Publishers Use Special Sections to Drive More Revenue

May 17, 2013 Leave a comment

Special sections can add significant revenue for publishers. When done well, they improve readership and appeal to new advertisers. They can also have a major impact on year-end profits. But building great special sections requires more than just a few articles and some ads. It takes strong material, preparation, sales planning and consistent effort to produce them.

Be Healthy Special Section

Affinity Express provides the lay out or pagination for this publication. For more information, visit: http://goo.gl/2LQB2.

Healthcare in Iowa

Ted Borelli, senior advertising manager of sales for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said, “Typically, when we create new sections, we create them based off of conversations we’ve had with advertisers. . . . We create sections based on information we get out in the real world.” Empower is a special section that spreads knowledge about health issues women could face at all stages of life and connects healthcare providers to women.

Editorial content-gathering starts about ten weeks before publishing. Written by a pool of about 35 freelance writers, the stories include local women and medical professionals as sources. To shape the editorial content, Special Sections Editor Maggy Dumas said the editors use medical websites to research potential stories, email freelancers describing the parameters of the publications and give them a choice of several topics.

The freelance writers are also responsible for providing photos, which Dumas said typically are obtained from the sources or are taken by the writers. Stock art is usually used on the cover of the tabloid. Dumas writes an introduction and edits the stories. Layout is completed by two of The Gazette’s graphic designers. The tabloid is printed in-house and distributed within the Sunday newspaper, which has a circulation of 70,273.

“The special sections I work on are considered ‘content with an agenda,’ content to sell advertising into,” she said. Advertising appeals to a variety of health care providers, including hospitals, dentists, OB-GYN specialists, chiropractors, spas and retirement communities, as well as some non-healthcare businesses. Selling ads in Empower is open to all The Gazette’s 15 sales reps and the publication brought in about $10,000 of advertising revenue in 2010.

Las CrucesFootball in Illinois

Gridiron debuted in Rockford, Illinois, in August 2008 and has been published every football season since. The project brings in about $60,000 in advertising revenue each season for The Rockford Register Star, running every Friday for 13 weeks during the high school football season. The register covers about 55 high school teams with an emphasis on schools in proximity to Rockford.

According to Sports Editor Randy Ruef, “It’s a big project, but it’s not a heavy workload. . . . it’s just repackaging and reusing stuff.” For newspapers that don’t have large sports staffs, Ruef said putting together a publication like Gridirron can still work. “There are ways to get around having a small staff. Use the phone, use photos, use the help of part-timers and take advantage of schools, coaches and stringers to give you something.”

Ruef chalks up Gridiron’s success to focusing specifically on football instead of all high school sports, which sets it apart for advertisers and appeals to a specific audience. Auto dealers, sports, medicine and family entertainment businesses have all advertised. Ads on RRStar.com/gridiron are sold as bundled buy to advertisers. Each of the print ad positions of a quarter page or larger include online. The front-strip and back-page advertisers get the pre-roll and the mid-roll on the predictions video on the site. Ruef explained, “Advertisers love it. We don’t have a lot of positive news that advertisers can be associated with. This is positive.”

Lake CasterMotorcycles in Wisconsin

The Washington County Daily News created a Riders’ Guide for Harley-Davidson riders visiting southeastern Wisconsin for an anniversary celebration. “It was the most successful revenue-generating, free standing special section to date,” said Lois Evans, advertising director for the 9,200 circulation newspaper in West Bend.

Because of the expanded area of the publication’s audience, the Daily News was able to produce a more regional special section and gain advertisers in three counties outside its normal coverage area. “We had a huge selection of first-time advertisers that was above and beyond our readership,” Evans said.

The content was written in-house by four of the Daily News’ staff writers. Layout was completed in-house, but the Daily News did use an outside service to create the section’s various maps. Artwork came from Harley-Davidson’s 100th and the Harley Owners Group’s 20th anniversary celebration.

Advertisers were mostly restaurants and bars, but there were some tourist-type ads, such as boat tours and other attractions of interest to visitors. Local Harley0Davidson dealers also placed ads in the guide.

Parent company Conley Media encouraged sister newspapers the Waukesha Freeman and Ozaukee County News Graphic to sell ads for the special section. There were 12 or 13 reps selling ads for the section and the number of pages in the Riders’ Guide was determined by the amount of advertising sold. Evans noted, “It was a welcome new advertising venue for advertisers.”

Neighborhoods Special SectionSix Verticals for The Wall Street Journal

As these newspapers illustrate, when publishers print special sections about specific fields of business, the features can be very attractive for advertisers who jump at the chance to reach a narrow audience segments interested in these topics. The challenge for publishers is how to replicate that high value online. In February of 2013, The Wall Street Journal launched six new digital verticals to match the special sections that appear in the Journal’s print edition about 60 times a year: wealth management, retirement, energy, leadership, healthcare and small business.

According to Senior Editor Larry Rout, the idea is to ensure this content doesn’t sink as quickly when it goes online. To keep up the chatter around the special topics, the Journal asked a stable of thought leaders and public personalities to blog and offer opinions in a live stream. The site also hosting periodic “Google Hangouts” where business experts chatted and took questions from viewers.

The question is whether anyone will show up in the online verticals since there is already so much financial and business chatter and the Journal Reports may have a hard time differentiating. Rout says the Reports’ contents have done very well when published as individual stories on the WSJ website. Placing that content in dedicated verticals and combining it with marquee personalities and the WSJ brand may provide the necessary traction online.

Advice from the Experts

What can you do to ensure success with your special sections in print and online? Here are some tips from Publishers-Edge to help you plan special sections.

  • Review the special sections from last year. If the same sections are dropping in the amount of space sold over time, it is a good idea to adjust the content or try some new ones.
  • Take a look at the marketplace. What businesses have opened in the past couple of years in your area and are they advertising with your newspaper?
  • Be informative. Don’t waste readers’ time. Provide content that they find useful.
  • Feature local articles. Even if you use syndicated content, you should add paragraphs to some of the prewritten articles to localize them.
  • Don’t use advertorials. While it is possible to build a special section using advertorial and news releases, you have to consider the readers if you want special sections that will achieve targets year after year. Readers depend on local newspapers to provide credible material that is not biased so, if you use advertorials, it should be clearly identified or labeled near the beginning of the articles.
  • Determine who will buy advertising. Make a list of the categories and businesses and forecast revenue. When you consider this, you may discover that your special section should be an ROP page or two in the paper for a few consecutive weeks instead of a separate section because the list is short and the advertisers are small (and this alternative still generates revenue).
  • Develop new business. Special sections are one of the primary tools to secure new advertisers.
  • Pre-design the special section. Show advertisers the publication with actual articles and photos and blanks for advertising. This helps them select the ad space they want.
  • Create packages in print. Add extra weeks to the package and you can significantly increase revenues. Instead of asking for a one-time run, you can design a package price for multiple weeks.
  • Put special sections online. The internet is a resource for information on every topic and newspapers are beginning to use it as a means to publish topical information using their special sections.

What new special sections have driven revenue for your publication? How have you handled the workload of producing sections? Do you wish you could produce more each year to attract advertisers?

Read more about special sections production.

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The SMB Marketing Opportunity for Mother’s Day

May 10, 2013 1 Comment

Last year, consumers spent an average of $140 each on Mother’s Day gifts for moms, wives, daughters, aunts and other special women. That was an increase of more than 10 percent over the previous year. As a publisher or marketing service provider, how do you drive more advertising revenue while helping your small- to medium-sized business customers capitalize on spending for the holiday? We have some great ideas. You might be able to try a few this year but have plenty of lead time to make the most of the holiday in 2014!

The overarching theme is that advertising has to do more than just tell people how great product and services are. It has to offer consumers something of value. When building marketing campaigns around Mother’s Day, there is an opportunity to thank mothers but also to give them discounts and other incentives. And don’t forget grandmothers—advertising can drive additional purchases for a second generation!

Here are some categories of advertisers for you to target that can tie in with Mother’s Day.

