DIGITALLY SPEAKING

As the world consumes iPhones, iPads and iPods at a rapidly accelerating pace, it appears we are moving to a paperless society in which your product or service will be need to be advertised through magic screens and megapixels to maintain market share. Just don't go investing every penny of your marketing budget in online advertising just yet... and here's why:

Marketing should be a multi-pronged approach to reaching your audience.
Business cards have been used since the industrial revolution, while the phone and fax were essential tools to advertise and communicate for the past sixty years. As we enter the digital age, websites, QR codes and social media are enhancing methods of transmitting information and should complement, not replace, your current marketing efforts.

The majority of consumers are looking online to research products and compare pricing and are not yet completely comfortable making every purchase from their home computer.
While Applications such as Google Wallet are making it easier and more accessible to pay for purchases through your smartphone, people still have security concerns and limited access to the internet. Experts believe it will be another ten to fifteen years before buying habits shift more to the digital dollar than our traditional paper or plastic, which gives your business plenty of time to adapt.

Ad specialties and print media are tangible products.
One of the strongest senses for memory retention is touch; sending a personalized invitation is going to leave a more memorable impression than that online invite. There is still a very large percentage of consumers who have not joined the digital age, even more who still prefer the traditional tri-fold brochure and business card for their rolodex. (For anyone under thirty reading this blog, a rolodex is what people used before cell phones became your address book!)

No matter what medium your using to reach your audience, compelling and effective graphic design stands behind every ad campaign as the difference behind striking an emotional chord with your audience, or turning them off with outdated or cluttered design. Join us next time for tips on how to hire the right designer to develop your brand image!

PRODUCT PLACEMENT

While Ford, Disney and AT&T pay big bucks for their products to be featured in movies and TV shows, research by the Advertising Specialty Institute concluded promotional products are on average the lowest cost-per-impression than ANY other form of advertising.
The average life of a custom product can be anywhere from five months to five years, providing thousands of impressions, or number of people exposed to your advertisement, per month. Custom calendars and personalized pens are effective and affordable handouts that linger around offices for a year then get tossed, but what logo'd items will create a long-lasting emotional connection, greatly increasing the ROI of your ad campaign?


Quality over quantity.
Rewarding your top 50 clients with an executive gift set often provides better results than spend the same amount on 5,000 budget pens.

Uniquely functional is in.
Knowing your audience is key. Teachers and students are using flash drives more than ever while hospital employees are often on the hunt for their lost retractable badge reel. What products does your target audience use on a daily basis?

Plan ahead.
While custom caps and tote bags receive the highest number of impressions-per-month, if your working the Miami trade show in August you may want to ditch the ruler you've handed out the last few years for personalized sandals or suntan lotion to save attendees a trip to the overpriced gift shop for the essentials they forgot at home.


Next time we will explore how demographic and psychographic variables help determine the most likely to purchase; from expectant parents to credit card holders with a new bank card issued, and how optimized lists can increase your direct mail response rates as much as 75% when paired with the right promotional product!

MARKETING 101

The first step in creating effective advertising is knowing:
a.) who your target audience is and b.) what motivates them to buy.

Is it price point, product feature or ease of online ordering that influences their decision?
Communicating why your product or service is better than the competitions is imperative to converting sales with your advertising. By analyzing demographic, psychographic and direct-response data it is now easier and more cost-effective than ever before to locate who is most likely to be in need of your product and what influences their purchasing habits.

Will the most cost-effective medium to reach your prospects be through drive time radio ads, web based marketing, promotional products or other means?
Understanding what media is most accessible and familiar to your audience is essential to developing a long-term ad campaign. Recognize consumer trends, embrace new technology and consider your own purchasing habits when designing a logo, preparing a direct mail piece or selecting a custom product to promote your brand.

See you next time when we discuss creating an effective logo!