Advice from the Printer

Whether you are designing a flyer, brochure, postcard, or even a business card the design you choose is crucial to the success of the piece.  If possible, you should hire a design professional to layout your print piece.  But sometimes that is not an option, so here are a few mistakes you should avoid when designing something for print.

1. Clutter

The number one mistake that we see made in print is overcrowding your piece.  It is tempting to try and give your prospect all the information you can about your company, but a cluttered brochure just leads to people ignoring the piece all together.  Keep your design simple and make use of empty space.  Avoid using too many different fonts and colors.  A sleek, simple design is far more effective than a piece that reads like a college textbook.

2. Communication

Another common mistake that we see is in communication.  Remember that you are the expert on your topic but the people that you are addressing may be new and uniformed.  Try to avoid too many industry terms that your potential customer might not understand.  Have a clear and direct goal with your piece.  Do you want to send people to your website or try and bring them in to your store? If so then state that clearly and directly.  Provide all the necessary information that a person may need to contact or visit you.  Remember our point on clutter and keep the goal clear and concise.

3. Images

The old saying an image is worth a thousand words is truer than ever when it comes to print marketing.  Some of the most effective pieces we have seen have made use of a beautiful graphic or photograph and a few simple sentences.  This is especially effective if your company is in an artistic industry.  A photographer for example can let their work speak for itself with an eye-catching picture and their contact information.  A real and relevant picture can also make the piece more personal and help connect with your potential customer.

4. Call To Action

Last but not least, you absolutely must include some form of a call to action.  Too often do we see a well-designed piece that catches the eye of a consumer but then does nothing with the attention they have gained.  You need to capitalize on the time that you have a person’s attention and encourage them to contact you or visit your website. If you are in a retail environment then consider a timed sale, this will help add some urgency and increase the odds that a consumer reacts to your piece.

Remember to avoid these four mistakes when designing your print piece and you will be off to a strong start! Goodluck on your marketing goals in 2021!

For more helpful information check out our blog at: /advice-from-the-printer/

And for more information on Inkwell Printing Company check out our website at: www.inkwellstl.com

The Holiday season is just around the corner and marketing plans are kicking off.  2020 has been a tough year for business so budgets are predictably tight.  Because of that we will take this time to focus on affordable and impactful marketing strategies.

1. Postcards
   • Strategy number one is to run a postcard direct mail campaign. These campaigns are highly effective and quite affordable.  You can use postcards to stay at the front of your customers minds as well as to inform them about sales and other announcements. Email inboxes are flooded with ads these days, but people are receiving less and less physical mail.  This gives you a unique opportunity to stand out amongst your competition during the holidays.
2. Holiday Cards
   • Similar to postcards, holiday cards are an affordable strategy as well. These cards are an excellent way to thank your past customers for their business.  It can also be a nonintrusive way to invite them back to your store.  A holiday card should be kept simple and not designed to look like an ad.  This will give it a more genuine feel and truly thank your customers.
3. Coupons
   • Coupons tie into strategies 1 and 2. You can attach these to your postcards and your holiday cards.  This will give your customers an incentive to come back into your store or to visit your website to check out current sales.  Coupons are highly effective when used with past customers, they are a great way to create repeat business.
4. Calendars
   • Calendars are an excellent strategy because they make a great gift to hand out. Your customers will appreciate a calendar to hang up in their office or at their house.  This will ensure that your name stays in front of them for the entirety of the upcoming year.  A well-designed calendar is affordable and can create unlimited exposure to your customers.

Hopefully these strategies can help you stand out from the competition this holiday season!

For more helpful information check out our blog at: /advice-from-the-printer/

And for more information on Inkwell Printing Company check out our website at: www.inkwellstl.com

Election season is right around the corner.  Whether you just won your party’s primary or if you are gearing up for a local election, your campaign strategy should be ramping up.  What is the most effective way to reach voters in 2020? Does political direct mail still work in this digital world?

In short answer, yes.  There are a few things to realize about direct mail to explain its effectiveness.

Why it works

Political direct mail works for multiple reasons but the key factors are trust, targeting, and name recognition.  Mailing offers the unique opportunity to capitalize on all 3 of these factors at one time.

Trusted Source

When discussing how to get your message out to potential voters, trust should be a primary factor.  A study done by the USPS found that 68% of people found a political direct mail piece to be more trustworthy than digital and televised ads.  So, in the interest of building credibility with your voter base, direct mail can not be underestimated.

Name Recognition

Another huge strength of political direct mail is its ability to build name recognition.  Getting your name and message out to voters is critical in any election on any level.  A direct mail piece can put your name with your face and message in the hands of any number of voters in an area.  If timed correctly you can be the last name that they see before they head off to the polls.  This is an invaluable asset against your competition.

Targeting

Mailing services offer a huge range of targeting opportunities.  You can select a mailing list that consists of voters who are active in participating in local elections.  This helps you target the segment of the population who are most likely to go out and cast a vote for you.  Being able to get this specific with your mailing targets gives you a huge advantage over your competition.  It also gives you the opportunity to tailor your piece towards different groups in an area.  This way you can design a piece to target different areas of a community based off their interests that align with your campaign platform.