  • Traditional Gifts and Cards: Encourage businesses in this category to count down to Mother’s Day, feature a variety of products and services and remind consumers to prepare for the holiday.
  • Restaurants: Along the same lines, restaurants can use advertising to suggest people make reservations for the holiday. This is probably a good idea considering that approximately 80 million of the adults in the U.S. will be going out to eat on Sunday (about one third!).
  • Sandstone Grillhouse Mother's Day AdSalons/Spas: This category has really jumped on the Mother’s Day bandwagon. When advising local businesses, suggest they create “special experiences” for mothers. For example, package services that have never been bundled together before like a “mother-daughter” treatment or a massage, facial and pedicure for the ultimate pampering. Or they can provide discounts like “free $15 products with every treatment”.
  • Dentists: Mothers’ might take advantage of specials on teeth whitening and free electronic toothbrushes when coming in for cleanings or even discounted Invisalign packages.
  • Automotive: With the need to take kids to school, sports, conferences and doctor appointments, motherhood tends to involve a lot of driving. You can target mechanics or garages to offer discounted oil changes or tire rotations. It would also be appealing to provide free car washes with maintenance over a certain dollar amount spent.AutoZone Web Page
  • Optometrists: Tap eye care stores to offer mothers discount prices on name-brand frames that will help them feel good about themselves. With summer almost here, stores can also offer discounts on prescription sunglasses or buy one, get one deals.
  • Chiropractors: Help chiropractic offices promote packages of treatments or discounts, free massages with treatments or sample packs of products such as homeopathic remedies and mothers will feel healthier for the tough job they have.
  • Veterinarians: Most people think of pets as members of their family. Veterinarians might want to offer discounts to mothers who bring in their pets before Mother’s Day. If they offer accessories or other goods, they can provide free items when pets are brought in for their grooming or shots. Giving away bags of treats are also effective.
  • Non-Traditional Gifts: Depending on the mother, some might love gift certificates for piercings, sets of power tools or briefcases. Advertising unexpected products’ suitability for Mother’s Day can open up a broad opportunity for new revenue and attract mothers who appreciate a fresh, un-stereotypical approach from your advertisers.
  • PharmasavePost-Holiday: Advertisers can reach any mothers who might feel forgotten or who didn’t get quite what they wanted, and invite them women to pamper themselves. And you have the opportunity to sell more ads by extending the holiday timeframe!

It’s not easy to come up with a new and effective approach to Mother’s Day, but PS Print has some ideas on how you can offer a unique perspective.

  • Show Animal Moms and Babies: this works well, especially if you can include something related to the businesses featured in ads. If possible, try to go unusual rather than the standard kittens and puppies.
  • Pathways. Mothers help their children overcome obstacles as they grow, so pathways work as a theme in Mother’s Day designs.
  • Market to Sub-Segments: Mothers are a diverse group. Some cook, some are athletic and some are both. Identify target audiences as specifically as possible. If there are hobbies, professions, or pursuits shared by your advertisers’ audiences, then you can create designs to meet their needs. The more targeted the campaigns and the designs, the more revenue they will drive.
  • Condolences: If you can tie your products into an understanding of how much mothers have to endure with as they raise their children, you can establish a humorous slant. In this ad, the same effect is achieved but directed toward the children buying the gifts.

Edible Arrangements Mother's Day AdUltimately, on Mother’s Day the key to success for advertisers and their target audiences is to remember the holiday, according to Hotcards! That’s why there are three core points to stress in marketing copy:

  1. Mothers are important and underappreciated
  2. The day will be here before you know it
  3. If you forget, the consequences will be highly unfavorable

Beyond remembering Mother’s Day, you can provide these recommendations from 365 Days of Marketing to your advertisers to help them successfully leverage the holiday.

  1. Make sure you know what women want. Find out what the women in your target markets or the wives and mothers of your customers actually want. Survey customers about their favorite Mother’s Day gifts or what they plan to purchase for their own moms this year. Use social media to gather information. Use a poll to solicit customer and reader feedback but also to make specific Mother’s Day gift suggestions by listing ideas in the choices for poll questions.
  2. Make it very, very easy for people to buy Mother’s Day gifts and easier to buy from you than anyone else. Use email newsletters to make gift suggestions with one-click ordering. Allow ordering ahead for store pickup or include wrapping, gift cards and delivery services. Make specific suggestions that would be appropriate for the different women in their lives (e.g., moms, daughters, aunts, etc.). Provide last-minute creative gift options. Pre-package gift baskets with themes, such as outdoor lovers, exercise lovers, food lovers, movie lovers, makeup or pampering products, etc.
  3. Drive repeat business. Create Mother’s Day gifts that come with a good reason for the recipients or the buyers to come back to your business again soon. For example, a spa could offer a promotional price on a massage and a 20% discount for the next massage booked.
  4. Take advantage of the opportunity. Use Mother’s Day to target customers who might not normally buy from you but need gifts for their wives, mothers, etc. Think about giving them an incentive to come back for Father’s Day or another sale or event. Ask them to subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media or add to your direct mail list to receive future promotions. Set up an online survey form and invite them to rate their experience. And you can extend special offers via landing pages on your website or emails thanking them for their business.
  5. Conduct cooperative campaigns to reach the gift buyers. If you cater mostly to women, then your challenge is to get the word out to men about the great gifts you offer. Create strategic partnerships with businesses that target men, such as clubs at golf courses, recreational or outdoor sports facilities. For companies that target men, get them to swap: they promote your offering, while you promote theirs for Father’s Day. You can also conduct cooperative email or direct mail campaigns. Work with restaurants, bars or clubs that have high percentages of male patrons to place signage or table tents describing your products.

Have you seen any unusual and memorable Mother’s Day ads this season? What innovative approaches have you taken with  your advertisers and their products and services to set them apart during a cluttered advertising season?

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Helping SMBs Market: the 12 Questions You Should Ask

May 3, 2013 1 Comment

Today, a diverse array of companies target small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to provide marketing services and take advantage of their large sales forces, existing retail locations or related products to drive sales. We see this trend among publishers, financial services companies, office supply stores, printers, shipping franchises and many other categories. For example, there is a trend in recent years for newspapers to offer print and digital services and take on the role of digital agency for their local advertisers.

One of the challenges to launching successful campaigns and generating results for SMBs is getting a clear understanding upfront of goals, products and budgets. Sales teams have to sell high volumes of SMBs and gather critical information quickly for designers, copywriters and others to execute. Plus, their SMBs contacts might have limited marketing knowledge.

With this in mind, we’ve created a list of the essential questions to ask SMBs so you can build comprehensive marketing services programs that will deliver.

Small Business1. What does your business do?

When you know the scope of the business, the marketing plan can be focused rather than too broad and inefficient, according to Alex Burke of Demand Media. This is a good opportunity to learn about important industry terms that best describe the business, which can be used as keywords in various marketing channels. Plus, if there any legal requirements for advertising and other marketing materials, this is the time to find out.

2. Describe your products or services and the problems they solve.

Talk about the products and their features and benefits with your client. It can also be helpful to discuss the size of the market for each product and the client’s current market share, says Ian Linton of Demand Media. And just because you have a client in an established category doesn’t mean you automatically know what they want to sell and what is profitable for them (e.g., a cosmetic surgeon may be more interested in selling non-surgical procedures like Botox because they are more profitable). You should also ask about the biggest benefits products provide.

3. Who are your customers and what are their most pressing issues and concerns?

It is impossible to build a campaign to reach everyone. That’s why the best marketing plans are built on a clear understanding of ideal buyer profile, whether that means focusing on an industry segment like real estate agents or demographics such as young, single career women in urban areas. Another consideration is the most important decision makers. There are the actual buyers and the influencers. Food products tend to focus on women in their mid-30s as the main decision makers, but a happy family is featured as the end result of buying the products, notes Entrepreneur Magazine.

4. How long is the sales cycle?

Different marketing approaches support different buying timeframes. Fast food relies on quick sale volume and aggressive techniques, but selling financial services is a gradual process of establishing reputation and building trust over time. This affects the media and the tactics used.

5. What are the buying triggers?

For some companies, purchases are seasonal (e.g., accountants and software during income tax season) or they could be everyday occurrences like groceries. The circumstances influence what consumers want in solutions. In other words, you have to consider if fast and cheap are the major concern or if the audience wants quality that will last. Entrepreneur Magazine indicates that, by identifying the circumstances and key buying criteria, you get a list of traits to emphasize in marketing materials.

6. What are the geographic targets for your business?

You want to help the client focus efforts where they can do the most good, rather than casting a wide net. Take the time to delve into the locations where the client is selling now and where can they ship. Find out if they are focused on expansion and if they can handle a high response rate (if not, you might want to recommend a phased campaign).

