Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Want to Improve Results? Look to Readability


Printing is a visual industry, but the copy matters, too. If people can't read your messaging easily or if it's difficult to understand, you won't get the results you want. Here are five tips for improving readability and thereby improving your response rates, conversions, and sales, too. 

1. Be specific. 
People are drawn to details. For example, which copy is more likely to draw your eye? 
  • "Save money."
  • "Save hundreds of dollars."
  • "Save an average of $386 per year."

It's the last one. "Save $386" really jumps out. Details draw the eye and command attention. Use them!

2. Be relevant. 
People's eyes are drawn to copy that talks about things that matter to them. Let's say you are a bank marketing to a target audience with a high percentage of families with children about to graduate from high school. Sure, you can talk to this audience about how your savings accounts have the highest rates around, but "We offer half-percent higher interest" might not be the messaging that resonates most. "Put the extra earnings from our high-yield savings accounts toward college tuition!" might be a better approach instead. 

3. Add images. 
Even the most specific, relevant copy can fall on deaf ears without an image to accompany it. For example, you might create a banner ad that says, "Download your free retirement guide," that goes totally unnoticed, even if it's hitting your target audience. Add an image of the cover, however, and suddenly the ad is getting tons of clicks.  

4. Use numerals when possible. 
When discussing numbers in running text, use numerals instead of spelling them out. For example, which draws your eye more? "Save ten thousand dollars"? Or "Save $10,000"? Numerals make details pop. 

5. Avoid using all caps. 
For the most part, the human eye has difficulty distinguishing between words and letters in all caps. Avoid using all caps except in rare instances. 

Want more ideas for great design and type that make your message stand out? Give us a call!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606

Or visit our website here for more information.


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Want More B2B Accounts? Try This!

Marketing to businesses can be tricky. Unlike marketing to individuals or households, where there might be only one or two decision-makers, in businesses, decisions are often made by committee. In fact, “Chief Marketer” notes that, on average, B2B accounts have 13 influencers involved in the process. Thirteen! This is why successful B2B marketing requires a different approach. How can you run a successful B2B marketing campaign?
1. Use multiple touches every time.
According to BrightFunnel research, it takes an average of 18 touches to close a B2B deal. Combine that with 13 influencers, and you have a complex decision-making process that requires a coordinated approach targeting multiple people in multiple areas of the company. 
Multiple touches are also necessary because individual stakeholders may need distinct types of information at each stage of the sales journey. Different channels have different strengths, so the channel you use to bring your product to the company’s attention may not be the same as the one(s) used to drip more detailed information along the way.
B2B campaigns require multiple channels and multiple touches at different stages of the process.
2. Get to know who all of the influencers are.
Getting in front of influencers requires knowing who those influencers are. Sometimes, they can be hidden. If you are selling IT equipment, for example, you might know that you need to contact the directors of IT and finance, but the purchase decision might also be influenced by people in marketing, sales, and customer service. Find out who all of your influencers are because, at some level, you need to be marketing to all of these people, too.
3. Get fresh data.
The more you get to know your influencers, the more you can motivate them with relevant messaging. There are many effective data suppliers out there, so don’t be afraid to try something new. When a single account may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, it’s worth the effort to find new sources, test their effectiveness, and make sure you are reaching the right people with the right message at the right time.
Need help navigating the labyrinth of B2B sales? Let us help!

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606

Or visit our website here for more information.


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Study: More Channels = Better Results

Have you ever wondered how using multiple channels impacts your results? A recent study from Demand Metric / PFL gives some insights. In this study, “2019 Multichannel Marketing Report,” which surveyed 579 marketers, researchers asked how many channels respondents were using and how happy they were with the results.
The study found that two-thirds of study participants use between three and five channels for their campaigns. Fewer respondents use six or more channels, but those that do are getting better results.
How Many Channels Are You Using in Your Campaigns?
1 Channel
3%
2 Channels
11%
3 Channels
29%
4 Channels
21%
5 Channels
17%
6 Channels
5%
7 Channels
4%
8+ Channels
6%

Next, researchers asked participants to rate the effectiveness of their efforts. Consistently, respondents using more channels reported getting better results:
·         7+ channels: 77% report good or very good response rates
·         4-6 channels:   69% report good or very good response rates
·         3 or fewer channels:   61% report good or very good response rates.
Adding channels boosts results!
Which channels should marketers integrate? It depends on their marketing goals, budget, and available time and resources. But direct mail comes in very high as a component of these campaigns. When asked which channels were the most effective at reaching their target audiences, 78% of respondents cited “integrated, branded, personalized direct mail” as being effective or very effective and 61% said traditional direct mail is effective or very effective.  Not only this, but 80% of study participants report that direct mail directly improves multichannel campaign performance.
When it comes to multichannel marketing, there is no magic bullet, but there are some trends we can count on: 1) well crafted, integrated multichannel campaigns get better results, especially when those campaigns include direct mail; and 2) all types of direct mail are powerful, but especially those that are branded and tightly integrated with the other channels being used.
What does a well-crafted, branded, integrated direct mail campaign look like? Let us show you.

Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.


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