AMiable Solution #58: Weatherproof Vendors

Surviving the changing marketing environment isn’t something you need to or should do alone.  Partnering with the right vendors not only makes your job easier, but it also puts you in a better position to reach and serve your market.

How do you find the right vendor for you?  Before you send out that first bid request or negotiate rates, do the following:

1.  Ask for samples.  Your customers, members, or clients don't care if your printer has sheet fed or web equipment, twenty-year-old technology or two, single-head inkjets or double.  They'll only notice if a promotional piece is attractive and clean.  If you're not impressed with a vendor's samples, your audience probably won't be, either.

2.  Ask for hypotheticals.  Not all jobs go smoothly.  Deadlines slip.  Equipment breaks.  Lists arrive late.  Consider issues you've encountered in the past and ask your vendor to explain how it would or has handled such a situation.  Learn about the company's customer service style and responsiveness to inquiries and with the handling and ultimate outcome of inevitable unforeseen situations. 

3.  Talk to references.  Don't just ask if they're happy with the work printer X or mailhouse Y has done: they wouldn't have agreed to serve as references if they weren't.  Instead, ask about specific projects on which the vendor in question really shined and about situations they resolved.

4.  Tour the plant.  Knowing what a company can do and seeing it in action are two different things.  Look for clean work areas, orderly jobs, and calm, confident workers.

5.  Identify the niche.  Sure, some printers could do just about any job you send them, but chances are they're not going to do every one of them efficiently.  Find out what equipment they have and which types and sizes of jobs they consider their specialties.

When you do select a vendor, be sure to make communication a priority.  Relationships with vendors are like any other: the more and better you can convey your needs and concerns, the more likely you are to achieve your goals and resolve issues. 

AMiable Solution #57: A Hailstorm of Headlines

Whether you’re working on a website, catalog, brochure, or press release, one of the most important places to spend your time is the headline.

                             

What makes a good headline?  Most effective headlines have these traits in common:

1. They’re short. You don’t get much time to capture your audience’s attention.  Don’t waste it by burying your main focus in a lengthy headline.  Try to limit your text to 12 words or less.

2. They’re meaningful.  What’s the main point you want to drive?  Is it a key benefit, a new feature, a limited-time sale, a recent success?  Think about what motivates your target audience: most readers are most interested in knowing “what’s in it for me?”

3. They’re creative.  Once you know the primary goal of your marketing piece or document, state it in the most compelling, interesting way.  No matter what style you choose to model your headline after--whether it’s a newsy headline, a question, a direct statement, a mysterious statement, an emotional appeal, a how-to, etc.--make it intriguing.  Use language that appeals to your audience.

When you’re writing your headline, play around and brainstorm different styles.  What you don’t use for your current project may be appropriate for future campaigns. 

AMiable Solution #56: Shining Copy

Direct mail--or any marketing for that matter--can’t do its job if it doesn’t get read.  What makes copy readable?  We offer these three attributes:

1.       It has to engage.  Use language--including technical and industry terms--all members of your audience will understand.  Don't dumb-down your language, but keep it accessible to everyone who reads it.  Know what interests your readers and what problems they need or want to solve and employ active verbs, clear descriptions, and a conversational tone to draw them in and keep them listening.

                        

2.       It has to persuade.  List-making often gets a bad rep, but it works.  Make a list of all the reasons, from the obvious to the odd, why you think a customer, donor, or member should start a relationship with your organization.  Then, put yourself in your market's shoes and make a list of what you'd look for in an organization like yours.  Use your results to create benefits-rich copy that your target market just can't resist.

3.       It has to testify.  Sharing customer testimonies provides clients and prospects with reliable, third-party confidence you can't achieve with your words alone.  Solicit feedback on a regular basis and incorporate testimonies from a variety of clients to show prospects how your organization has impacted individuals and groups in a variety of environments, positions, and situations.

The more you connect with your market, the stronger your copy will be.

AMiable Solution #55: Showered with Offers

The most important component of any direct mail piece is the offer.  Do you make it easy for prospects to say “yes”?  To create an offer that both stands out from the rest of the mail and inspires confidence and response, keep the following in mind:

Keep it Real

1.  Be thoughtful.  The more you know about your target audience--motives, deadlines, obligations, etc.--the better you can tailor your offer and create response.

2. Be specific. When you make a strong offer in a direct mail piece, don't be coy with the details. Tell your audience what it needs to know to make a decision.

                          

3. Be honest. In your offer, you can tease. You can be clever. But above all, you should be honest. If you fail to disclose key information, or if you mislead your market in any way, you could not only turn potential responders away instead of inspiring them to act, but you could also permanently tarnish your image.

4. Be limiting. Limiting your offer to a specified time period creates a sense of urgency and prompts people to make decisions. When including a time-sensitive element in your offer, consider the size of the investment you're asking your recipient to make when you set your deadline: the smaller the investment or commitment, the shorter the deadline can be.

5. Be accommodating. Offer multiple payment options and multiple contact methods so that your prospects can reach you in the way most convenient to them.

Once you have your offer defined, you can dress it up--or down--with an appropriate format and text and an attention-grabbing headline.  Not sure you have the write stuff?  See next week’s blog for tips on creating effective headlines.