7. Who are your competitors and what makes your company different?

Knowing the competitors enables designers to research how, when and where they advertise, in addition to structuring the client’s plan to better capture the target audience. Discuss how strong your client’s competitive advantage is and how the products compare with those of competitors. If the client has proof that his or her business is better (e.g., testimonials, case studies, etc.), it can be incorporated into materials to strengthen them and build credibility.

8. What is your pricing strategy?

Messaging, images and tactics will change based on the pricing strategy. A high-end, expensive brand will focus more on image compared to the low-priced leader, who will sell based on cost and need to drive volume. See the comparison between these two ads for Neiman-Marcus and Dollar General.

Neiman-Marcus Ad Vogue March 2013

Dollar General9. What factors affect your industry?

There are seasonal peaks and valleys, along with holidays, that can affect marketing programs and the placement of ads. Mother’s Day promotions are in full swing right now and the ads for florists and spas, candy companies and restaurants are common. It’s also a high-visibility time for home improvement companies because of the spring planting season. For some businesses, offering incentives might be important when sales volumes are typically low.

10. What do you want to accomplish?

What are the marketing objectives of the client? You need to understand what he or she is trying to achieve, whether that is market leadership or entering a new market where the company is unknown, suggests Ian Linton. The client may want to launch a new product or increase sales of existing products to new customers. Wherever possible, it is helpful to quantify so that proof of return on investment becomes easier. Targeting 1,000 website visitors per day or getting 10,000 sign-ups to a newsletter is easier to measure than “brand recognition” and helps you ensure the plan is relevant and focused.

11.   How do you market today?

Learn about what has and has not worked for the client. You can also gauge where there are gaps in the marketing approach and create a plan to fill them with the services you offer. Be sure to inquire about printed marketing collateral, print ads, direct mail, websites, online ads, emails and e-newsletters, deals of the day and social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, etc.

12.   What is the budget and time frame for the marketing program?

It’s not the easiest question to ask but you have to know how much the client is willing to spend. Furthermore, the combination of the goals and the budget tells you whether the expectations are realistic (Allan Pollett). You can also provide guidance on what additional tactics fit into the budget or what would have to be spent to leverage other approaches.

If you serve SMBs with marketing services, what other questions do you ask your contacts? Which of these do you believe are the most critical to achieving success for clients? Do you have another means for gathering this kind of information?

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Happy World Communication Design Day

April 26, 2013 Leave a comment

World Communication Design Day has been celebrated on April 27th since 1995. The International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) designated the day to recognize the role of communication design and the graphic design profession around the world.

Though graphic design is often thought about in relation to advertising and marketing, the uses are extensive. The fields of administration, education, entertainment and many others use graphic design on various levels to convey information. Graphic design affects our understanding and opinions and shapes our actions and decisions. It determines the impact of information, whether it be through color, form or type; including the smallest street sign, the websites we browse, the products we purchase and the books we read.

World Communication Design Day

Graphic Design

Graphic Design is an interdisciplinary, problem-solving activity which combines visual sensitivity with skill and knowledge in areas of communications, technology and business. Graphic design practitioners specialize in the structuring and organizing of visual information to aid communication and orientation.

–The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario

Graphic Design Process

The graphic design process is a problem-solving process, one that requires substantial creativity, innovation and technical expertise. An understanding of a client’s product or service and goals, their competitors and the target audience is translated into a visual solution created from the manipulation, combination and utilization of shape, color, imagery, typography and space.

–Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA), Profile/Purpose

World Communication Design Day is an important occasion for Affinity Express and our more than 1,500 employees. We salute our team for their hard work for clients and their commitment to delivering high quality work on time, day in and day out!

What does graphic design mean to you? If you submit pictures of online or offline designs that have affected you in some way, we’ll share the best entries in our next blog post.

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Weekly Reading–All About Social Media

April 12, 2013 Leave a comment

A few days ago, Kriti mentioned to me that I haven’t done a weekly reading post in a while and, since I’m taking a few days off this month (YESSSS!), I thought this would be a great opportunity to clear off some of the virtual piles of articles and research that I have been collecting. In the past several days, I’ve seen quite a few posts and articles that guide companies to on social media. I hope these tips help you advance your brand.

Brands Favor Social Shares Over Likes

Marketers have been asking consumers to Like their brands on Facebook for a long time. But Likes are the “digital grunts” of Facebook and the absolute minimum commitment you can request from a Facebook fan, according to an article in Adweek published on Monday. As Scott Monty, social media director at Force noted, “Likes, comments, shares—it goes in that order of importance.”

Facebook’s News Feed algorithm gives up to 1,300% more weight to shares than likes, affecting the viral performance of a promotion. An Eventbrite study found that Facebook shares are worth $4.15 each when it comes to event ticket sales, whereas retweets are worth $1.85 and LindkedIn shares are worth $.92.

Some are calling “shares” the new “retweets” because they indicate that people endorse your content to their networks and are willing to link their names to it. Ultimately, shares generate real engagement.

Social MediaMake Facebook Marketing More Mobile-Friendly

About 680 million Facebook users access the channel from mobile devices, so it is important to make your marketing mobile-friendly. Here are five things to try to improve your results:

  1. Target sponsored stories to mobile users. You can pay for a Sponsored Story targeted to mobile users when you have an important update and it will show up in your fans’ news feeds and networks on their mobile devices.
  2. Make sure your email is mobile-friendly. MailChimp reports that 40% of Americans who use mobile devices read email on them. Therefore, it is important to ensure your promotions can easily be viewed on mobile devices. Econsultancy discovered that people close emails immediately when they are not optimized for mobile. You should also keep subject lines short, use direct calls to action and consider special offers for mobile users only.
  3. Integrate mobile with your other efforts. Promote your Facebook page in stores with signage that feature QR codes, offer whisper codes on Facebook and provide incentives to check in at stores.
  4. Make sure your Facebook apps have mobile capability. Some apps for Facebook won’t work on mobile unless the developer uses “smart” URLs that detect whether the user is on a mobile device or desktop.
  5. Test everything. You want to confirm on multiple devices that your images load quickly, your links work and your message appear correctly.

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16 Copywriting Tips to Improve Your Marketing

April 5, 2013 3 Comments

Affinity Express specializes in high volumes of quality marketing designs in fast turn times. That’s why we write often about how to create effective visuals for a wide range of industries, occasions and media. But design is only half the equation and we realize that strong copy is essential to successful marketing materials. But it is never as easy as the best copywriters make it look. Take it from the person at our company who spends hours pulling out her hair  while trying to writing everything from press releases and ads, to trade show brochures and sales presentations.

To help SMB marketers keep the hair on their heads, we compiled some general copywriting tips that will improve your advertising and other digital and print marketing materials.

Tequila Ad

1. Evoke feelings

According to research, mirror neurons in the brain activate when people observe something happening and then transfer some of the feeling to you or your products. This works best when you speak to a feeling that is already there versus forcing one on your viewers.

For example, when advertisers are selling beer, they often try to call up our memories of good times with friends over beer. This is the basis for the Miller Time concept that began in the 1970s and was recently re-launched to target millennial drinkers.

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Easter Campaigns that Deliver

March 29, 2013 Leave a comment

Every year, when I first hear the clucking of that bunny that brings Cadbury chocolate eggs, I have to smile. Typically, I can restrain myself from racing out to buy a half dozen or so, but I still really like the campaign. As we head into the holiday weekend, I got to thinking: what are the secrets to ads like this that stand the test of time and actually make consumers look forward to seeing them? Our team went through quite a few past and present Easter ads to give you some tips to help you develop strong holiday campaigns for your business.

By the way, beyond candy, the biggest categories of advertisers for Easter are retailers, especially grocery and supermarkets, travel companies, eCommerce sites and movies.

1. Use traditional symbols

Most Easter marketing features pastel colors, dyed eggs, the Easter bunny or, possibly, religious themes. These are all well-recognized symbols of Easter, which give you instant recognition for your promotions. The trick is to pull them off without looking just like everyone else. One way to do this might be to go bright and bold with the eggs or feature your logo in pastels so that your campaigns are distinctly different but equally effective.

For example, you might not think of going to the zoo on during the Easter holiday but Kolner Zoo created a campaign featuring eggs painted with pictures of their unexpected animal contents. It’s eye-catching, clever and attractive.

Zoo Kolner Easter Ad


This imagery in this Pernod Ricard ad is extremely simple but it uses an Easter symbol in red and black rather than pastel.

