Taking the “Junk” Out of Direct Mail

November 7, 2011 by

Despite technology taking marketing more online, direct mail is alive and well, just with an updated look.

Terry Holman, Founding Partner of ActuallyWeDo™ Design says that relevance, along with good design, is key in creating direct mail that gets people’s attention. His company worked with Trap Media to create a visually appealing voucher book, which was featured in Visual Marketing.


 

“Most of the junk that comes through our door rarely includes a ‘must have’ offer, the sort where you have butterflies and rush to the phone in excitement to place an order,” says Holman, “Far too often it would be more effort to use the offer than it’s worth. The voucher needs to be beneficial and really easy for people to use.”

 

Direct Mail Design 101

The first step in creating direct mail that people will read and act upon, says Holman, is knowing your audience. What interests them? What sort of offers will make them jump off the couch? Next, you need a strong call to action and clearly visible contact information.

When it comes to design, there are several ways to get the attention of your audience. Holman’s team strategically placed the words “£1200 Free” on the outside of the voucher, which made people want to open it. But it’s important not to mislead your audience: “Stay true to the offer you are providing even it takes a slightly different form than may be perceived. While this voucher leaflet did not physically give out £1200 it did offer £1200 in savings, which put £1200 back in the pocket of each user,” explains Holman.

Tracking Your Direct Mail

These days, technology gives us ample opportunity to see what offers are working best. Holman and Trap Media implemented reference codes on each of the coupons so that they could see which deals were redeemed the most, and which did the poorest. Barcodes and QR codes are also great ways to track how well direct mail does. Thanks to the tracking, Holman says the project produced a 2,000% ROI. Not bad for a day’s work.

Taking the time to carefully plan out your direct mail strategy, as well as including a tracking system, can help you reach new customers. Get creative visually, and have fun with it! You’ll end up with mailers that people talk about and use.

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Small Businesses Can Afford Quality Design, Says Bex Brands

October 31, 2011 by

Becky Nelson of Bex Brands loves nothing more than finding a way to express a company’s philosophy, culture and approach visually. Her work with To the Point Acupuncture in San Diego was featured in our  book. The brochure she designed for the acupuncture firm perfectly aligned with the company’s style: “I love that this project honestly and accurately expresses our client’s approach to acupuncture,” said Nelson.

And you don’t have to have a large budget to afford good design, she explains. Many small business owners assume they’re stuck with clipart and DIY until they have big budgets for design, but it’s more affordable than they think.

“Now that the computer and software that we as professionals use is available and quite affordable to the general public, a large percentage of small business owners seem to be surprised at the cost of good design,” said Nelson, “The challenge is to educate small business owners so they can identify good design and understand its effectiveness when trying to capture your target audience.”

Working with To the Point, Bex Brands designed a brochure that could be reproduced in smaller batches to save on costs, and built it on a template that could be edited as the company grows. Making adaptations like this helps small businesses with small budgets who need to be flexible.

Bex Brands has been working on projects for restaurants, which Nelson takes as a sign the economy is getting better. “We also participate every year in Chairs for Chair’ity, in which designers take chairs from a local furniture store and reinvent them to be auctioned to benefit Make A Wish Foundation San Diego,” said Nelson.

 

 

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Traverse Traveler: In-Hand Marketing

October 17, 2011 by

iPhone ScreenIn Visual Marketing, we highlight Traverse Traveler, the iPhone application that has been downloaded by more than 5,000 visitors and locals to Traverse City, Michigan. The app allows visitors to learn more about local attractions, find them on the map and follow them on social media. Local businesses can post specials in the app and list events for free. The app is geo-location-based, which means visitors can find restaurants and hotels closest to them.

We asked owner Brandy Wheeler to share some insight into her brand’s success.

Wheeler owns Meal Tickets & Unusual Ideas, a company that provides “little card displays” in more than 70 hotels and wineries in the Traverse City area. Wheeler recognized that guidebooks, maps and brochures are quickly becoming a thing of the past, and wanted to provide useful information to visitors to her area through a mobile app. It is what she calls in-hand marketing: “What’s more convenient than something that fits in the palm of your hand?”

How Visual Marketing Plays In

Wheeler is a graphic designer by trade, and knew she needed to tie in the elements of her brand. She created custom illustrations for each icon, which took the shape of a tented card, just like the ones she places in hotels. She used purple for the primary app color to match the Meal Tickets & Unusual Ideas logo. There are very few apps with purple icons, so hers stands out on a crowded iPhone screen.

Each listing has a professional photo of the business, hotel, restaurant or shop, which adds to the visual appeal.

Unexpected Audience

Wheeler knew that visitors to the area would love the app, but what she didn’t bargain for was the number of locals who use the application.

“I’ve spoken with some of our Bed & Breakfast customers who really take the time to talk to their guests about what to do and where to go when they come to town. They love sharing our app with them. The maps make it easy for guests who aren’t familiar with the area to find restaurants and wineries that are off-the-beaten path,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler has plans for an iPad version of Traverse Traveler, as well as the Android release.

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