The Direct Marketing Voice

Tag Archives: postcard

Picture Yourself a Looser… How Not to Use Direct Mail

Posté par Cynthia Fedor le February 16, 2009 – 2:15 pm

dans Direct Mail Marketing, Marketing Strategy

Last week, a coworker brought to my attention a direct mail postcard that is a great example of ineffective direct marketing. This piece, in my opinion, is terrible for marketing but great for laughs. I feel compelled to break down the copy and design elements of this postcard and share my thoughts with you. Hopefully, by understanding why this direct mailer does not work, we can all improve the design of our own direct marketing pieces and get the ROI and positive responses we seek. So, here goes…

Here's an example of a cluttered and ineffective postcard design.

First off, the design on the front of the card is cluttered, with little to no emphasis on the parts that matter—like a logo or call to action. At first glance, I see no defined story or message. There are too many visuals for me to piece together the intended marketing message. Some of the immediate questions my other coworkers had when viewing this piece were as follows:

“Why is that guy golfing on a salad?”

“What’s with the creepy look on his face and is he going to hurt that girl?”

“What is this (marketing piece) for?”

Now, upon spending more time with the piece I can conclude that this is some type of contest promotion; one where a Nintendo Wii^TM will be given away. And, the guy in the salmon-colored shirt is just standing in front of a large screen or TV. The other images on the card – such as the boxing gloves, bowling ball, tennis racket and golf club – are meant to represent the games one can play on the Wii. My point is that there’s just too much going on in the design. So much going on that I failed to quickly recognize the organization that sent this piece to us, The Society For Protective Coatings. Their logo has been pushed off to a corner and blends in with the background image.

Takeaway: Bold, simple designs work best. Allow areas of ‘empty’ space guide the viewer’s eye to key elements, such as a captivating headline and logo.

On a quick side note before I move to the back of the piece: There really is not a compelling, actionable headline present. I’m not interested in learning more about this piece or why it has been sent to me. The ‘headline’ that I do see is confusing… “Picture Yourself a Wiinner!” Well, that’s not nice. The phonetic pronunciation of the word makes me read the sentence like this: “Picture Yourself a Wiener!” Actually, I think they meant, “Picture Yourself a Winner!” All I have to say is, FAIL.

Takeaway: Be careful when trying to be funny or clever because, like in this case, it can go terribly wrong. If you must, shop your concept and final copy around to see how an objective party might interpret the idea.

Here is the backside of the postcard, overloaded with copy.

On the back side of this direct mail postcard, I immediately notice that there is way too much copy. Direct mail, for the most part, should be a fast read – like an outdoor billboard. An interesting headline, compelling call to action and one idea is all that should be represented on a marketing postcard. The marketer writing the copy should direct the reader on what to do next – to one thing that is most important.

Additionally, there is no contact information printed on the postcard such as a website address, email or phone number. They also fail to include the dates, location and time of the event that they’re promoting. Due to this, there is no sense of urgency or direction.

Takeaway: Keep copy simple and focus on ONE main idea or call to action. Be sure to include contact information on the marketing piece for readers that may want to learn more now.

Please take time to review the direct mail postcard for yourself. Let me know what you think this organization could have done differently to improve the effectiveness and ROI of this card.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this review as much I as have. Happy marketing!

Bigger is Not Necessarily Better

Posté par Eric Welch le February 10, 2009 – 3:36 pm

dans Direct Mail Marketing

Everyone knows that everything’s bigger in Texas. Then there’s big oil, big hair, Big Country and Big Ben. But just because these things are bigger doesn’t automatically mean they’re better. Case in point: oversized postcards. Will Payovich, director of creative services, Euro RSCG Chicago wrote an excellent post about Comcast’s 6″x11″ postcards (at QuantumDigital, we call them “panoramic” postcards):

The cards, at their best, can deliver maximum impact for minimum dollars. Don’t let high concept and high design get in the way of a big, timely, and competitive offer complemented by an even bigger call to action. The latest carpet-bombing from Comcast, however, wanders from the proven formula.