Pernod Ricard Easter Ad

2. Adapt your characters to embrace themes

On the flip side, you can take the character or mascots you use regularly and have them celebrate the holiday. M&Ms get dressed up in a bunny costume to spread some joy in this ad. The company takes it a step further with a mobile ad campaign that encourages viewers to access recipes that incorporate M&Ms.

M&M Recipes Mobile Ad3. Tie in unexpected products and services

It’s no surprise that M&M’s jump onto the Easter bandwagon since it is the second most important candy-eating occasion of the year for Americans (we consumed 7 billion pounds of candy in 2011) and M&M-Mars started offering pastel colors in the early 1980s. But you don’t necessarily associate Mercedes-Benz with this holiday. Nevertheless, the company used direct mail to send camouflage-decorated eggs to soldiers who test drove the latest G-Class model, which was very innovative and publicized the good things the auto manufacturer is doing.

Mercedes-Benz Easter Direct Mail4. Find unusual, holiday-related applications for products

Has the local store run out of those kits for dying eggs? No problem. Pick up some Kool-Aid. It never would have occurred to me that you could use the drink mix to color eggs but this is how the company drives up sales at a time of year when the product is not top-of-mind.

Kook-Aid Dyed Easter Eggs5. Be funny

One of the best ways to build positive associations with your brand is to make people laugh. We can all relate to this “chicken” who is exhausted by his work and needs a real holiday.

Scandic Hilton Easter Ad

How about this Schick razor ad that has no copy other than a simple “Happy Easter”? Classic.

Schick Razor Ad Easter6. Talk about renewal

Easter is often considered a celebration of renewal and new beginnings, allowing a wide variety of products and services to develop marketing campaigns when the winter chill is transitioning to summer heat. Using this theme opens up possibilities for a wider variety of advertisers, such as spas, beauty products, diet and fitness categories, home and garden stores and more.

What other advice do you have for marketers looking to connect with consumers and stand out on Easter? How do you feel about the Cadbury bunny and are there any other Easter promotions that have stuck with you?

And just in case you were wondering, I’m in the “ears-first” camp!

Interesting Easter Candy Facts

  • Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year. According to 76% of Americans, they should be eaten ears first, but 5% said feet first and 4% said tail first.
  • In 1953, it took 27 hours to create a Marshmallow Peep. Today, it takes six minutes. Yellow Peeps are the most popular, followed by pink, lavender, blue and white.
  • If all the Easter jellybeans were lined up end-to-end, they would circle the globe nearly three times. For kids aged six to 11, 70% say they prefer to eat jellybeans one at a time, while 23% report eating several at once. Boys were more apt to eat a handful than girls.
  • Candy is a relatively recent Easter tradition. Chocolate eggs, the most popular Easter candy, were first made in Europe in the early 1800s.
  • Pretzels were originally associated with Easter. The twists of a pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossed in prayer.

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Selling Marketing Services to Small Businesses

March 22, 2013 1 Comment

Targeting small business is big business for many industries. That’s because there are 23 million small businesses in the U.S. and they account for 54% of all U.S. sales. Plus, they provide 55% of all jobs and occupy 30-50% of all commercial space, an estimated 20-34 billion square feet (Source: US Small Business Administration).

Small businesses also do a lot of marketing. A survey by Borrell Associates revealed that SMBs have a median spend target of $8,000 per year for marketing, with 34% to be spent on marketing services and 19% to be spent on online/digital. This means there is a target opportunity of $4,240 per SMB per year for marketing services providers.

200446304-001When asked about the services they would like to buy, small businesses answered: website design and hosting 32%, social networking support 29%, lead generation 20%, email solutions support 18%, graphic design services 18% and video production 11%, among others (Borrell and Associates, 2013).

For newspaper publishers, creating an in-house digital ad agency to serve these local companies is perhaps the most promising new trend in the industry today, according to the Local Media Association (The Local Digital Ad Agency, 12/22/11). Early adopters are having success because they are diversifying their revenue streams and growing the digital side of their businesses.

There are also numerous companies in a range of industries—Deluxe, American Express, Staples and many more—that are trying to build on existing advertising or other offerings to create broader packages of services and leverage their sales teams to reach local small businesses with marketing products and services.

So we decided to build this infographic to give you more detail on small businesses and what you need to know about their marketing in 2013.

Small Business Marketing in 2013As the Local Media Association notes, the revenue potential of providing digital and print marketing to small businesses outweighs some of the other emerging opportunities such as mobile right now. For that reason, the organization recommended every local media company consider the addition of digital agency services.

Now that you’ve seen this infographic, what do you think of the small business opportunity? Are you offering advertising and marketing services to local business? If so, in which categories are you experiencing the most success?

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Another Year of St. Patrick’s Day Ads

March 15, 2013 Leave a comment

No, I do not wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, I do not drink green beer and I can’t stand boiled corned beef and cabbage. My mother thinks this is a betrayal of my heritage, but I wear my Irish all year long thanks to my name. And I do notice St. Patrick’s Day advertising, so I wanted to share some examples and tips that may get you in the mood to “go green!”

  • Products. When it comes to advertising, it seems like a limited array of products and services tie in with the holiday. Beers and liquors are at the top of the list thanks to Guinness, Bass Ale, Yuengling and Jameson Whiskey. Bars and parties are also big. I thought it was very creative for Taxi Share Chicago to tie in, since they are a solution for all those who indulge too much. And there are a small number of food companies and restaurants that also promote special products,” such as McDonald’s with their shamrock shake.

In this ad for St. Patrick’s Day treats, the cookies and cupcakes blend together with the background in a riot of shamrocks—very festive! By the way, shamrocks have three leaves but clovers can have five to seven leaves (unless you get the odd four-leaf clover). The correct symbol for St. Patrick’s Day is a shamrock because the saint used it to explain the Holy Trinity.

Hyvee St. Patrick's Day Ad

  • Colors. We all know that green is the dominant color of the day but it is often complemented by orange. You can see that approach represented in the ad below for a store selling flooring. The orange really makes the categories of products stand out, which is important when there are no product images featured.

Flooring Liquidators Print AdIn contrast, Guinness invites you to “paint the town black” because of their logo and in honor of the holiday, which they extend to an entire weekend. Great idea because that triples their opportunity to sell beer!

  • Images. Again, no surprises here but shamrocks are all over everything that has to do with St. Patrick’s Day. But there are also leprechauns, horse shoes and pots of gold. Since many of the advertisers fall into the party, bar or alcohol categories, we also find quite a few voluptuous red-haired women!

All the standards are included in this ad for Saylor’s Market and the designer even threw in a rainbow for a splash of color that breaks up all the green.

Saylor's

  • Fonts. Typefaces are often used to evoke the look and feel of the days of St. Patrick and tend to be Uncial, Insular Script, Carolingian, Blackletter, Gaelic and Celtic fonts. Although these are not necessarily the actual typefaces used during that period of time. You can see samples of these fonts here.

This is an attractive ad from a florist. I wouldn’t have thought about flowers for St. Patrick’s Day but I might order some now that I have seen this. The ad uses a variety of different greens effectively and the font for the headline resembles Blackletter.

Keefe's Flowers

  • Nostalgia. If you have a story to tell about the history of your company or products, or you just want to make people yearn for simpler/better times, then you play on nostalgia. Jameson’s uses the foundation of its long history in Ireland to poke fun and suggest that the whiskey must be saved at all costs.

In contrast to these rules of thumb, we have this year’s ad for Party City. Now I realize that there aren’t many upbeat dance songs that come to mind when you think of St. Patrick’s Day but it boggles my mind why the company would opt for Mambo #5 for their ad this year. However, by going against the grain, they have gotten quite of bit of attention and it is almost impossible to get the song out of your head.

If you want more traditional design advice for your St. Patrick’s Day marketing campaigns, PrintRunner Blog offers some tips and examples of St. Patrick’s Day ads that you might find helpful.

  • Focus on your identity and never lose sight of it. Yuengling identified itself with a city that has a storied history of its own, which allowed the company to maintain its brand.

Yuengling Ad

  • Be viral. The more engaging your ads more, especially in the age where social media has become a viable medium to market your business, the more chances people would want to join your festivities. Guinness does a great job with this ad: featuring a sheep dog.
  • Acknowledge your history. People seem to put a lot of trust of brands that have stood the test of time.
  • Be sensitive with the color scheme of your ad design. Green is the color of choice because of its association with the Irish celebration.
  • Keep the design appropriate. Style your ads according to the kind of event you’re holding.
  • Tie in with the holiday. Get extra visibility for your existing marketing campaigns by inserting images or linking in upcoming events.

