The XIC Blog

Put the human element into your marketing.

Posted on March 16, 2012 by XIC

Nobody likes a buzzword, so why do businesses big and small insist on using these irritable terms, words and phrases to communicate with their audience and dehumanising themselves in the process?

The thing about buzzwords is that they become so overused that the audience becomes desensitised: they mean nothing, convey even less and may sway the decision making process for that product or service in the wrong direction, purely based on annoyance.

Well, we asked our twitter followers what buzzwords got on their wick and we had a fair old response. Take your pick:

1. Essentially

2. Moving forward

3. Guru

4. Engage

5. Enjoy!

6. Tasked

7. Synergy

8. Innovative

9. Branding

Special thanks to @XICdotcom followers’ @paranoididol, @JanLeatham and @GetIDed for these J

…and I’m sure we are all probably guilty of using one or two of these in the past, but now is the time to make amends…

This is why social media has played a large part in making it accessible for consumers to talk to their brands in a conversational fashion, and has proven to increase brand loyalty by cultivating trust.

As a direct result of this, your audience will appreciate your transparency, so be as honest as you can and develop relationships rather than shouting buzzwords…and that is XIC’s tip of the week.

Remember you can leave a comment here on The XIC Blog or alternatively please give us a tweet @XICdotcom or @cherylmcclorey and you can visit at http://www.facebook.com/XICsocial

Effective copy in 7 easy steps.

Posted on March 9, 2012 by XIC

Copy is a massive part of your marketing toolkit, but it can sometimes be a colossal headache to draft. There are several pitfalls to watch out for including: over-thinking what you are trying to say, buzzwords which your audience don’t understand and lack of planning, to name but a few!

But, us scamps over at XIC would like to turn your copywriting frown upside down with these 7 no nonsense, easy steps which will help take the headache out of writing and put the excitement back into words

1.Plan: Never underestimate the power of planning, even just a rough mock-up of what you want to say and what you want to get out of it will help to shape what words you use.

2.Theme: Have fun picking a theme for your message, you can be as creative as you want with this but it will also help with shaping your layout, tone and message.

3.You: Using the words ‘you’ & ‘your’ is a more effective and personal way of communicating. Try to talk to your audience like you would if you saw them face to face. It is important to recreate the human element in your communication helping you establish/maintain client relationships.

4.Keep it Simple: It’s easy to overanalyse your message, so just keep it simple, snappy and to the point. It doesn’t have to be wordy or fancy to capture attention.

5.Headlines & Paragraphs: Headlines are a great way to draw the readers’ eye where you want them and you can compliment them with succinct paragraphs that convey your message efficiently.

6.Write & Refine: Don’t be scared to get stuck in with writing, the best way to progress is to write your ideas down, start formulating and the real creativity will begin to shine through in the refinement, as you find more effective and fun ways to communicate.

7.Have Fun: Copy should be enjoyable so make it fun by showing your personality and expertise simultaneously, stand out from the crowd with catchy design, fonts and colour scheme.

So, go and give our 7 no nonsense, easy to use steps a good whirl and get back to us with your results. Remember you can tweet us @xicdotcom or @cherylmcclorey with comments/questions or come over and visit our new Facebook Timeline at http://www.facebook.com/XICsocial

The XIC Creatives: Part One

Posted on February 29, 2012 by XIC

This week we have a feature blog entry for you, to highlight our wonderful creative designers. We are kicking off this month’s feature with Chris, who has answered some questions about his life in the studio.

Now, as you may have noticed, we have been blogging a lot about direct marketing, so we wanted to come at it from a different angle and showcase some information about the design aspect of our services

Chris Graham: Creative Designer

What does being a creative designer at XIC involve?

We do a lot of work for the oil and gas industry and about half of my time is spent on design and the rest is a mix of pitch work, day-to-day artworking and internal marketing for XIC.

What is a typical working day like?

I get in at around 8.15, check over emails and see what jobs I’ve got coming in for the day followed closely by a big mug of coffee to wake me up. We usually have projects flowing on from the day before so these can be actioned before any new jobs are started. Lunchtime is a good opportunity to get away from the screen and have a quick bite to eat to fuel the think tank. Then I’m back on the mac until about 5.30.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It’s satisfying when you see campaigns you’ve worked on out in the real world or even when it’s some printed material that has been finished and ready for dispatch. It’s great to receive feedback from clients that appreciate the quality of a finished piece, it makes all the effort worth while.