So in conclusion, your campaign should absolutely be considering political direct mail.  It is the only advertising medium that takes full advantage of these 3 crucial factors.  If your plan is to build trust and name recognition amongst voters in your area you would be missing a great opportunity by not sending out a mailer.

For more helpful information check out our blog at: /advice-from-the-printer/

And for more information on Inkwell Printing Company check out our website at: www.inkwellstl.com

Elections happening in 2020 are being faced with a new and unique set of problems.  Due to Covid-19 campaigning options are extremely limited.  Hosting large events, like public debates and rallies, will most likely not be possible.  This will impact a candidate’s ability to get their message out to the voting public.  Your campaign must adapt to this new challenge and we believe campaign mailing may be just the solution you are looking for.

Emphasis on mailing

Since direct contact with voters will be limited, campaigns will turn to direct mail and digital ads to get their message out. Many active voters are not active on digital channels and the ones who are, usually are not interested in your digital ads.  We have been overwhelmed with digital ads and most are tuned out and ignored.  This is where campaign mailing comes in to play.  A political mailing campaign offers you the opportunity to put your message directly in to the hands of your potential voters.  This is a far more personal connection and in the time of Covid it is the best option we have to project your message.

Types of mailing

Normally when we run a campaign mailing, we recommend keeping it simple, with an emphasis on a few key points.  But during this time, it is worth considering doing a more in-depth mailer.  While we still recommend a mailer with your picture and few of your platform’s key points, a separate mailer that involves a more detailed letter can be highly effective.  In this second mailer you can go into more detail about your platform and approach.  This is will be extremely helpful to your voters who would normally attend in person meetings to learn more.  Another type of mailing you can consider is a fundraising mailing.  Normally political fundraisers involve attending some sort of event.  Now you may have to rely on mailing out to past supporters asking them to consider supporting your campaign.

Audiences for mailing

The last point to consider is who you will be sending your political mailing too.  Every door direct mail is the least expensive option and it can be used to blanket an entire mailing route.  You do not get to choose exactly which addresses the mailing will go to, but it is the most cost efficient of the options.  The next option is if you have a personal mailing list.  These are the most effective lists but also the most effort to put together.  But if you have mailing addresses for your supporters then a targeted message to them can be highly effective.   The third option is to purchase a mailing list, there is a massive selection of mailing lists to choose from.  You can target just about any demographic you could think of with a purchased list.  You can target voters by political party, age, even by income levels.  These types of lists perform best when used with a targeted mailing, but the price is higher than with an every door mailing.  These are just some of the options you have to considers when selecting your audience for your political mailing.

Hopefully these tips will help you with your upcoming election. We wish you luck and hope you and your family stay safe!

For more helpful information check out our blog at: /advice-from-the-printer/

And for more information on Inkwell Printing Company check out our website at: www.inkwellstl.com

A postcard marketing campaign can be a very effective strategy for attracting customers.  Here are a few quick tips to make your postcard marketing more effective.

Create Leads

Your postcard is not for closing a sale it is to create leads for future customers. Come up with a strategy to drive your audience to your website or to call your office to get more information.  You won’t have enough space on the postcard to say everything you will want to say about your product or service so try and lead the customer to look for more information by contacting you.

Quality Not Quantity

When deciding what information to include on your postcard remember that the quality of the information is far more important than the quantity. Do not fill up your postcard with too much information. Your readers will think that it is too cluttered and will consider it a waste of time.  An effective postcard marketing campaign has a few key points but is mostly filled with graphics.

Coupons

Using your postcard as a coupon is a great way to drive traffic to your store.  It can be used to attract new customers or a way to bring back return customers.  If you collect your customers information you can send them incentives to return.  An effective way to do this is to send them a card on their birthday with a special deal that they can use.

Both Sides

This is a rather simple point but be sure to use both sides of the postcard. This will help you take full advantage of your limited space and will also make it more visually appealing to the consumer.

Looks Matter

This point is very important to consider when starting your postcard marketing campaign. It is tempting to try and save money by designing the product yourself or by using a cheaper paper. But you must be very careful when deciding to cut costs of quality. A cheap postcard will be completely ineffective and can destroy your credibility with your target audience. Your local printer or graphic designer can set you up with a very professional postcard for a small cost. It is worth it to not cut corners on the quality of your card.

Target Audience

This is one of the most important points to consider when setting up a postcard marketing campaign. Postcard marketing is not just about sending out as many cards as you can to as many people as you can.  You will see a much better return on investment if you target your campaign to your specific audience.  Set up a targeted mailing list for the best ROI.

Track Results

After you have sent out your postcards you need to make sure to track the results of your postcard marketing campaign. Try and find out what your customers liked about your card. And how many new leads were you able to attain with this campaign. This makes it easy to decide if you would like to do another campaign in the future.

For more helpful information check out our blog at: /advice-from-the-printer/

And for more information on Inkwell Printing Company check out our website at: www.inkwellstl.com