It’s okay to admit that buyers don’t get as jazzed about cleaning supplies, light bulbs, and toilet plungers as they do video games and stiletto heels.
If you have a “boring” product, how do you use your next direct mail, email, or multichannel campaign to get customers excited about what you have to offer?
1. Create the narrative.
Don’t let customers create the narrative around your product. Do it for them. Clearly define the product’s value. Does it save them $100 per year? Give busy executives back an hour of their precious time? Tell them why they can’t go another day without it.
2. Be a storyteller.
Product specs are boring, but stories grab attention. Think about big home improvement stores like Lowe’s. Their ads don’t show lumber and nails. They show decks being built and yards being transformed. In other words, Lowe’s doesn’t sell lumber and mulch. It sells homeowner pride. What do you sell?
3. Bring the dazzle.
Creative approaches can make anything fun. Even a tablecloth will come to life using specialty techniques like dimensional coatings or 3D techniques like embossing. House-shaped pop-up 3D mailers can turn even the opening of a new branch of an insurance company into a “can’t miss” event.
4. Help them visualize.
Images communicate complex concepts quickly. That’s why the soft, cuddly Snuggle bear and green Mucinex blob are so effective. These characters communicate ideas of softness and sticky goop in your lungs with speed and clarity that text alone cannot.
5. Get personal.
No matter what you are selling, buyers pay attention when they see themselves. Whether it’s their name, a reference to an issue they relate to, or the use of their sense of humor, once they see themselves in your ad, they’re hooked. Use data to understand your buyers, then get inside their heads and create messaging that draws them in.
When it comes to print and multichannel marketing, there is no excuse to be boring. Use images, and tell a story. There is something genuinely fascinating about your products. Let’s find it!