Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design
We are excited to announce that a selection of Group 7even’s portfolio pieces for local desktop virtualization experts Iddea Group were recognized at a national level in a new book called Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design, published by Wiley Publishing and co-authored by David Langton & Anita Campbell. “In the past, topnotch marketing was reserved for large corporations with huge marketing budgets. We are proud that we can bring that same quality of work to small and medium sized businesses in Northwest Indiana”, said Michelle Andres, President of Group 7even.
The book is easy-to-read and spares you of complicated terminology and concepts. Instead, it’s loaded with quick case studies and stock full of pointed picture-rich examples that intend to engage small businesses and non-profits to draw a better understanding on how to visually communicate their message and connect with consumers or donors in unique but effective ways. The table-book format makes it a great resource for anyone who needs substantive, real-world success stories to use as inspiration for their idea but is also quick to thumb through and understand the bottom-line takeaway tips.
In the case of Iddea Group, Group 7even was handed the unique challenge of branding and raising awareness for a technology startup who were experts at an unusually abstract service that was hard for their intended decision maker to understand.
The book explains Group 7even’s approach, strategy and effectiveness to making the company relevant, appealing and approachable.
From the book:
Technology Can Be Sexy: Poking Fun at Your Industry’s Stereotypes Makes it Easier for Customers to Relate
When most people think of IT services, they think of anti-social guys working in a basement. Valparaiso, Indiana-based startup Iddea Group wanted to break out of this stereotype and show that the virtual IT company was fun, easy to work with and provided quality technology services. And they wanted to make it look like they had a big marketing budget.
Design firm Group 7even took the challenge on, and produced a comprehensive marketing campaign that included direct mail postcards, magazine ads, email and website design.
Why it Works
The look across all marketing channels is consistently upbeat, with bright oranges and greens, accented by Iddea Group’s logo, a talk bubble. The branding does an excellent job of helping everyday business owners understand what services it provides without talking over their heads, a common issue with IT companies.
The biggest challenge for business owners looking for IT services is speaking a common language. IT experts sometimes talk in terms of servers, the cloud and disaster recovery, while business owners want a computer system that works and can’t be hacked. Not communicating in the customers’ language can easily lose an IT company a sale. Iddea Group keeps it simple and relatable.
Where most IT campaigns involved heavy copy, Iddea Group’s collateral had minimal copy as well as a teaser URL encouraging people to visit it for more information.
As for appearing to have spent more than they did on marketing, Iddea Group’s campaign was quality and saturated enough to be seen everywhere in its area, which does make it seem like its pockets are deep.
Success Metrics
- The campaign was extremely successful, with a 33% response rate.
- Over 70% of respondents were tracked and found to browse Iddea Group’s entire website instead of clicking away.
Takeaway Tip
Embrace the stereotypes that surround your industry, then break through them by showing customers who you really. Use the stereotypes as a tongue-in-cheek way of poking fun at your brand. The more you can make fun of yourself, the more approachable your company will be to customers.
To view the correspondig press release for the book click here.
