Stock Marketing: E-mail - It's a Blast

In October, I encouraged you to “mix up your media.” This month, in Stock Marketing, I want to focus on direct e-mail marketing –  also known as e-Blasts. Most of you are probably familiar with e-Blasts because they fill your inboxes with coupons, announcements and sales each day, but have you thought about using an e-Blast to promote your farm? If not, I want to give you a few perks of e-mail marketing to mull over.

•  It’s growing – But don’t believe me, check out some of these stats put together by PR Daily. According to information gathered by the Direct Marketing Association, there are 3.3 billion e-mail accounts throughout the world. And e-mail marketing doesn’t mean your audience needs to be glued to a computer – eight out of 10 smartphone users check and send  electronic mail from their phones, and of those eight, half check their e-mail as soon as they wake up.  That’s enough to convince a lot of marketers to invest in e-mail campaigns, resulting in a steady 10 percent growth of e-mail marketing in the US.
• It’s direct – E-mail gives producers a way to directly target a very specific group of potential  customers. These messages can even be personalized to include each recipient’s name. This extra personalization and targeted messaging means more opened mail.
• It’s easy to track – Have you ever wondered how many people have paused over a print advertisement? How many readers do you think sought out more information about your operation on the Web? Unless someone called you and specifically referred to your print ad, you’ll likely never know. But, with email marketing, you know exactly how many people opened your message to view it, and even how many potential buyers decided to “click through” the e-mail to find more information by visiting the links you embedded.
• It’s affordable – Without the added costs of ink and paper, e-mail marketing is a very affordable option for producers. In fact, if you were to use the National Swine Registry’s e-Blast service, the average cost for each name reached is less than 3 cents.

I hope that these points will help you consider adding e-Blasts to your advertising arsenal in 2013. As always, feel free to contact the Marketing & Communications staff here at the National Swine Registry. We are happy to help you find the right marketing platforms to promote your purebred genetics!

-Katie

Stock Marketing: Just Your Type

Everyone is guilty of it – skimming ads for pictures. But have you ever noticed an ad because of a clever headline? Chances are, if you did, you read it in its entirety. Wouldn’t it be nice if your ads could pack such a punch that they would stop readers in their tracks? With these quick headline writing tricks, your ad can have “stopping power.”

•  Name a benefit – Bigger litters. Bigger profits.


•  Tell them how sorry they’ll be if they don’t use your genetics, product or service – “I wonder what the champion drive is like,” said someone who didn’t buy from ACME Showpigs.


• Make like Snapple, and throw out some facts – Over the last decade, we’ve farrowed more than 500 litters, and this is our best one yet.


• Call-out to your target audience – No place is as nerve-wracking as ringside – buy your kids the best.


• Make it newsworthy – At last, we found the boar we spent years looking for.


• Command their attention – Find your seat at the ACME Showpig Sale.


• Ask a question – Who will be the first person you call when you grab the banner?


• Write, then repeat – Champion at WPX. Champion at NSS. Champion at NBS. Sensing a pattern?


• Play with words – Big belted girls make my rockin’ world go round.


• Metaphors, similes and analogies – oh my – Think of us as a stock market worth investing in.

I hope these examples inspire you to have a little fun writing your next headline. A simple sentence could determine the direction of your ad, and help create a concept that will cause readers to take notice. 

If you’re not feeling creative, the Seedstock EDGE staff will be happy to help you come up with a great headline – all you have to do is ask. 

For those who are itching to publish your Fall Classic success, remember Seedstock EDGE ad copy is due Nov. 29.  As always, give the friendly folks of the Marketing & Communications Department a call to help with your marketing needs.

 Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

- Katie

Stock Marketing: Attention-Getting Ads

Everyone knows our showpig issues get a little hefty. In fact, we expect three times the number of ads in our September Showpig issue of the Seedstock EDGE than the July issue you’re most likely flipping through this week. So for all of you advertisers out there wondering how to make your ad stand out among the clutter, here are a few quick tips.

• Lead with a strong headline – (Sorry, but your farm name doesn’t count.) An ad headline needs to give potential customers news or advice, evoke emotion, establish curiosity or make a statement about your products. Now the trick to a good headline is making it short, but impactful. Five times as many readers will read the headline in an ad rather than the small print so make it a good one. Amazingly, most readers are bored by the ninth word. Marketing research shows the best headlines are less than eight words. 
• Use the body copy to your advantage – Now I know that many ads will be filled with prospect pictures, herdsires and past winners, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the best use of the words in your ad. While straight-to-the-point thank-yous and pedigrees are nice, think of how much more impact your ad could have with a testimonial from a junior exhibitor or a strong statement a judge gave during reasons. Get creative and think of new ways to say the same things.
• Make it a sight to be seen – No one likes dull, boring ads. Think of supporting visuals that can support your claims. For me, brainstorming and word association help. For example, if your headline claims, “it takes more than luck,” then make a list of anything that reminds you of luck: four-leaf clovers, rabbit feet, pennies (face-up of course), leprechauns, the Irish, etc. Nothing is too crazy, when you’re brainstorming, some of the most striking images come from the most out-of-the-box ideas.
• Communicate to the ‘creatives’ – Now that you have an idea what you want, you need to make your vision clear to the folks creating your ad. Sure, they’re good at what they do, but they’re not mind-readers; if you have an idea in mind, tell them. Even if you don’t think your concept is complete, the ad designers can often take what you have and build on your ideas to create an ad.
• Meet deadlines – Last but not least, it is hard to create a good ad without the materials. Be conscious of deadlines. Designers need time to layout and put together your ads. Editors need time to check your copy. You need time to look over and approve the ad. And the publication needs time to reserve a spot and place your ad before their magazine is printed. Since everything takes time, you need to have all of your materials (copy, photos, ideas) in on time. To see the Seedstock EDGE deadlines click here.

As always, if you’ve hit a creative road block or would like some marketing guidance, give the Marketing and Communications Team at the National Swine Registry a call. We’re always glad to help.

Best,

Katie