Now that you’ve made the wise decision to incorporate gift and/or loyalty marketing into your business, you’ve got a number of decisions to make. One of the first – and most critical – is the decision regarding the card you will offer to your customers. In this article, we’ll examine your options and explore some common design and artwork mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.
A Custom Card or a Standard Card?
Once you’ve decided on a supplier, they will discuss card options with you. There are two ways you can go here – custom or standard. Custom cards are unique to every business. Custom cards incorporate the business’ identity in terms of using their logo and artwork that reflects the business’ look and feel.
Standard card designs are pre-made designs that can be personalized in a variety of ways. These cards do not have to be boring or bland. In fact, many gift card suppliers make available a variety of different designs for a variety of different business categories or vertical markets. These standard cards also can be personalized with your business name, your retail website, your phone number or other items, including your logo (although it may be in one color).
Choosing the best option for business takes an understanding of your options. Custom designed cards have several key advantages. You will often see the “big box” retailers use these because they are able to carry their same branding and marketing with a custom design. These custom cards are usually very attractive. An attractive card makes an attractive gift and you can often increase impulse buys with this added eye appeal. Merchants also can try some unique things such as custom die cuts to make specially shaped gift cards. Merchants can use more distinctive materials (such as metallic inks, foils and different card stocks). There are even some cutting edge ideas where the cards have additional digital information or can even play music. The two disadvantages to a custom card design are that the price is more expensive and that the turnaround takes a little more time.
There are many unique printing features you can do with standard cards, such as adding clear card stocks, using metallic ink, or even some die cuts. Personalization is limited with a standard card. The amount of text you can use, the color choices on overprinted text, and the number of standardized designs available are all some of the typical limitations. However, there are many advantages. Standard cards don’t usually cost as much since the card supplier has large quantities in stock. Standard cards also have the advantage of speed to market since the turnaround time is days instead of weeks.
Some Things To Consider About Your Artwork
With standard cards, the task is pretty simple — pick a design and choose how you will personalize it for your business. With a custom design, however, you have some additional decisions. Likely, you’ll work with either your existing agency — if you have one – to create your card design, or you’ll work with your supplier. Many gift card companies have their own in-house design departments. Regardless of whom you work with to create your design, you’ll need to give them some direction. In many cases, this means supplying artwork so they can base your card design on something that you already use in your business – for example – your original menu art if you’re a restaurant. You can also submit the files used to create a brochure or advertisement for your business. This will enable a designer to create your card design so it fits into the rest of your marketing initiatives.
Some additional Do’s and Don’ts for providing you artwork:
1. DON’T try to use the images right off your website. These are often not of high enough quality and resolution for card printing.
2. DON’T provide graphic images than must be enlarged. This will, again, not give a high enough resolution to the images as they lose quality when enlarged.
3. DON’T utilize previously printed images. Art that has been printed commercially has been converted into small “dots” that create the image. When you reprint these previously printed images, you often get a moire pattern that makes for poor quality images.
4. DO find your original computer files of these various materials and use these. These originals will likely be of high quality and will allow the designer to quickly convert the images into a good design.
5. DON’T clutter your design with too much info. It’s a very common error that people make, trying to hit every marketing point. Keep the design simple to keep your visual impact high.
6. DO take advantage of your logo. Your logo is a constant branding image that your customers actually expect to see on your various advertising and marketing creative. A gift card or loyalty card is like a pocket-sized billboard for your company. Take advantage of your logo. You want your clients to remember your name.
7. DO look into using custom merchandising vehicles. By coordinating your package (which might include a custom card on a custom card hanger or card carrier) you help increase your perceived value…and that helps improve sales.
Whether you choose to go with a standard card with some personalization and want to begin in a week, or whether you want to go for a full-custom package and coordinate all your marketing efforts, there is nothing like receiving that first box of cards and seeing your attractive, glossy gift cards. Once you start making your customers aware that you offer gift cards, you will also love the increased revenues to your business.