What frustrates you?

When, for whatever reason, a good idea doesn’t see the light of day.

What are the biggest challenges?

On a workflow level, it’s always a challenge to deal with the sheer volume of information coming through and always striving to come up with a comprehensive design to match a clients brief. It’s important to prioritise tasks and projects as they become urgent, ensuring you dedicate enough time for the creative, which isn’t always easy to quantify into regular time slots.

What inspires you?

It’s important to be able to look at your work and know you’ve given 100% and see progress from what you’ve produced from month to month. I find a lot of inspiration from picking up flyers, books, brochures and skimming through magazines. I’ve recently taken up photography which is a great way of getting out the house and building up an image library to utilise on future projects. I find keeping the mind active is boosted by keeping the body active, which is why I frequently go to the gym and partake in other sporting activities. These are also a great way to relieve the stresses of everyday work.

Spice up your direct mail campaign.

Posted on February 14, 2012 by XIC

This week we are divulging some tips on how to maximise effectiveness of your direct mail campaign.

Planning

First off, in order to get the most out of your direct mail campaign there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

•Is it clear what you’re actually promoting?

•Is your offer or message relevant to the recipient?

•Is there a mechanism for the recipient to respond?

•Is there a resource in place to deal with the response?

Setting some simple objectives will help make your campaign more effective.

Creating

This is the really fun bit and the part where you have the opportunity to spice things up a little with different techniques. Try these out for size:

• Human Touch: Write as though you are communicating with an individual directly. You want to be as human as possible which will help you build stronger client relationships.

• Catchy Tagline: Get creative and brainstorm some catchy taglines that will encourage recipients to open and read your mailer, take inspiration from bigger brands or parody a popular tagline for maximum effect.

• QR Codes: Take advantage of the increase in popularity and use of smartphones and integrate a QR code into your piece. If done well and placed correctly with an appropriate landing page, you can really increase conversion rates.

If you would like to know more about or simply want a chat, please leave a comment here or check us out on Twitter @xicdotcom or at Facebook.com/XICsocial

Mix it up multichannel style…

Posted on February 1, 2012 by XIC

After discussing the benefits of both email marketing and direct mail individually on The XIC Blog, it seems only natural to discuss the powerhouse that is both online and offline modes of direct marketing working harmoniously together…multichannel style, ‘pimp my response rate’ if you will!

Why use both?

Well, combining the two has the power to double your response rates. Maintaining consistency in theme and message in both mediums will only strengthen your brand and message.

It’s not always likely that a recipient will respond to a direct mail piece but once they receive the follow up email it will remind them of you and your offer, and of course give them an opportunity to directly click on your respective links to your website, offer or landing page, it’s entirely up to you.

Integrate with Social Media too?

It would be rude not too! Don’t forget you can easily run your campaign on your social media platforms, whether it’s creating a corresponding tab on your Facebook, or just simply repeating the same message and offer in order to further your message and reach.

…And here’s one we made earlier: just to give you an example, we ran an email campaign to advertise a marketing Lunch & Learn and in conjunction we built a Facebook landing page for people outside our customer database list to use & interact with too. You can check it out here: http://on.fb.me/ykyWIO

28.5% of recipients responded through our landing page and increased our reach on the existing email-campaign, a winner all round.

Get in touch

If you would like to know some more please leave a comment here on The XIC Blog, or if you have a swatch to the right there, you can follow us on Twittter (@xicdotcom) or ‘Like’ us on Facebook we’d be happy to chat.

E-mail marketing: 2 seconds to dazzle

Posted on January 20, 2012 by XIC

So, we hope you found last week’s blog entry on direct mail useful as this week we are going to talk you through some benefits of e-mail marketing, another of our marvellous direct marketing services, oh we are a modest bunch aren’t we, ! And then there’s the tips, tricks and trade secrets…

Of course we know e-mail marketing is under a lot of scrutiny, it almost seems fashionable to slate its dwindling relevance, nevertheless, aside from the sweeping generalisations about the shortcomings of e-mail marketing, we are going to share with you the still very relevant and powerful benefits it has to offer, IF executed correctly.

