by Al Duggan
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.
Custom or Standard?
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 designs, on the other hand, are ready-made designs that your gift card supplier has in stock. Many gift card providers have designs that cater to specific categories of business. Therefore, they do not have to be bland. These standard designs also can be personalized by adding your business name, website and telephone numbers and even a logo (but usually in a single color).
So which is right for your business? There are some things to consider before making your choice. Custom cards have many advantages - they look more like the cards offered by “big box” retailers because they are designed specifically for the business using them. They usually have more eye appeal, which can result in more impulse purchases if displayed properly to the consumer. Custom cards allow the merchant to consider unique design options like specialty die-cutting (unusually shaped cards), distinctive materials (foils, metallic inks and specialty card stocks) and even some trendy ideas like cards that play music or contain digital information. Disadvantages? Custom cards usually cost more to produce and they take longer to make.
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.
Artwork Considerations
The design process for standard cards can be very straight forward — you select a design and then you decide how you’re going to personalize it. Custom cards, of course, give you a variety of ways to go. Chances are you will be working with a designer — either from your own agency or a designer from the gift card supplier. Either way, you will have to provide them with a little direction about what you want. This may mean giving them creative and artwork that you are using currently, something like the original menu design you have if you are a restaurant. Or, perhaps, an ad or brochure you use to market your company. This will allow your current marketing initiatives to correspond with your new gift cards.
Here are some good ideas of things to do and not do when going through this design process:
1. DON’T take the art from your website. These graphics often aren’t of high enough resolution to use for printing.
2. DON’T supply images that will need to be enlarged. That, in effect, also reduces the resolution and your images will appear fuzzy or out of focus.
3. DON’T utilize images that have been commercially printed. These images usually have “dots” that comprise the printed areas. When you reprint these images, they often develop a “moire” pattern that makes for low quality.
4. DO send original files that you have on your computer — the kinds of files you send out to get printed. These files will usually be clear and of high quality, and they are perfect for a designer to create a quality integration into your card’s design.
5. DON’T make the design too complicated. Placing too much info into this small space often reduces the overall visual impact that the card will have. This is a fairly common error people make. Don’t make it cluttered and lose your impact in the process.
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.
There is nothing like opening that first box of gift cards and seeing your colorful designs ready for selling. Whether you go with a full-custom design or with a standardized card (so that you can start selling in a week), get started soon. Start pulling in those additional revenues and promoting your gift cards as soon as your customers arrive at your door.
About the Author:
Al Duggan is an expert in custom gift and
loyalty cards and is the Vice President of Business Development for Valutec Card Solutions, LLC, a Metavante (NYSE:MV) company, the nation’s largest provider of
gift card programs to small to mid-sized businesses.