For those of you who didn’t grow up having to eat soda bread when you preferred brownies, here are the top ten facts about St. Patrick.

Have you tied in with the St. Patrick’s Day holiday for your advertising? If so, what has helped you to stand out and what would you suggest for other companies looking to set themselves apart?

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Marketing to Appeal to Women

March 8, 2013 Leave a comment

March 8th is International Women’s Day and, every year, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements, ranging from political rallies, business conferences and networking events to craft markets, performances, fashion shows and more.

What is different today than the first year of International Women’s Day in 1909 is that women are earning, spending and influencing at a greater rate than ever before. They account for $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in the U.S. and, over the next decade, will control two thirds of consumer wealth.

Furthermore, women make or influence 85% of all purchasing decisions and purchase more than 50% of traditional male products, including automobiles, home improvement products and consumer electronics. They also have most of the decision-making power when it comes to planning family vacations, according to the 2012 Women, Power & Money Study. But 91% of women say that advertisers don’t understand them.

Women's Day 1When it comes to electronics, women accounted for $55 billion of the $96 billion spent, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Women are involved in 89% of all consumer electronics purchasing decisions. However, only 1% of women surveyed think manufacturers have them in mind when creating products. Is it any wonder when you read about CES booth babes?

“There is a fine line between marketing to women and talking down to women and I don’t think people have found what that is,” says Laura Heller, senior director of the trade publication DSN Retailing Today. A growing number of companies are starting to target their products toward female buyers, or at the very least, promote them in a more gender-neutral fashion. Retailers and manufacturers who get this are seeing impressive results.

It is not about changing the color of products to pink. Rather, it is critical to understand the consumers’ needs and complaints and come up with solutions.

This becomes even more important when you consider that women serve as broadcasters and amplifiers of ideas in the marketplace. Their purchasing decisions and word-of-mouth recommendations have wide-ranging implications for local, regional and national businesses that can’t be ignored. Women tend to share positive recommendations far more than negative ones. More than 33% of women surveyed recommended a product or service in the past six months, compared to 19% who recommended that someone not buy a particular product or service.

Here are three general tips for targeting women from Straight North Internet Marketing:

  1. Connect emotionally. One of the most important differences between marketing to men and women is the need for an emotional connection between the brand and the potential customer. One of the most well-known brands that capitalizes on this is Dove. Female consumers who see Dove marketing recognize themselves in the images shared and this is the best way of getting women to connect with your brand.
  2. Be useful. Even more than men, women love tips, advice and helpful information. They love to learn, find ways to make things better, more practical or more attractive. The more useful you can be in marketing, the more interest and sales you will eventually secure.
  3. Complement, don’t complicate. Women want solutions and to have things straightened out. Products and services that make things easier, smoother and less turbulent are desired. For example, saying “10% off everything” works much better than “10% off in March on Revlon mascaras”.

International Women's Day Ad DentistWhen it is time to design your marketing materials, consider these attributes:

  • Approach. There is no need to create gender-specific communications. You should be appealing to all audiences. Often when companies split their audiences into male and female categories, they end up generalizing and using stereotypes.
  • Colors. Women are not little girls so it is a bad idea to go overboard with pink. Along the same lines, skip script fonts, Victorian ornaments, scalloped borders and rounded corners if you want to be taken seriously.
  • Copy. You should be concise but persuasive to appeal to women rather than lengthy, dense and flowery. There should be clear calls to action and straightforward guidance, appealing to all users no matter the sex. However, women have been shown to respond to friendly, conversational copy more favorably than men, so ahead and add some personality into the copy.
  • Humor. PHD Media interviewed 1,000 people and determined that both men (76%) and women (68%) ranked wit and humor as the number one attribute that makes Super Bowl ads enjoyable (and both sexes ranked cited the same two ads as their favorites!).
  • Imagery. Feature women doing something other than the clichés of housework, mothering children or doing yoga. The number two attribute for women after humor is cute animals. At the same time, 69% of women 18-59 and 74% of women 18-34 said they like sexy imagery in ads.
  • Subjects. eMarketer notes that Boomers spend more time and money online than any other demographic but these women are completely underrepresented in marketing. Instead of youthful women in their teens and twenties, show more mature women. But be sure you display them as independent versus seeming to rely on husbands (as many are divorced or widowed at this average age of 55). They should also be active because Boomers have reached the age where they have the freedom to start new businesses, go back to school, travel, try new hobbies, etc.

As AdPearance notes in 5 Myths About Designing for Women, ultimately you need create a good user experience for all that includes clear navigation, persuasive headlines, readable copy, strong calls to action and quality imagery before you start thinking about appealing specifically to women.

The best advice to businesses targeting women is to keep your offers clear and your processes honest. Make sure you provide feedback and respond to comments and requests on social media quickly and take criticism.

The 2012 Women, Power & Money Study concludes that “Today’s American woman has changed the game. She calls the shots and makes the decisions. Her leadership is expanding, not diminishing. Any marketer or advertiser who continues to pretend otherwise does so at their own peril.”

And if you want to see what not to do, check out The 9 Worst Ads for Women This Year from The Huffington Post.

What have you tried when targeting female consumers and has it been successful or has it bombed?

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Newspapers: the Answer is Not Print or Digital; it’s Integration!

March 1, 2013 Leave a comment

At the third annual Mega-Conference, a collaborative effort between Local Media Association, Inland Press Association and SNPA, it was clear that becoming digital agencies for local advertisers is a priority for newspaper publishers but print is still very important to their business. The print audience is still solid, but it is clear that it will continue to shift with more digital choices. In fact, industry experts believe most publishers will have as much as 50% of their digital content consumed via mobile devices by 2015.

One such expert—Gordon Borrell—expects print ad revenues to stabilize or grow slightly at most papers, a trend he says will continue through 2017. But the results will be uneven, with small and mid-sized papers having the best growth prospects and metros still declining in the range of 4-6%. Digital ad growth for the papers he surveys, which are mostly small and mid-sized, will be 30% in 2013.

In his opinion, newspaper organizations will only succeed to the extent that they target two growing categories of digital advertising: video (growing 30% next year) and targeted display (growing 105%). In contrast, those who stick with run-of-site banners and classified or directory listings might see low single-digit growth next year at best.

Tablet AdFurthermore, Borrell sees digital services like reputation management, search engine optimization, app development and social media management as hot growth areas. His takeaway for small and mid-sized papers is that, if they are selling what the advertisers are buying most, they can expect 15% plus growth and a 15-20% share of digital in their local markets.

A Pew Research Center report covered a survey of 40 newspapers in early 2012 and showed they were losing $7 for every $1 gained in digital revenue. However, there was good news comes from the newspapers looking at new revenue streams:

  1. Some are becoming digital service provider where advertisers can come for services like web design or search engine optimization.
  2. Others are specializing and localization has become a favorite trend among newspapers that see this as an avenue to offer information only they can provide.
  3. Reputation management of local businesses is another offering generating significant interest.

In a recent survey by InfoTrends, marketers confirmed that are planning to shift more dollars away from print and into digital media. In the next two years, print will still make up 30% of marketing spend but it is expected to decline by 6.2%. Online marketing is expected to increase 4.9% and mobile will experience the highest growth, with expenditures increasing by 8.8% (from 10.2 to 12%). Websites, social media and mobile apps are the top digital content to which customers are directed. According to Steve Adoniou, Director of InfoTrends’ Consulting Service, “Print is not disappearing, but its use is declining and its role is changing.”

In “What’s next for print in an increasingly mobile world,” the author notes that return on investment for print is actually increasing for marketers the world over. Marketers have moved away from the broad, general outbound marketing tactics of the past to a more targeted, data-driven and totally integrated approach. As a result, marketers have made print work harder by integrating it with their digital efforts.

This is reinforced by a survey by Oracle, which revealed that 70% of marketers currently use print to direct audiences to digital content. In addition, nearly half of marketers (46%) believe print is “vital” to driving interest in digital mobile content and campaigns. In an age of information overload, print has the power to cut through the clutter, but adding digital and mobile can attract many more eyeballs and offer an altogether more powerful proposition.

In the Newspaper Association of America’s 2011 “How America Shops and Spends” survey, two-thirds (66%) of the total sample of newspaper digital users responded to ads on computer, smartphone or table platforms in the previous 30 days and results are similar across groups, including the desirable younger demographic.

