Snow in July
Every now and then we have are lucky enough to bring on a new client who has a good idea of what they want, challenges us with interesting assignments, and is fun to work with. Hittle Snow is exatly that type of client. Erik, the Director of Operations came to us, hoping to refresh the look for their snow removal company. A division of a more well established, and well know company (Hittle Landscape) they were hoping to carve out a distinctive identity. Erik was open to new ideas, gave us timely and useful feedback, and pushed us gently through several rounds of revisions, till both he and we were satisfied.
The logo was only the first step in a comprehensive project which will include a redesign of their website and multiple directmail peices. The easy communication between Roundpeg and Hittle helped the design project flow smoothy, allowing us to begin working on the other elements of the project.
About the Design
Hittle Snow’s old logo had some interesting stylistic qualities, bu was a bit dated. Selecting the font was a challenge. Hittle Snow didn’t want to be too edgy, but at the same time, they also didn’t want a boring, typical serif/sans serif font. The font that we ended up using is a serif, but it’s very distinctive, sharp edges and subtle curves. We liked the H so much, we carried it into the logo.
We wanted to clearly communicate this was a snow removal company, and decided to add a snowflake symbol easily encapsulate who Hittle Snow was. Picking a snowflake was also a bit difficult. We all know that no two snowflakes are the same, and we sure learned that! By nature, snowflakes are complex shapes, but we still needed a design that could be printed on trucks, embroidered on shirts, and used in lots of different collateral. After consultations with printers and embroiderers, we wound up with a great snowflake that strikes a balance between complexity and simplicity.
The customer is so pleased with the design, we have also created several variations for their landscape division. Working on this project was a lot of fun. Hittle Snow is a wonderful client, and I think that in the end, we gave them a unique but classic brand.
May 6 – Random Strangers to Raving Fans
We had so much fun team teaching together last month that my sales coach, Matt Nettleton of Sandler Training Trustpointe and I will be conducing another session of our class ”From Random Strangers to Raving Fans” In this lively 3 hour session, we show you how to use a system to create the right messages for the right people at the right time.
We’re going to talk about how important it is that your sales and marketing support each other. After all, the best marketing plan in the world won’t help you if you can’t seal the deal, and the best sales strategy won’t help you if you don’t have leads in the first place!
Check out the details below. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, May 6, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Sandler Training Trustpointe Offices, 6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis
Fee: $29.99 Seating is limited, so be sure to register soon. Click here
Productive Direct Mail
We seem to be doing quite a few direct mail campaigns for client right now. While not for every business, direct mail campaigns, can be a very powerful marekting tool for many small business. However, a poorly planned campaign, can be disapointing and expensive. How do you make your campaign more effective?
While design is an important component, and our designer Taylor has created some really fun designs lately, a productive campaign needs more then just good design.
A productive campaign should include:
- A well researched, narrowly targeted list.
- A realistic timing schedule. Don’t send 10,000 cards, then nothing for six weeks. Space them out so you have time to respond to the inquries.
- Follow up with both additional mailings as well as telephone calls.
- Test your messages and offers. Instead of one huge mailing, send out smaller, test groups. Vary layout, message and call to action, till you find the one which makes the phone ring most often.
- Be sure to include a strong call to action, or incentive for your prospect to call you now – Consider time senstive offers, special pricing or free stuff.
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
Small business owners often look for a magic bullet; that one perfect email or direct mail piece which will drive customers to your door over and over again The truth? Real success comes from perseverance.
Last Fall I wrote about my experiences learning to ride a bicycle at the age of 9. The process involved trying,(running into a mailbox) analyzing what I did wrong, tweaking my approach and trying again.
The same is true for your marketing efforts. No one message is going to be perfect. Study your campaigns, and adjust the approach each time to improve your results. And the benefit of multiple campaigns compounds as Doug Karr of the Marketing Technology Blog explains
A long-term strategic marketing campaign works a lot like compounding interest, though. In repeating the message, you’re not stuttering… you’re providing more opportunities for the message to take hold. Perhaps the first time, the visitor didn’t have time to investigate further… or perhaps the reader didn’t have an opportunity to purchase or engage at that time.