It would be one thing if the postcards were well executed—each design element carefully sized and positioned to complement the “widescreen” aspect ratio of the medium (proper use of white space… think billboard advertising, like the once-hilarious-but-now-passé Chick-fil-A cows; you know, the ones whut can’t speel gud)—but, sadly the Comcast postcard falls short in that area:

Unfortunately, one side of the postcard is littered with small, random stock images of people watching TV. While blurry cooking shows (so much for HD) and gigantic kittens seem to be captivating entertainment for some customers, another Comcast couple is content to sit and watch nothing at all. A rhyming headline and some weak, convoluted copy try to make sense of all the imagery.

If you’re inclined to try out the panoramic postcard format for your next mailing, we can get you set up right away. But remember this: once you grab people’s attention, you’d better have something relevant, timely and compelling to say and/or show. And finally, for pixel’s sake, always use high-resolution images!

(I’m back on ROCKSTAR Juiced today. It’s just so darn tasty!)

The Direct Marketing Voice Links: 1-08-2009

Posté par admin le January 8, 2009 – 9:51 am

dans News & Trends

The Direct Marketing Voice: Should Your Direct Marketing be in a Recession?

One of the best ways to plan for your business’ future is to learn from the mistakes of others. In a study of 600 “B2B” companies from the years 1980 to 1985, it was found the firms that maintained or increased their advertising spend during the recession enjoyed significantly higher revenue growth both during and after the recession.

The Forrester Blog for Interactive Marketers: Looking Back on our 2008 Predictions

Our 2008 Prediction: Micromedia adoption will increase, and marketers will learn to join in. Twitter, Pownce, Jaiku, Utterz, and other micro-blogging and micro-media tools will give users the opportunity to share short sentences or audio clips with trusted friends.

Bob Bly Blog: 27 Secrets of Internet Marketing Success

If you are an Internet information marketer or aspire to be one, here are some rules that can help you maximize your online revenues this year…

UPrinting.com: 20 Printed Postcards with Pizzazz

A new year has officially begun and with the current state of the economy it is essential to make the most of your marketing budget. If Printed Postcards are part of your campaign its essential you postcard designs have some pizzazz so they stand out in the crowd. You only have a split second to capture the recipients attention so below we have put together a cool collection of postcards designs to give you some inspiration.

Direct Mail Postcards As Sales Support For Customer Retention

Posté par Cynthia Fedor le January 5, 2009 – 3:19 pm

dans Direct Mail Marketing

Like most of us, I get a lot of direct mail in my mailbox. Most of the time I’m not impressed or moved to action by the pieces. Some may have minimal personalization on them—like my name—but overall they’re still pretty generic. They don’t mean anything to me, except maybe a lesson on what not to do when using direct mail for customer acquisition and/or retention.

A great example of the right way to use direct mail marketing for customer retention appeared in my mailbox the other day from a small clothing shop I had recently visited. This piece stopped me in my tracks, put a smile on my face and left me planning my next trip to the store. It was a handwritten postcard from the person that was helping me in the store. Tiara (that’s her name) wrote to tell me that she’d enjoyed shopping with me, hoped I was enjoying my new coat and black shirt, was sorry about the missing button on the shirt I wanted to buy and that she couldn’t wait to see me again. Oh yeah, and ‘bring this postcard with you next time you stop by to receive 25% off your purchase.’ Excellent!

This one little postcard did everything right to make me feel those happy thoughts about spending even more money in that store. Here’s what they did right:

• A personalized postcard arrived in my mailbox just days after my shopping experience, while it was still fresh in my mind. Communicating through a ‘personal note’ is one of eight ways to build a relationship with your customer according to Lesley Spencer Pyle in her article, “Keep Your Customers From Straying.” She writes:

“Write a note. Adding the personal touch of a thank you note to show customers your appreciation for their business is priceless. For the best impact, send it immediately after the event.”