Past 30-Day Response to Newspaper Digital Ads

66%        Net any

56%        Net became aware of product, service, sale, needed item

47%        Net looked for more information by clicks, search, asking others

32%        Net visited store online or in person

30%        Net bought, decided to buy, where to buy

14%        Referred ad to someone else.

Past 30-Day Response to Newspaper Mobile Ads

Smartphone       Tablet

59%                        61%        Net any

46%                        50%        Net became aware of product, service, sale, needed item

40%                        43%        Net looked for more information by clicks, search, asking others

20%                        26%        Net visited store online or in person

27%                        33%        Net bought, decided to buy, where to buy

11%                        17%        Referred ad to someone else

An example of how well the integration of print and digital works is Tourism Australia. The advertiser got four times its investment in media value from a partnership with Fairfax Media on a campaign targeting New Zealand tourists.

Fairfax Media developed a four-phase Amazing Australia campaign, which combined advertising and co-created and user-generated content across multiple platforms: Sunday Star-Times, Stuff.co.nz, Escape, NZ House and Garden NZ Life & Leisure and Cuisine.

Readers were prompted to vote for their favorite travel experience as part of a competition to win their own Amazing Australia outing. Engagement far exceeded the target 20,000 entries and reached a total of more than 76,000 entries.

Brand Metrics

Research commissioned by Fairfax Media measured and reported on awareness and engagement levels. Each element delivered impressive results on its own but, when respondents were exposed to multiple elements, the effects were magnified. Key messages were more readily absorbed by readers: people who had seen the campaign in print and online agreed that Australia “offers a wide range of diverse experiences for travelers” (up 6.1%) and “has a lot to do for travelers outside the main cities” (up 11.6%) versus those who had not been exposed to the campaign.

For those who bought or read the newspaper, 87% of the target market saw the Amazing Australia booklet; 69% said as a result of reading the booklet, they were more likely to think about traveling outside Australia’s main centers.

Here’s another case study on the successful integration of print and digital in advertising campaigns. In 2012, the Integrated Solutions and National Automotive team at the Toronto Star had the opportunity to partner with Nissan Canada and its agencies (OMD and TBWA) to develop an innovative advertising program.

Common themes were developed for content, consistent technology was used for augmented reality and timing was coordinated across newspapers and out-of-home to achieve maximum impact.

In the Toronto Star, the program included:

  • Four-week, pre-launch program with content integration, augmented reality, promotional contest and multi-platform media support (print, online, email, mobile).
  • Launch day domination in the Toronto Star.
  • First-ever die-cut wrap on all paid copies.
  • Domination of all sections on launch day with front-of-section ads and “floating” DPS ad units in all five sections. Ad content was Layar-enabled to give readers the opportunity to interact with the printed page and the brand in a new way.

The result was award-winning. The launch campaign for the 2013 Nissan Altima won Best in Show in Canada’s 2012 Media Innovation Awards this past November. Over eight million readers viewed the campaign in one day, which led to more than 6,500 page views at a 42% click-through rate. Test drives for the Nissan Altima increased by 65% as a result of the interactive

So the ultimate answer to the question is that newspapers should focus on both print and digital to deliver maximum results for advertisers. Print will become an increasingly used, highly-strategic tool for many marketers who can integrate it with digital and mobile channels to bring both tangibility and credibility to their future campaigns.

As a marketer, have you integrated print and digital advertising and, if so, how did this impact your return on investment? If you are a publisher, how do you make it easy for your advertisers to create integrated campaigns across channels?

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SMBs: What Content Should You Tweet?

February 22, 2013 4 Comments

To thrive in their communities, small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need to build personal connections with their customers and prospects. Twitter is a great way to connect and drive business. It is essentially a free local, regional and internet listing that takes just a few minutes to set up. But once you have an account, the big question is: what should you tweet to produce the right kind of results?

First things first, think about what you want to achieve. Yes, you realize you need to be on Twitter because everyone tells you so, but do you have a defined expectation? For example, do you want to provide support to customers? Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Do you want people to buy something? Do you want your brand to be top-of-mind for whenever decisions are made? Once you have determined this, much of your content strategy will fall into place.

The most likely goal is that you want to sell products and services. However, you should keep in mind is that, instead of overtly trying to promote, on Twitter your initiative should be to help and engage. This will ultimately result in long-term relationships and sales.

Social Media TermsYou need followers to read your tweets and one of the best ways to acquire and engage them is by posting links to quality content. That means you have to know your audience to share the information that interests them. Relevance is how you become known as an authority and a resource. For example, if you are a fashion expert, you don’t want to retweet something about the latest automotive trends. Furthermore, your news should also be current, not from last week or last month, because someone else has probably already shared it.

Another important consideration is that there is a correlation between the amount of personality a Twitter brand has and the success it achieves. This is one of those forms of communication in which it is beneficial to relax and let some of your personality show. People who use Twitter read and post about a wide range of subjects, not just business concerns. But you should still remain professional.

Lastly, use #hashtags. When you do, your tweet will not only be seen by your followers, it will be included in a larger stream of tweets with that same hashtag, which exposes you to many potential new followers and leads.

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10 Tips for Supporting the Sales Team in Today’s Environment

February 15, 2013 1 Comment

The traditional role of marketing is to create awareness of the brand, company and products through various tactics such as advertising, trade shows, public relations, email and others. Marketing is also expected to generate inquiries and leads that sales can turn into prospects and, ultimately, clients.

But the way people buy has changed dramatically, as Todd Ebert details in this eBook, due to the prevalence of information and opinion online and in social media. Very often sales joins the conversation long after prospects have heard about an offering, researched it and solicited advice from others. With this in mind, how can SMB marketers support sales?

The good news is that, despite the changes, the core objectives for marketing remain the same: directing sales to the right opportunities, promoting the organization and offering, and providing tools and information to equip sales to close deals.

Affinity Express recently hired Rick Ashcroft and Brent Hoxsey, two retail industry veterans, to help grow our business in the segment. Working with them over the past couple of months has enabled me to develop the following checklist you can use to cover all the bases with your sales team.

Social Media Buying Cycle

Social Media Buying Cycle, CMS Wire, Rob McCarthy 1-17-12

1.       Build a target list

If you don’t tell sales what and who to sell, you can bet they will sell whatever they want. Instead, your first step should be to decide on the segments and accounts you want sales to target. Describe your ideal customer(s) and list the reasons why. How large are these clients in terms of revenue, number of employees or other criteria? Does your company do well at displacing competitors or selling early adopters? What kind of unmet needs should sales look for? You might not be able to build a perfect database but you should take the time to compile as much information as you can. There is no need to buy a prospect list anymore, since you can find names of companies online from various industry sites and publications, as well as on LinkedIn.

Once you have your target list, help sales prioritize based on the most promising opportunities. If you have more than one sales person on your team, assign accounts to ensure thorough coverage and avoid duplication of efforts.

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What You Need to Know About Facebook–This Week!

February 8, 2013 2 Comments

Facebook is overwhelmingly the most effective social media marketing channel for small businesses, with respondents saying it is better than Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and all other social networks, based on a Constant Contact Small Business Pulse Survey.

  • 75% of SMBs said Facebook was the most effective social medium for their business
  • 56% of users are more likely to recommend a business of which they are a Facebook fan
  • 51% of Facebook users are more likely to buy after becoming a fan of a business

Despite the results, social media remains a challenge for small business owners, as 59% listed it as a marketing activity on which they need help.

With these points in mind, I wanted to share some of the latest tips, rules, news and features in recent days from the social superpower.

Social MediaFacebook Wall Post Cheat Sheet for Marketers

What works and does not work when you post on Facebook? Edgerank is the algorithm that determines what appears in News Feeds. What it boils down to is that, the more people engage with your pages, the more they will appear on the site. And it follows that high engagement equals high sales.

The Facebook Wall Post Cheat Sheet created by Linchpin SEO has statistics that will help you post content that will engage your audience. Here are a few highlights.

  • Photo posts receive interaction rates 39% higher than average.
  • Posts that contain emoticons have 52% higher interaction rates and 57% higher Like rates, 33% higher comment rates and 33% higher share rates.
  • Don’t bother with the :-) emoticon because it is so yesterday. However, :D has a +138% interaction rate!
  • Posts with 80 characters or less get a 23% higher interaction rate but 75% of posts exceed this length.
  • The most effective calls to action on Facebook include Like, caption this, share, yes or no and thumbs up. In contrast, take, click, submit, check and shop have much lower interaction rates.
  • If you want someone to share your post, you just have to ask. When publishers do, the share rate is seven times higher.
  • Along the same lines, if they are asked to comment, there is a 3.3 times higher comment rate and, if they are asked to like a post the rate is three times higher.
  • “Winner”, “win” and “giveaway” are keywords that significantly increase interaction.
  • You’ll get lower interaction rates with posts containing questions but will get a 92% higher comment rate.
  • Be sure to put your questions at the end because these posts have two times higher interaction than those with questions in the middle.