Cross Promotion in Action
One of the most effective ways for small business owners to get your name out there is through cross promotions with related and sometimes unrelated businesses.
One of our clients, Dr. Jeremy Ciano of Revolution Eyes has been very effective using his relationships with other business owners to build buzz for his business. For example, he ran a joint open house with a local singles group, and Bar Louis ( his favorite lunch spot). The singles group promoted an open house event to their members ( affluent, professional singles) The event was hosted at Bar Louis, and sign in, was across the street at Revolution Eyes. As people checked in, they could browse the unusual collection of designer frames and eyeware available from RevolutionEyes.
It was a win-win-win event! The singles had fun, the bar had a huge turn out on a typically slow Thursday night, and several new patients discovered RevolutionEyes. The cost was relatively minimal, as they group relied on email and Facebook to promote the event.
Dr. Ciano works with his partners in other ways as well. For example, he has a number of realtors who specialize in working with consumers who are new to the community. These are ideal prospects for Dr. Ciano. So we have created a direct mail piece, the realtors can send to their clients, after they move in offering a discount on their eye exam. Dr. Ciano pays for the design and printing, and the realtor’s pay for the postage. And the consumer gets the benefit.
That is really the key to successful cross promotions. It needs to be a win, win, win with something in if for each company, and the client. When done right, it helps small business owners reach a significantly wider audience. Interested in learning more? We would like to help!
If At First You Don’t Succeed ….
Try, Try, Again.
When I was growing up my parents often encouraged me to try something more then once. I was 9 when we moved to the suburbs, and had never ridden a bicycle till then. Unwilling to admit to my new friends I didn’t’ know how, I got on and rode, briefly and then I fell. Ok, so I actually rode directly into a mailbox, suffering multiple minor scrapes, and a huge blow to my ego.. But I got up, got back on, thought about what I did wrong, and tried it again, and again. Today, bicycle riding is still one of my favorite activities.
There is a lesson here for small business owners. Your first marketing attempt, eMail or direct mail may not necessarily generate the results you hoped for. Instead of abandoning the strategy, get up, review what you did, make changes, and try it again.
For example – with both direct mail and Email campaigns, consider re-mailing.
Sometimes people are simply too busy when your correspondence arrives, and the email drifts to the bottom of their in box or the postcard, to the bottom of the stack of junk mail. Resending it may allow it to arrive at a more convenient time. With eMail I would recommend scrubbing your list – creating a new group which does not include anyone who opened the first email) before your resend. This is only possible if you are using an email tool which allows you to track open and click through. While there are many good tools out there we prefer Constant Contact.
With direct mail, you have no way of knowing, and research actually shows response rates go up with a second mailing as people who were intrigued, but did not act on the first offer, call after the second one arrives.
Also, there is a possibility your mail was not opened because your tag line wasn’t compelling. Consider a modification before you try again. Or consider splitting your list, and testing two tags the first time. Then follow up with the one which received a more positive response.
Marketing Profs featured an interesting white paper on this topic, from an email company called Bronto
New Direct Mail Samples
I recently finished a series of direct mail pieces for an IT client, RPM Technologies. RPM wanted three pieces featuring messages about their different service offerings.
One piece focused on the speed of business. Another piece focused on the pain of audits. The last piece emphasized their emergency recovery services and was specifically created for businesses affected by the power outages in Cincinnati.
How to Burn Marketing Dollars Without Trying!
Direct mail campaigns, done correctly, can be a very powerful tool for small business marketing. However, a poorly planned campaign, can be a costly mistake. Here is a good article with practical tips on dos and don’ts for direct mail : Read More
And if you need help with your direct Mail campaign, contact Roundpeg!