Firstly, let’s run through some of the benefits:

• Low cost: Although a tremendous benefit, it can often lead to bad examples of spam type e-mails, however this is your chance to use it to your advantage, get as much bang for your buck as you can!

• Immediate action: Probably one of the greatest benefits, as email encourages immediate clickthroughs to your website and an immediate response you may not achieve elsewhere.

• Return on investment: Digital marketing allows you to measure exact responses, bounces & clickthroughs so you can gain the most out of your email campaign.

The tips, tricks and trade secrets to improve your email marketing response:

• You’ve got 2 seconds: Current trends show an average of 2 seconds to grab your targets attention then you’re out, so make your message count.

• Tuesdays or Wednesdays: Mondays are generally best avoided, for obvious reasons. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are considered good days for increased response.

• Be consistent: Once you have decided on design/concept/branding, stick to that theme with all your communications, this will help maintain and strengthen your brand.

• Plan for response: Those of your database who click-through are telling you they are more interested in your content, take the opportunity to follow up with a more personal targeted mailer.

Right, now you should be well equipped to get on with your email marketing and if you want to know more about any aspect just give us a shout here on the Blog or you can find us tweeting @xicdotcom or networking at facebook.com/XICsocial

Target, create, personalise, response…Just mail it!

Posted on January 13, 2012 by XIC

This one’s a heads up about our direct mail service, because we know some of you might not have heard. This suited and booted little blog entry comes complete with what direct mail can do for your business, the benefits and some tips, because we’re generous like that

Now to the good bit, in an environment where we are all bombarded with email spam, there is less businesses utilising good old fashioned direct mail, meaning there are opportunities for your business to be seen and heard with a bespoke piece that connects and communicates the right message to your clients or prospects.

Here is a list of benefits:

• Personalised: This offers the chance for you to speak to your clients or prospects individually, allowing for engagement and ultimately increased response.

• Targeted: This allows for your message to reach the right person and cuts out all the wastage.

• Measurable: One of the best benefits is being able to measure response, which means every time you send out a direct mailer you can refine your reach.

However, if you’re going it alone and need some tips, tricks or trade secrets, look no further, we have a few we can share :

• Tease your audience: whether it’s a catchy tagline or an intriguing statement you want to encourage your recipient to read on and respond.

• Be human: people spot buzz words a mile off, try to connect to your targets by being yourself.

• Be creative: Don’t be afraid to show your personality and be bold with design, it could be the difference in colour or graphics that gets your mail piece noticed.

• Split testing: split your mailers by making a change in either copy, design or the call to action. This is an easy way of testing responses and will give you feedback on how to communicate going forward.

And that’s it folks! If you want any further info about direct mail, just give us a shout here on the blog, or you can find us tweeting @xicdotcom or facebook.com/XICsocial

Granite Expo, get your free Haribo’s here!

Posted on October 25, 2011 by XIC

Thursday 27^th from 9-6 at the Hilton Treetops marks this year’s Granite Expo http://www.granitepr.co.uk/, exhibiting and celebrating SMEs across the North East, including our fantastic selves, ! We are all excited for the event and have been busy organising freebies, case studies, products, and a FREE prize draw for our stand to show off & give to all you lucky attendees!

We have lots to show and giveaway including four banner stands boasting our services from branded products to our bespoke marketing services.As for the freebies, you will just have to come pay us a visit at Stand 67 to get your hands on them, but we can tell you that there are some of our famous Haribo giveaways on the uptake if you come and chat to us, we’re a friendly bunch, honest!

This year we are co-promoting with Simpsons http://www.simpsonshotel.co.uk/ and showcasing our first X-media Case Study on the popular West End hotel! Calum and Jason will be on hand to discuss the Case Study after working closely on the project as well as talking you through our customised golf products, who wouldn’t want their own branded balls?Moreover, we will have our own in-house Social Media ‘Butterfly’ Cheryl on hand to discuss all things Twitter and Facebook, there were rumours of hiring the Blue Twitter bird outfit for the exhibition but they were swiftly thwarted, much to Cheryl’s relief!

But, the focus isn’t just on us, Granite Expo is showcasing over 100 exhibitors, 12 must see seminars and plenty of crucial local SME networking, you really can’t afford to miss this. So please come down and pay us a visit, partake in some conversation and of course indulge in our giveaways, they are pretty great if we do say so ourselves!