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Multi-Channel Retailing Today and Tomorrow

February 1, 2013 Leave a comment

When I attended the National Retail Federation conference a couple of weeks ago, there was a session on “Exhibitor Big Ideas”  dedicated to what global consumers say they really want in a multi-channel world, based on a 2012 study by NCR. The research was very enlightening about the current state of retail and the preferences of today’s consumers.

The study mapped what consumers look for and like with against retailers are actually offering and there is a lot of room for retailers to improve. In fact, retail will change more in the next five years than it has in the past 20 years.

Woman Shopping Onnline1. Personalization and target marketing

When it comes to personalized coupon offers:

  • 69% of consumers worldwide would welcome them.
  • 73% of shoppers said the availability of electronic coupons is a must-have for them.
  • 27% of grocery retail locations provide personalized offers.
  • 46% of favorite grocery retailers offer electronic coupons (“favorites” were a specific sub-set of retailers cited by respondents)
  • Overall, 35% of U.S. retailers offer them but 80% of American consumers want them.

2. Buy anywhere, get anywhere

Shoppers expect a connected or converged experience. They want to feel like they are dealing with the same business in-store, online, in mobile apps, etc. Brick and mortar stores must embrace that consumers are using technology. For many, the internet has become the shopping channel of choice. Retail has gone from a B2C to a C2B experience.

For each company, all of the pricing strategies, policies and procedures have to look and work the same. The best way to accomplish this is to put the right platforms in to manage the entire ecosystem versus managing all of them individually.

  • 78% of shoppers in North America want to purchase anywhere and get merchandise shipped or picked up anywhere.
  • 82% of favorite retailers in North America offer the option but 26% did not.

There are some interesting developments happening. Retailers are creating multiple channels for returns. It’s good they are doing this because expensive or lengthy return policies and procedures were reasons for not making purchases for 76% of consumers.

Retailers have to think about getting creative because there are many opportunities to think outside the box. For example, Sears had a drive-through window for returns after the holidays.

3. In-Store Self-Service

Most grocery stores have some self-service options but there is opportunity to incorporate this approach across all retail categories. Even in grocery, many retailers have self-service in the front lanes but not enough help around the store. Consumers want independence and control of their shopping experience.

  • Nearly 20% of retailers provide in-store self-service
  • However, 44% of North American consumers desired increased in-store self-service options.

Apple consumers can walk in, buy accessories and walk out without speaking or engaging with store associates.

4. Consumer Mobile

Retailers have to do mobile right and consumers love it when they do. The experience should be clean, fast and positive. Furthermore, it has to be timely. When it works, the adoption rate will be strong and fast. From mobile apps and offers to research and payment—there is no end to the trend.

Regarding  mobile scan and pay:

  • 52% of consumers want mobile scan and pay
  • Only 12% of their favorite grocery stores offer (because it is tough to implement and there are operational considerations).

Retailers who drive this feature early may actually get consumers to switch their loyalties. Even if retailers decide they want to hang back and join this trend late, they should start soon in the next one to three years because consumers will demand this feature.

Mobile can be a win-win.

  • Consumers are using technology for faster checkout and personalized offers. They also use it to monitor spending.
  • Retailers get valuable insight into purchasing behavior, store utilization/traffic patterns and can influence shoppers at the point of decisions with targeted offers. On top of that, scan and pay is a huge opportunity.

Stepping back to look at the big picture, time is the biggest problem retailers can solve for consumers. And they are getting more impatient. They digest technology really quickly. So if “Big Brother” is smart, he will be successful.

Ultimately, retailers have to remember that the consumer is in charge. Purchasing used to be a straight line of activity. Now there are lines all over the place in the C2B experience. The best advice for retailers is to think of all the points of contact, look at their technology architecture and centralize to deliver what consumers want, as well as how and where they want.

What makes certain retailers “favorites” for you and what multi-channel options do you value most?

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Five Tips for Ordering Online Ads

January 25, 2013 1 Comment

You can imagine that with our large capacity of more than 1,500 employees and range of digital and print design services, we have really seen it all when it comes to instructions. We’ve gotten scans of handwritten doodles on napkins, three-word requests we have to interpret and creative briefs with about as many pages as a dictionary. It certainly makes each day interesting!

Fortunately, we have learned through all these client encounters a few tips on how to submit orders for online ads to get the best results from Affinity Express and from just about any provider or employee you may use.

1.Logos and Images

  • Send logos that have good resolution. Vector artwork in Adobe Illustrator or .EPS format is preferred because these files can be scaled to any size without loss of clarity.
  • If this is not possible, at least make sure that the logo you submit is not too small for the specific design you need.
  • When ordering animated ads, limit the number of images to avoid blurriness. Ads should only have three or four images because any more than that will mean downgrading the image quality, which can be noticeable.

Home and Garden2. Look and Feel

Communicate how you would like your design to look in general. Other information that is useful is your brand colors or preferences for overall color schemes and main images to feature (or send images or reference samples). For example, “We are an exclusive jewelry maker and this ad needs to look very upscale. Please use icy blues and silvers.”

3. Copy

Write the copy exactly the way you would like to see it written in the ad. So if there if there are punctuation marks, include them. If a certain word or phrase should be in all capitals, state that. Indicate the main headline and differentiate it from the minor copy.

If you are sending in a document from which text should be lifted, be specific on which copy needs to be included, ignored and included if there is space. This helps a designer to prioritize what is important to you.

But remember that designers are not copywriters. They see text as blocks of information to be moved around to create space and can’t edit for you.

Legal4. Animation

  • Let us know the elements you would like to see in the first, second, third frame, etc.
  • Draw storyboard if you can (but it is not required)
  • Tell us how you would like the animation to flow from one screen to the next. In other words
    1. Please start off the animation with the image of the car entering the frame.
    2. While keeping the car on the screen, the next frame should have the logo along with the main headline.
    3. Next bring in the sale price of the vehicle with the original price crossed out in red.
    4. The last screen should be the logo again with all the contact information: phone number, address and website.
  • If you are referencing one of your previous ads, indicate the information to include and to leave out.

BD 15. Other Elements

Explain what elements, fonts and colors the designer can or cannot use. To illustrate: “Please use one or two heart elements in the same pink shade as the logo.” or “We do not want any fancy fonts in this ad.”

Things to Avoid

Refrain from giving directions are not very specific or can be interpreted in different ways:

Bad:     “The ad does not flow.”

Better:  “The flow of the animation needs to be the logo, the image of the bike, the headline, the minor copy and the contact information along with the website.”

Bad:     “The background needs to be green.

Better:  “Specify what kind of green you would like. If you can include an image with the particular color you have in mind or specify the color swatch number in Photoshop, that is even better.

Bad:     “The text needs to be eye-catching.”

Better:  “Please use a bolder font for the main headline and make the word “free” in all caps and red.”

Bad:     “The design needs to pop.”

Better:  “Please make the logo stand out more compared to the rest of the background. The sale price also needs to be more noticeable, as well as the ‘Click Here’ button.”

Remember that less is more and keep it simple.

  • File sizes are limited on the web.
  • Space is small.
  • People will see your ad for little time.
  • The less text the better, so focus on what is most important

Have you been successful providing instructions to designers? What tactics have been especially effective for you? If you design, what are the worst instructions you have received for a project? We’d love to compare notes!

Filed under advertising, interactive, SMB marketing Tagged with , , , ,

13 Trends to Watch for Retailers . . . and Everyone Else

January 18, 2013 1 Comment

Last week, I attended the annual conference of the National Retail Federation in New York, Retail’s Big Show 2013, (and “big” does not begin to describe the scope of this event!). There were many informative sessions but I was really struck by the insight of Marian Salzman, CEO of Havas PR North America. I was initially skeptical but then quickly realized there are already indicators of the thirteen things that she predicted are around the corner. Most of us are probably just not attuned enough to pick up on them.

Read on and start thinking about how you can leverage these trends to the advantage of your business or at least mitigate any potential issues.

