When it comes to direct mail marketing strategies, trigger-based marketing can be extremely effective. By using certain “triggers” or actions to send out personalized direct mail advertising, you may be able to improve conversions and overall sales. Direct mail marketing is powerful, even in today’s digital age. Consider the fact that more than 80% of […]

In the modern marketing world, customer expectations and trends constantly evolve. Brands who want to stay out in front of the curve need to make sure they stay abreast of the latest in marketing and advertising. As we get ready for the new year, here are the digital marketing trends for 2019 that everyone should […]

The user experience on your organization’s website is undoubtedly important. When potential customers or clients come to your website, they expect to have a pleasant experience and to be able to find all the information they initially came to your site in search of. If they don’t have a good website user experience, there’s a […]

Calls to action (CTAs) are an important part of any marketing strategy. What is a call to action, anyway? Essentially, a CTA refers to a phrase or statement that urges readers to do something, whether it be calling your business, scheduling an appointment, or following you on social media. A well-crafted call to action can […]

Seven times. That’s how many times, on average, a prospective customer or client needs to be exposed to your brand offer before they’ll really start to take notice (and, hopefully, take action). Why is the repetition of your message so important? Why can’t your prospective customers just realize what a great offer you have to […]

Perhaps you’ve only experienced one aspect of the print industry previously, or maybe much of your company’s print and mailing needs have been handled by others. Still, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with how this important facet of business operates, as it will help you to better understand how your company works on […]

Over 67 percent of marketers recognize that data-driven marketing improves the speed and accuracy of their objectives. It also has a dramatic impact on revenue. Brands that expect revenue increases are 2-2.5 times more likely to have consistent sales and marketing data. This is likely because brands that understand the impact of their efforts on […]

An estimated 85 percent of decision-makers say that attending trade shows saves them time and money when they need to evaluate vendors. At Ballantine, we always look for ways to better engage with our clients and prospects who want to find a new marketing partner. We will be setting up our display at Fundraising Day […]

Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ! That’s not just a Bruce Springsteen album; it’s a standing invitation to everyone with an interest in Ideas Worth Spreading. The people of Asbury Park have long sought to spread good ideas, which is why TEDx chooses the town as the site of its largest event on the East Coast. […]

When it comes to advertising, half the battle is getting noticed. Only once consumers know who you are and what you sell can you market your products to them. Given that 3.5 billion online searches are conducted every day, there’s no better place to build visibility than the Internet. The following strategies will help you […]

Over the past few months, considerable debate has been held about net neutrality and how the vote to repeal it would impact Internet users and businesses. This has been an extremely contentious issue, as debates have raged across Internet forums and websites. Recent surveys indicate that approximately 60 percent of people supported net neutrality, with […]

Is increasing your website conversion rates one of your company’s biggest goals? It should be. When combined with robust search engine optimization, increasing your conversion rate will help take your business to the next level. Here at Ballantine, we have been helping our clients create effective and innovative marketing campaigns for over 50 years. We’ve […]

Direct mail campaigns offer brands a consistent and effective means of contacting customers and have been shown to offer customers a higher degree of personalization than they receive from other marketing options. 69 percent say that they view mail as being more personal than the internet. The platform also works across all age groups. For example, […]

What if you could make your website 2-5 times more effective and easier for your customers to use? When you start with marketing personas, you can accomplish just that. When it comes to successful marketing, personalization is key. Customers want to know that you care about their needs and issues. They want to see material […]

While most of us may not want to believe it, humans are emotional creatures—and we often allow our emotions to influence our decision-making more than simple logic and rationale. This has been proven time and time again in psychological and behavioral studies. For example, in a study conducted on buying habits, researchers found that an […]

Believe it or not, studies have shown that in advertising, it’s more effective to appeal to the emotions than to logic. Specifically, 31% of advertisers report achieving significant gains in profit with emotionally targeted campaigns, as compared to just 16% with rational copy. in other words, if you’re not already using emotional triggers in your […]

There are more than 1.5 million tax exempt nonprofit organizations in the United States. When it comes to fundraising, nonprofits must compete with all these other organizations, all vying for customer attention and donations. What if nonprofits could tap into a secret language that lets them engage better with prospects, speaking directly to their motivations […]

Words are powerful. What you say — and how you say it — can completely change the meaning of your message. In the design world, we take this idea one step further. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, it only makes sense that words themselves create pictures that captivate their audiences […]

The world of digital marketing is changing. The ever-growing, ever-deepening and ever-valuable paradigm shift caused by smartphone access has forced providers to rewire their approaches. Is it a cause for concern? No. That said, you’ll need to stay on you’re A-game. Already, digital marketers are falling off the industry’s speeding bandwagon. If you want to […]

