TPW’s Response to COVID-19

Marketing has a lot of moving parts. When organizing a campaign, you’re considering what channels to use, the target audience, the frequency of messages, design, language of communication, and so much more. It’s a complex task to try to know how to:

• say the right thing
• to the right people
• at the right time
• in the right mode

That’s a lot of factors you have to try to get right.

In this blog we are going to focus on the language of communication or saying the right thing and using tying in some psychology to consider.

What do all great direct mail pieces have in common? They engage people’s curiosity from the moment the mail piece gets into their hands. Here are five tips for capturing readers’ attention as soon as they open the mailbox.

1. Know your corners.

On a mail piece, the upper right-hand corner is where our eyes go first. Use this location to place teaser copy or compelling data such as “99% customer satisfaction rate!” It’s a secret that all highly effective catalogers know — and now you know it, too.

2. De-clutter.

When the layout is cluttered, it’s hard for people to focus on any one thing. Use white space to draw the eye and make information easy to absorb. Instead of heavy blocks of text, use bulleted or numbered lists.

3. Tap psychology.

Have you ever heard of techniques such as the Zeigarnik Effect, Von Restorff Effect, or Noble Edge Effect? These techniques use brain science to capture attention and engage your audience.

The Zeigarnik Effect is when information is left unfinished. Leave people hanging, and they feel compelled to open...

The Van Restorff Effect is the use of content that is out of place to capture attention. Old Spice used this to significant effect with its “Smell Like a Man” campaign.

The Noble Edge Effect taps people’s desire to be associated with positive social or environmental causes. (more coming on Psychology and Direct Mail next week!)

4. Use testimonials.

People trust other shoppers more than they do marketers, so use customer testimonials to let other buyers promote your product. Use QR Codes or AR to bring those endorsements to life by taking shoppers directly to mobile video.

5. Have a clear CTA.

How many direct mail pieces have unfulfilled potential because someone forgot to include a call to action (CTA)? Don’t assume that readers will automatically know what you want them to do. Add urgency or additional value by giving a deadline, offering an extra discount for early response, or providing other motivators to encourage people to respond right away.

These are a few simple tips to better your direct mail, however, the real effects that you will see with your direct mail is the money you invest in how you measure and track results. Get in touch with us about the availability for direct mail through Tactix360.

Catch our blog next week as we dive deeper into some psychology and direct mail/marketing.

Maybe if you're like me, you feel like the end of the year has popped out of nowhere. Spring merged into the summer, and then the leaves were orange and now, bam, it's December. Which means... everything and everyone is in holiday mode and has been for the last six weeks. Sound about right?

Small businesses, we know that you have had a hard go this year. There have been shut-downs and then ability to reopen with new guidelines, and then a couple few week closures once again. Some of you may have been closing and wondering if it's worth being open or whether to close your doors for the time being, but don't let the date intimidate you. You have a few weeks and then the new year rolling around, you got this!

Since COVID, there has been a large social media platform to shop small businesses. On Instagram, you can add a special sticker for "shop small businesses" and on other platforms see the hashtag "shopsmallbiz" and many variations.

People recognize how hard it was on restaurants, small personal stores, and service businesses who work for themselves and have been pushing to avoid big online and department store shopping for their holiday gifts and pushing to support their local community and friends and family. This year has impacted many individuals in different ways, and they want to help!

My biggest piece of advice, is to make it personal, because your business is personal! On everything that you are sending out, include your story, your why, about your business.

Thank them for helping you fulfill your dream, investing in you, trusting you, letting you give your service or knowledge, letting you get back on your feet, whatever it may be. Keep this in mind as you consider some of these stationery options:

Gift Cards

These can be easy gifts for others. Someone may know you and want to support your business, but they wouldn't use your services. This way they can support you and give the card to someone who will use it and come into you. This is also a great way to grow your business through word of mouth.

Thank You Cards

Especially if you aren't super busy this right now, take the time to right a personal thank you. It will mean a lot to the customer and these personal touches go a long way with what attitude they develop towards your business.

Referral Reward Cards/Punch Cards

This incentivizes customers to come back and use you again and pass it on to their friends and family. Rewards programs act as a promotion that give on the cusp customers reason to buy.

Direct Mail

This is one of the best options you can do. Let's develop a campaign together.

You can break it up into different ideas, but we would recommend doing a few pieces within a specific amount of time to really target your audience and get some traction. Some ideas could be:

1. Last minute reminder/ deal/ promotion before holidays
2. Forecasting your business and menu/options/services for the upcoming year
3. Coupon or promotion

Or we can target your audience and get a really good piece out, measure metrics and then reevaluate and come up with a new game plan.With our tactix360 technology, we can work with you to create a campaign that is personal to custom information, followed up with on social-media profiles, and tracking the mail until it's received.

We started off as one location in Dallas, Texas. We did blueprints and worked with construction plans and architects and slowly grew and expanded and then started adding more capabilities.

It really has been a journey with many improvements, redirections, changes, updates, and planning that has gotten us to where we are today. This year has been a ride for us as well, and to all the small businesses out there, we applaud you because we have been there with you.

It all starts small, and we love to see businesses grow and can be there to provide all of your printing needs no matter how small or large your journey takes you.