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The Picture Does Matter

Sometimes technology grabs our attention and we tend to forget about some of the tested and other powerful means of marketing. But when it comes to sending a concise message to a targeted group of people, direct mail is still a hands down winner. With an approximate open rate of around 80% (DMA studies), the ability to highly target mailing lists and direct mail’s ability to drive consumers to do many different things, direct mail is still a huge bang for your marketing dollar. It is not only measurable but it’s also interactive. When creating a marketing campaign for a client, I will almost always choose direct mail over television. I see the benefits outweigh other traditional media in campaign after campaign.

 But a new study from Creating Results shows that to get great results from direct mail, good design is important. By a margin of 2 to 1, adults gravitate to ads and direct mail that have one, vibrant image as opposed to a collage or series of photos. People with expressive faces beat out more sublime faces and bright colors trumped cool colors. And the older the consumer, the more they preferred to be able to identify the person in the photo.

 Women also preferred to see more lifestyle photos instead of product photos.

 When breaking down a direct mail campaign, the targeted mailing list is by far the most important component to any strategy. But the second is design and keeping the results of this study in mind as you decide on a concept will help insure that your investment gets opened.

 

MStique Marketing's Diane Shannon and Mary Wilkinson have over 30 years of successful direct mail experience between them. Direct mail is a powerful tool and can be used to drive cume, create loyalty and increase sampling. To find out more, call Diane at MStique Marketing at 888-707-4441 or visit us online at 

www.mstiquemarketing.com.

 

 

 

 

Breaking the Cycle of One Way Conversations

For many years, radio was a one way conversation. As a teenager, I remember hanging on every word from Brother Bill Gable at CKLW and John Records Landecker at WLS. They talked and I listened. There was no interaction and they had no idea who I was.

 Now… fast forward technology 30 years. There is no excuse for radio to still be a one way conversation. Oh, certainly we talk to listeners and use them for phone calls. But seriously, how many of you are really creating a conversation with your listeners and connecting on a one on one level?

 A media study by Bivings Group of newspapers in 2008 showed that 58 percent had some form of user-generated content on their websites. That includes user-generated photos, homegrown video and actual op-ed or articles. And 75% of newspapers encourage dialogue among readers via comments about stories. This is how newspaper will survive. Online content and user conversations.

 Add into the mix Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites and you have millions of people all publishing their own content. So how are you interacting with your listeners? Are you becoming part of the conversation or just sitting on the sidelines? If you want them to talk about you… you have to become part of the conversation.

 In a search of about 50 radio websites, I found very little in the way of listener generated content. A few stations had photos sent by listeners but most websites are little more than a billboard of station events and contest information…. with some banner ads for clients thrown in.  It is all one way… station to listener. And almost no conversation or interactivity between station and listener to be found.

 To make yourself contagious… to have the connections that really stick, think of all of your resources and how you can make them more interactive. About 35% of adults are currently on Facebook or another social network and it is growing faster every day. So they understand communication and they like the connection. Blogging is also an easy way to create a two way interaction that allows a sharing of ideas and experiences. Encourage your listeners to send photos, videos and offer them a way to talk back to you. Make the connection with you contagious! It only requires a little effort and almost no money and you will be pleasantly surprised at the marketing benefits!

 

Contagious Connections is a marketing system created by MStique Marketing to help clients make their marketing contagious and more effective in a time of tight marketing resources. Get the most for your marketing dollar by becoming Contagious. To find out more about Contagious Connections, visit MStique online at 

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