When considering different direct mail advertising companies, you want to make sure you do your homework. You want to find out what the best agency will be for you and your business. It’s imperative that this company not only be a fit based on rates, but also in terms of attention to detail and the […]

  What is a Customer Loyalty Program? A customer loyalty program is a program that offers rewards and incentives to those who frequent specific businesses. This program can give customers access to new products, sales coupons and free merchandise. By providing their personal information to the company, customers typically receive an ID or membership card […]

In any form of marketing, you have to know how to avoid typos. Mistakes in your print marketing pieces can be costly. In 2010, the Federal Reserve spent $120 million to print 1.1 billion redesigned $100 bills that were promptly put into a vault and rendered unusable. A creasing problem during printing caused about 30 […]

Summer is here. Therefore, a significant portion of your target market audience is spending as much time outside as possible, making this the opportune time to run summer-themed promotional events. You need to get creative with the marketing strategies, tips, and tricks you utilize to maximize the potential of each campaign you feature this summer. […]

Your company’s brand encompasses everything from your logo to your tagline. It is the image that you present to consumers and how they interpret that presentation that forms the foundation for your brand management. While you may select the colors and wording to use, consumers will set the tone for your brand based on their […]

There are moments during the operation of your business when you have to be willing to take a risk. You have to stand on the edge of the unknown, put all of your effort into the marketing campaign before you, and then stand back and see what happens. While it is not advisable to approach […]

The numbers on the thermometer are rising, and you’re looking to see the same increase in your sales numbers. One way to do so? A summer sale. Nothing works better to draw in customers from their outdoor adventures than a good deal. The promise of a percentage off, an enticing dollar-reducing discount, or a free bonusitem […]

Are you wondering how to get your business, movie, novel, or other project seen by the right audience? The one thing that’s more important than deciding what demographic you want to target for your work is making sure that that demographic sees your work. Otherwise, your work will not be successful. There are many key […]

In 1966, Thomas J. Coté founded Ballantine, and 50 years later, the company is still going strong, helping customers all across the US. Ballantine’s goal is to create and implement innovative and cost-effective print and digital marketing campaigns that leave lasting impressions, generate greater responses, and help their clients better connect with their customers. And […]

There are a variety of marketing channels that hold the potential to place your product or service in front of as many potential consumers as possible. It can be difficult to decide which single channel to focus on and predict which one will generate the most profitable results for your business. The trick is to […]

It’s never a bad time to step back and take a look at what could make your company better. It’s easy to forget that there’s always room for improvement when you’ve been running your business the same way for a long time. But, now is the time for change. It’s a good idea to rethink […]

Are you looking for a way to increase the credibility of your company? If your efforts at providing the best customer service possible are still not providing the best results possible, you need to find an alternative method. If you are looking for another way to boost your credibility to increase your clientele, you need […]

A potential customer visits your website, looks around at a few pages and then leaves without making a purchase or reaching out to you for additional information. This could be due to a time constraint that you are unaware of, or it could be due to a lack of interest in what you have to […]

You spend about 40 hours per week at the office. Aside from your house, your workspace is probably the next single space where you spend the bulk of your time. So, what is your workspace like? Have you made your desk your own? Do you have photos of your family, personalized folders, and an organized […]

Admit it, the Super Bowls ads might just be better than the Super Bowl itself. We all get really excited to watch the new ads with our families and have a good laugh. So, as we approach Super Bowl 50, let’s take a look at the best ads of all time. 1. Volkswagen: The Force (2011) […]

When analyzing creative print advertising, you should look for six key factors to determine whether or not the ad will make a significant impact and be as effective as possible. Let’s outline the rules of the formula. First, no category is more important than any other. Second, effective print ads that consistently fill all six […]

Fonts: we all use ‘em. But how much of a difference does your choice of font make to the success of your advertising campaign? Making the right choice Fonts are the tapestry of language that underlies all of our communication in nearly any non-broadcast media. Technically, “fonts” are just the computer files that enable the […]

Your website can say a thousand words about your business. But are they the right words? We’ve listed the 7 key elements you should consider to make sure your website is working for you – and not against you. 1. Clear Navigation Isn’t it annoying when it takes forever to find something on a website? […]

To the uninitiated, traffic is traffic. Whether it’s customers coming to your front door or visiting your website, more is always better, right? Wrong. Ad research from decades ago revealed that viewing an ad once is often not enough to create retention of the message or the brand in a customer’s mind, so we segment […]

As creative advertisers, engaging our target audience is the most important part of our job. As a result, we’ve developed a pretty clear process for getting into the heads of our audience from the first word of copy or glance at a design. Here are four secrets that we hold pretty close to our chest […]