up in different conditions. Either indoor or out, humid environments may cause flyers printed on thinner paper to curl and feel flimsy. Read More »
by Cynthia Fedor | June 15th, 2011
Sure they’re old school, but door hangers are also a great way to let local audiences know that your business is right around the corner and ready to serve. Especially during the summer months, businesses tend to hit the streets and pay their local prospects a face-to-face visit in an attempt to ramp up seasonal revenue growth. Door hangers are a convenient leave behind and can bring awareness to your business, product, or service.
Just like any other piece of marketing collateral, there are ways to position design, copy, the key message, and offer to maximize impact and return on investment. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your door hanger designs: Read More »
by Cynthia Fedor | June 13th, 2011
Great direct mail design has the ability to capture a recipient’s attention, get them to read and process content, commit to the message, then execute a specific call to action. Although there is no secret formula for direct mail design that will guarantee 100% participation from all recipients, there are best practices marketers should follow to increase brand visibility, response rates, and overall ROI.
First, know the target audience and determine the end goal.
Before starting to develop direct mail copy and design, the following should be clear: What are the characteristics of the target audience and what is important to them? Knowing details about the target audience will help determine the appropriate tone to use for copy, which images should be included, and how to structure ideas in a way the target audience will understand. Also, the more detailed a marketer can be when identifying qualities and characteristics of their audience, the better the opportunity to refine the message for specific segment groups. For example, a real estate agent directing a postcard to potential home buyers can segment that broad group into specific categories – investment purchasers, renters, first-time home buyers, expanding families, etc. Each of these segments would have different motivating factor for purchasing a new home; therefore, the message should speak directly to those issues.
Just as important is clarifying the goal for sending a direct mail piece. What is the intended outcome of the piece? Is the intention of the message to inform, provoke an action, or just to promote awareness of the brand? Whatever it may be, there should only be one main idea represented on each direct mail piece. Marketers may only have but a few seconds of the target audience’s attention; therefore, marketers need to choose one goal and drive that point throughout the direct mail piece. Read More »
by Cynthia Fedor | December 16th, 2010
I came across an article via Luxury Daily that makes a great case for keeping print around in a landscape that is rapidly adopting digital media.
The article also offered ways marketers could integrate new digital technologies with print catalogs in order to engage audiences, enhance content, and improve ROI.
From the post:
…. add utility to…offerings by integrating technology such as 2D bar codes.
“The real estate in a store and a catalog is expensive, in terms of how much information you can put there” Mr. O’Keefe said. “Putting that bridge to the Web site allows you to much more cost effectively provide information to consumers to make a purchase.”
Meanwhile, Luxury Marketing Council’s Mr. Furman suggested that luxury brands could get more bang for their buck by using databases to more effectively segment consumers and target more precisely to send catalogs to those consumers most likely to buy.
Blended with print, mobile technologies such as QR codes and SMS can deliver more information about a product, service, or brand to the consumer while giving marketers the data they need to refine future content, track campaign performance, and improve return on marketing investment.
