Double Your Response Rate With Color

As a CEO at Mail Print, I've enjoyed watching print technology advance in leaps and bounds over the last dozen years. The most exciting part has been passing on the benefits to our clients - helping them create more effective marketing materials.

With the advent of digital color printing came a brilliant world of possibilities. Research shows that color increases retention, response rate and readership significantly over black and white. Advancements in technology over the years have also developed quick and affordable means of creating this color, bringing the technology to the aid of real estate agents.

Color by numbers

Experts say color is better when it comes to direct mail. But just how much better is it? Results vary by study, of course, but the bottom line is the same: use of color significantly increases performance.

• A study by Frank Romano of the Rochester Institute of Technology and industry consultant David Broudy found that adding color to a document along with the recipients name improved response rates by 135 percent.


• According to research by G.A Wright Marketing, Inc., color increased response rates in direct mail by 50 percent, and resulted in an 80 percent improvement in reader recognition.


• A 70 percent increase in decision-making was found by the Bureau of Advertising when color was used.

Colorful decisions

Think of any color and with it will come thoughts, feelings and emotions. Careful consideration of what colors to use in direct mail makes sense since most people spend based on emotion. Not only do you want to use color in your direct marketing, you want to make sure you use the right colors in the right way.

Choose wisely – It’s important to know what colors mean when choosing them for your direct mail. For example, red means power, blue is calming, and green symbolizes growth, harmony and freshness.

Build a brand – Use the colors you choose consistently in your logo, brochures, letterhead, Web site, and all of your marketing materials. Your clients will begin to recognize you by the colors you use.

How much is too much? – Color is most successful when used the right way. Highlight important text, create a distinctive logo, launch an eye-catching postcard series. But be sure to have a purpose for all color used. Color just for the sake of color can cause confusion and be off-putting.

Don't get stuck in black and white; see the difference color can make!

-Gina

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