3 posts tagged “print”

Is there really a certain formula to create great advertisements in print? I presume there is. But there’s no guaranteed format to follow.

We’ve seen all kinds of advertising and even though these print ads are sometimes geared up with the same marketing tools, the results vary, and we learn everyday from others or from our own mistakes.

Well, here are some tips which I think every one should consider first before starting their own direct mail campaign. If done right, direct mail marketing can easily generate you leads and response.

But just like in anything we do, there’s no exact way to do it, only the proper guidelines to put in mind so you can do it accordingly.

Ok, here it goes.

1.    Now that people are sooo overwhelmed by marketing advertisements and promotions, the key to get noticed is to get your message personalized. You can increase your response and customer retention rate just by simply putting in your customer’s first name to the postcard you sent.

When customers see relevant or personal information in bright, full-colored mailing piece, they feel special and that’s what it’s all about. We want to make them feel important.

The digital printing trends today enable us to achieve this personalized approach through variable data printing. In this process, you can determine the level of personalization on each printing piece. You can customize a certain design, caption, name and address from one printed piece to another which is great.

2.    In designing ads in print, you should maximize the ad space by putting your offers, discounts, promos and special announcements on top of the space. Avoid putting your contact information on top. Create a desire first. I can assure you that they will find your number and website once you’ve captured their interest.

I found a good example that can be used in your postcards or flyer “here.” The article is about how to create an effective classified ad but I think it can also be used in direct mail marketing.

And make sure you use clear and readable font face and font size in your contact information. If they can’t read it, they won’t call you.

3.    Don’t sell your product right away. Most people lose interest on the spot if they see you’re just selling some stuff they probably won’t need anyway. Create the demand first. Drop the salesman pitch and provide them something valuable that they can utilize.

Giving some free stuff wouldn’t hurt if that means getting a potential customer. Don’t make your customers feel threatened with your overwhelming printed sales pitch. You don’t have to sell on first contact.

If you’re not so sure about using print ads for your campaign, you can start a small direct mail promotion using these tips and other tips you can add on the list.  Watch out for response rate, ROI and your customer’s purchase behavior.

Direct marketing may seem to be an easy task to begin with.

You start by formulating your marketing message and then you send it to your target audience in a form of a promotional brochure, a sleek postcard or a glossy catalog. It is relatively simple.

At first glance, building your brand through direct mail may seem easy to achieve, given you have the right resources. But when we say ‘the right resources’ one may fall into the confusion of overwhelming marketing strategies, dozens of direct marketing print providers offering rock bottom printing quotes and prices plus hundreds of direct marketing tips telling you what to do. It’s like everything you need is already thrown at you.

For most marketers and businesses, it is only logical and safe to rely with what is already proven. They seem to pick up the marketing tools at random and think that all the tools provide the same result. Direct marketing guarantees a good sales activity. Direct marketing increases ROI and so on and so on.

But I have noticed that most promotional postcards and catalogs that I received contain almost the same marketing message. I am starting to think that maybe marketers are not trying so hard anymore to make their print advertisements different.

I am not here to impart new marketing ideas for marketers. But as for the moment, mild critical knocks might save them from being stuck with the same repetitive marketing adage.

Here are some things I’ve noticed to some print advertisements that lack that ‘little something’:

1.    Some print advertisements echo the same message consumers already know. Yawn.
2.    Weak marketing taglines. Not too compelling.
3.    They all look the same.
4.    Poor copywriting. Just a mere jumble of words.
5.    No further function after reading the content.

There may be no exact formula to avoid these marketing deadfalls but what’s interesting about direct marketing is that possibilities are as wide as your imagination. Putting a good content to your print medium is not a wasted effort since you will certainly reap its advantageous results.

I am a fan of the Absolut Vodka. But it seems that as much as I like their vodka, I think I like their campaigns better. And yes, I am talking about their signature print advertisements that appear on print in different magazines.

Whenever I’d see a new and a different print ad or poster design, sometimes I’d be blown away. But over all, what makes the Absolut Vodka campaign totally recognizable is that it has consistently been that way. It is simple and never tries to hard to pull off a new stunt. It is as it is – a print ad showcasing the inimitable vodka bottle.

Aside from transforming the bottles to promote a new flavor, the only way the image will change is when it tries to illustrate the main message. To demonstrate the former and the latter, remember the Absolut Vodka bottle wrapped in orange skin to promote their flavored vodka? Respectively, there’s this ad called Absolut Yoga wherein the bottle was turned upside down, standing on its neck rather than the wide circular bottom.

Many have already spoofed the Absolut vodka campaign, with all the different posters being design and all that. Look into one that says Absolut impotence and you’d know what I am talking about.

Truth be told, there are many of those who have already analyzed this campaign. And then there are also those who try to discredit the Absolut Vodka ads. Call it pop culture, but that is the strength of the vodka campaign and it is not going to stop. Call it whatever you want. Each ad may not always turn out exactly to be a work of genius, but hey, no one is about to topple the crown off the Absolut’s head.

 Now, if you’re into collecting these print ads, well, it really isn’t easy. Why? There are hundreds upon hundreds of ads and frankly, if you just want a yearbook of sorts of their print ads, just buy the book. Yes, there is a book that compiles the print ads made by Absolut Vodka.

I tried compiling them as much as I can, but my friends are getting tired of me asking them to tear out that print ad carefully. It also takes some money just to buy a magazine where I have spotted the newest ad. And more or less, it is hard to keep track which ones I have and which ones I haven’t.

Sometimes, the fascination can even get out of hand. Huge poster prints on display in windows or in bars just make me want to steal them like a juvenile. If I had my way with wholesale poster printing, I’d print limited edition posters and give them out to Absolut enthusiasts. I wish.