1.         You and me = “co”. The prefix “co” will be everywhere. We will seek to “co-parent” and “co-produce”. To be a “co-preneur” versus an “entrepreneur” will be the new aspiration. We’ll also push to a higher level of intimacy with others, transitioning from “coworkers” to “co-creators.” Retailers need to present their offering to capitalize on this.

2.         Make solutions, not problems. Don’t talk negatively. Instead, frame issues in terms of how to solve them. For example, retailers should say: “You didn’t know you needed this product or service. Here you go!” Increasingly, people do not want negative events and approaches. So talk less trash about competitors and place an accent on the positive aspects of products and solutions. Find your happy place.

Frugal3.         Austerity living with double-dip frugality. There will be more sites like Renttherunway.com and options like Zipcars. People will aspire to a fraction of ownership or engagement. Notice how the storage business is booming: it’s because we have more things than we can fit into our homes. As a result, we are starting to ask ourselves, “Do I really need to own this stuff?” We will still buy electronics but there must be a positive message about them. And content will migrate from paper we can hold in our hands to digital content we can access anytime, anywhere, anyhow. That is why the tablet is the new “cloud catcher.”

4.         Alternative economies. Cash is taxable. Trading and bartering will become more popular, as will dumpster diving and the freegan movement. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the traditional retail model. Cash will still be used but will come with the expectation of a premium-level service or product.

5.         Rethinking imperfections. Photoshop, cosmetic dentistry and even SAT tutors transform how we look, smile and perform on standardized tests. We live in a world where products are showcased in the retail environment and everything is perfect. But perfection is not human. We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves and allowed to be more real. We see this with the Dove campaign for real beauty but apparel stores still have mannequins with unattainable figures.

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Filed under advertising, marketing communications, retail marketing, SMB marketing Tagged with , , ,

Adam Burnham Talks About the Future of Multi-Media Publishing

January 11, 2013 2 Comments

Earlier this week, we announced that multimedia publishing veteran Adam Burnham joined Affinity Express as vice president of interactive services. I was fortunate to meet him in person and had an opportunity to ask him some of the same questions many of you are asking yourselves and your colleagues about the industry, transitioning to digital services providers and models that work. Here is what we talked about.

What are the top challenges and/or obstacles for publishers as they work to transition from print only to multi-media publishing?

The economics of the business are in a constant state of transition. The classified business has retracted to become a small minority of revenue for publishers and the future of legals and preprints are in question now. Publishers have to be ready to adapt their business to what their audience and to what their advertisers want. I am in no way suggesting print will disappear; as I do not think that will be the case. But it will be a different business. I fear those who are unwilling to adapt may not survive.

Adam BurnhamWhat ideas or approaches have you seen work to ease this transition?

The good news is there are a number of companies taking very innovative steps and trying new things. That is the best practical approach because, if any one company had it figured out, everyone else would be copying the model. But at the core, you have to sell advertisers things they want to buy. I believe those publishers that are constantly feeding the sales organization new products and platforms, and are willing to find success through experimentation with a fail fast mentality, will be the most successful. I typically find the smaller the company, the more fluid and dynamic it can be. The digital agency concept is sweeping the publishing business but few are fully committed to it. Companies need to start thinking about what they are today and envision what they will be tomorrow. Then they should build plans accordingly.

Which digital services are being embraced earliest by SMBs and why?

I would say there are two main categories: search engine marketing (SEM) and digital services. Small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are dedicating a significant part of their overall expense budgets (not just marketing) to building out dynamic solutions and customer acquisition models online. Those publishers offering website design and development, coupled with search engine optimization, pay per click, maps and social solutions are able to get in front of virtually any business. And this is what SMBs want to talk about first. You can then layer on additional marketing opportunities across all platforms. But they need this foundation.

Is it more effective to offer standalone services or packaged offerings and why?

The more comprehensive the offerings, the better they are for SMBs when it comes to time, price and relationship. Spreading money across multiple channels doesn’t allow them to properly lever their total marketing spend to get the best possible pricing. Plus, publishers that can look to offer more than just one or two platforms, will find the relationship with the SMBs will be richer and last longer.

What is the advantage multimedia publishers have in local markets as compared to pure plays and other offerings?

Multimedia publishers have the single most important advantage: an established, in-market sales force with existing relationships and a local brand. This above anything else distinguishes them from any pure play competitor.

How do multimedia publishers have to think about their audiences now versus five or ten years ago?

They have to think in terms of total audience as opposed to individual segments. The reach of a local publisher is greater than it has ever been when you combine print, online, mobile and social channels. Offering a collective solution with robust targeting capabilities is a huge opportunity.

How can publishers prepare their teams for this transition and train them to up-sell the additional services?

They need to take action. Stop talking about what you want to do and stop discussing what you can’t do. Focus on what you CAN and WILL do. Hire specialists to work with the existing sales staff that also will cultivate new business on their own. Remove complacency from the current sales organization and look to serve the market as a whole. Stop constricting yourself by what you don’t know.

In your experience helping Digital First Media turn the company around, did anything surprise you when working to drive digital growth and launch new platforms and services?

I would not call it a surprise, but more of a challenge. You walk a fine line of being aggressive and driving change versus taxing the bandwidth of the local sales organization. I think you can only fit so much on one plate and it takes time for things to really click. Make sure you have proper support functions in place so sales people can sell.

What’s the best advice you could offer to publishers eager to offer digital services to their advertisers?

You can build the best solution, create the best marketing material, have the best training and sell the hell out of it. But if you cannot fulfill it, you will fail. Be overly-prepared to support the sales effort and partner with companies that are strong where you are weak.

What questions would you want to ask Adam? Do you have any perspective on helping publishers transition from print-only to multi-channel? What tactics or approach have worked?

About Adam Burnham

As vice president of interactive for Affinity Express, Adam focuses on digital product mix, workflow and fulfillment solutions, helping drive both top and bottom line improvement. Previously, he led the digital first sales strategy at Journal Register Company and Digital First Media; driving industry leading growth rates since January 2010.

Adam runs at a very aggressive pace to capture larger shares of marketing dollars with businesses of all sizes; local, regional and national. He specializes in growing revenue in both traditional and non-traditional ways, as well as in developing and integrating defined sales strategies.

Filed under advertising, interactive, SMB marketing Tagged with , , , ,

Happy New Year 2013!

January 3, 2013 Leave a comment

To our employees, clients, prospects and partners, wherever you reside in the world, we wish you success and joy in the new year and beyond!

New Year 2013-01

Filed under advertising, graphics Tagged with , ,

New Year’s Themed Ads Get Fired Up

January 2, 2013 Leave a comment

With 2012 coming to a close, many of us look for ways to thanks our clients. It is an opportunity to stand out with special offers, interesting designs and strong messaging. As usual, our team also got quite a few design projects with a New Year’s Eve theme and we completed them fast and got positive reviews. Here are a few of our favorites from this season.

There is no doubt this is a New Year’s ad. The font is festive and it is complemented by fireworks, the single most used graphic element for this holiday. The result is an ad that gets viewers thinking about their plans for the big night!

Century 21 New Year's Ad

An ad for a New Year Eve’s party from the Ramada Palms is designed to make the party look exciting and fun with playful fonts. Champagne glasses are another traditional New Year’s graphic and the ad carries over the color of the champagne to the year, prices and the special offer.

New Year's Party AdAnother ad by Kim Roberts & Allen Title Company also incorporates fireworks in a simple design. It uses yet another festive font that you might see on a party invitation. The content of the ad stresses safety, which is a smart strategy for a company in the business of reassuring clients by providing title insurance and closing services for real estate transactions.

Kim Roberts & Allen Abstract & Title CompanyThis New Year ad by Peerless Products is beautiful and also ties in well to the company’s business: windows. This simple black and white design gets the point across that you can trust Peerless Products to keep you warm and safe in the winter but there is no sales language or any products listed. The magical letters appearing in the sky make it look like a page from an old storybook.

Peerless Products New Year's Ad

If you are working on an ad to tie in with the New Year’s holiday, you can’t go wrong by choosing a creative, script font, incorporating fireworks or champagne and using a black, white and gold color scheme. And be sure to keep it simple and uncluttered. This is a time of celebration and looking ahead to what we hope is a bright future.

Have you seen any great New Year’s ads yet? Do you remember any from previous years that resonated with you? What other graphics have you incorporated in your holiday ads?

Affinity Express wishes you all the best in 2013 and beyond!

Filed under advertising, graphics, SMB marketing Tagged with , ,

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