• The direct mail postcard was personalized with specific content that mattered to me. And, they didn’t use that information to immediately push more products on me; the note expressed a simple thank you. To me, that is an effective use of past purchasing behavior to compel an action.

“To really utilize personalization, we’re really talking about relevant communication. The more relevant that communication, the better the response rate,” says Mike Walther in a recent Inside Direct Mail article about personalization.

This kind of personalization on postcards and other marketing material is easier and faster now than ever with services like variable data printing.

• A promotional offer was included on the card. Having some type of offer that is valuable to your customer (free whitepaper download, gift, coupon, etc.) on your direct mail piece increases the likelihood that another action will occur. In my case, you bet I’m going to take them up on the ‘25% off your next visit’ coupon.

• The postcard was a part of an overall great customer service experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the store. Receiving the postcard extended that experience for me and made me feel that they really appreciated by business. In her article, “A Marketing Tool That’s Obvious, Overlooked and Cheap,” Pattie Simone urges businesses to:

“Hold on to current patrons through superb customer service.”

In other words, do more than the expected for your customers. Excellent customer service—before, during and after the sale—will keep customers coming back for more.

Do you have any more suggestions for customer retention? Let me know.

Making Your Direct Mail More Cost-Effective in 2009

Posté par Freddie Baird le January 2, 2009 – 12:10 pm

dans Direct Mail Marketing

With no signs that the economic slow-down is nearing a bottom, most companies are under considerable pressure to trim budgets. And retailers, real-estate agents and direct marketers are no exception. However, direct marketing media expenditures are forecasted to outpace general advertising in both 2008 and 2009 and, even during our economic slowdown, are expected to capture 53% of total advertising expenditures in 2009, according to The Direct Marketing Association.

(Click table to enlarge.)

While the tendency for smaller organizations may be to consider lowering their direct mail expenditures, the larger corporations are actually doing the reverse – but they are becoming more cost effective. In fact, lenders mailed approximately 8% more mortagage offers in Q2 2008, with Chase and Capital One increasing direct mail volume 90% and 140% (respectively) between quarters, according to Mintel Comperemedia.

So if you’re under pressure to cut your budget while being pressured to reach qualified prospects, the answer is – as Chase and Capital One undoubtedly know – as Eric Cosway stated last month, “… marketing budgets are dwindling so [marketers] have to be as efficient as possible with what they have.” While it’s certainly not a new strategy to plan a “low-cost-high-response” direct mail marketing campaign, it may behoove us to review the strategy and include some new tips you may not be privvy to.

Plan carefully. No more ”spray and pray…” You need to know exactly how to reach your target audience in a less expensive way. To review, according to the DMA for 2008, an investment of $1 in direct marketing advertising expenditures is predicted to return, on average, $11.63 in incremental revenue across all industries. This exceeds the $11.56 achieved in 2007 and is expected to improve further to $11.74 in 2009.
Unless you can meet face-to-face with your prospective clients, direct mail provides the next best form of personal communication- if you execute properly. Everyone knows that hand-written greeting cards mean more to your clients than mass-produced typed messages. Similarly instead of mailing “wall of word” letters, consider mailing a short, personal, picture-bearing, friendly, postcard with a personal recommendation on a local service, product or time-saving solution.
Use the latest technology …and save on your design and production costs. While we likely wouldn’t suggest that you spread your mailings out over an entire year, you might want to focus in on drops every 4 weeks to a highly targeted group of customers. You control your volume by specialized targeting, perhaps beginning by marketing to ‘new customers’ within your audience.

If you are one of us being asked to tighten our budgets, and you likely are, then what I am saying will make perfect sense to you. The idea now is to do your research, present some innovative ideas and help your leadership regain some confidence — at least until the consumers do.