By Ryan Emenecker
January 6th, 2011
This week I had an e-mail show up in my inbox that had 5 calls to action in it. Yikes! As I ponder which of those actions I was supposed to take first (call one of the 2 phone numbers, RSVP, visit the booth or e-mail), I was reminded of the important role design plays in something as simple as an e-mail marketing campaign. Not just design in the sense of images and graphics, but also how you design content, and the fact that the two go hand-in-hand.
There are plenty of mistakes made when designing an e-mail campaign. These mistakes include content that is hard to read or unclear, images everywhere and multiple calls-to-action. Below are my top five suggestions to help you avoid these digital marketing catastrophes.
- Be clear about the audience you write for. Speak to that one person in the audience and keep it brief! Think about what you want the reader to do after they read your content and make the one call-to-action obvious.
- Don’t make it hard to read. Break up large text boxes with sidebars or callouts. Highlight specific copy points that the audience will respond to. Use easy-to-read typefaces that are high contrast and stick to one or two.
- Make sure it’s not dull. Write headlines to pull people in. Make sure the headline is easy to see—remember, the purpose of a headline is to get the reader to read the first line of your copy.
- Don’t be overly decorative. Be careful using to many colors, drop shadows and every effect Photoshop has. This can often make your content hard to read. In e-mail marketing, less is more.
- Make it believable. Create trust with design and tone consistency. Your company’s brand should already be doing this. Make sure you roll this into your digital – including e-mail – campaigns.
If you’ve got a digital marketing campaign and you need some help avoiding these mistakes or narrowing your call to actions, give Canyon a call at 480.775.8880.
By Ryan Emenecker
August 23rd, 2010
Hard to imagine isn’t it? What would we do without Facebook? Hmm, let me think about that for a few milliseconds…
Oh, I know, how about talk to someone! Meet a friend for coffee. Try visiting a neighbor you’ve been meaning to meet. What about an act of kindness like taking some homemade cookies to a local fire station or maybe even plan some quality time with your family. Or even better, put down that phone, refrain from texting, tweeting or even chatting on Facebook and intentionally connect face-to-face with someone.
Impossible you say? Not according to Facebook. Wednesday, August 25 is the National Facebook Fast. Facebook is encouraging everyone to do just that—connect face-to-face.
What does this have to do with B2B communications? It’s a new idea called ‘Personal Touch.’ Okay, so the idea might not be new, but when was the last time you took the time to reach out and connect with your clients in a new and personal way?
Not sure what you can do. Be creative and have fun with it. Still not sure? Then call Canyon, we’ve got plenty of great ideas for you to reach out to your current clients and prospects you’ve been trying to reach.
So don’t forget, no Facebook on August 25, 2010—call a friend or Canyon instead…480-775-8880. We would even love to meet for lunch.
The funny part about this is that you use Facebook to invite people to this. I guess we can’t live without it after all.
By Ryan Emenecker
March 29th, 2010
Have you seen this? Google strikes again! Now you can advertise on TV. A commercial made by you. You pick the time, the show placements, how much you want to spend—without spending hundreds of thousands or even millions on a TV spot. According to Google you can “launch a TV advertising campaign in minutes.”
Don’t believe it? I’m not sure I do either, but here’s an online company who tried it. Check it out below.
Hmm…maybe it’s time to pull out that 2010 marketing plan and call Canyon? Lights, Camera, Action!
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By Ryan Emenecker
October 28th, 2009
At last we’ve found it, advertising at its lowest point. Flush all those ideas of social media or mobile devices being the future of advertising, the WOW Toilet Tank is sure to be the #1 (or #2) way to reach your target market! We ran across this website here in the office and couldn’t help but share it. It’s a transparent toilet tank for inserting posters and advertisements.
The question is: Will it really help sales skyrocket or make them tank?
Although we’re used to people “crapping” all over our new marketing ideas, this one wipes all those away. We thought it would be fun to give it a try. So here’s our challenge: anybody who would like to step up (or sit down) to this new advertising idea, we’d be glad to assist. I do have a disclaimer though…I don’t want to be the one to change out the posters in the tanks!
Now I’m off to wash my hands.
By Ryan Emenecker
September 2nd, 2009
You may remember my post about the importance of selecting the correct typeface to help brand your company. I even got a little emotional and drooled over the Periodic Table of Typefaces.
Of course I enjoy designs that are “clean” and “simple” with beautiful type treatment and lots of white space, but as much as I am a believer in type, I’ve been reminded lately that designers can’t live by type alone.
I ran across this site, texturelovers.com and it reminded me how adding texture in design can also deliver a feeling and emotion to the person interacting with your product—even that office chair you’re sitting in right now makes you feel a certain way.
Texture gives your product dimension, it makes someone want to reach out and get closer. If your product or company were a texture, what would it be?
