If my posting seems infrequent of late, it's because of this behemoth event called the National Stationery Show that is bearing down on me and the rest of the greeting card industry like a freight train. If it was only about exhibiting (selling) new products it wouldn't be so bad. But there's a ton of things that need to get done to get ready for the show. It's practically a full-time job.
In addition to creating new product offerings, there's pre-show marketing, booth design, website design -- all of that on top of the day to day running of my card and calligraphy business. Yeah, it's a little crazy here in the studio these days. Oh, did I mention that the SoWa Art Walk is overlapping with the Show? My studio space will be open for the SoWa Art Walk and my assistant will be manning headquarters while I try to write up more business in New York. So instead of leaving a trail of papers and beads behind me in Boston, I actually have to leave my studio in an exhibit-able condition.
This week I started sending out invitations for reps, retailers and press to come and visit my booth. I wanted an invitation that was a preview to the work I'll be exhibiting and I also wanted to capitalize on the core strength of my designs which is elegance combined with a sense of fun. In addition to an intriguing invitation, I also decided to hand address all the envelopes. It's time-consuming but I'm hoping all the extra labor will result in a much higher "open rate" (as opposed to going directly from the mailbox to the recycling bin), which I'm hoping will translate into a visit and finally a sale. I think getting people to open their unsolicited mail is probably one of the toughest things to do in direct mail. I'm hoping that my audience will get a kick out of getting such an invitation in the mail that it will pre-dispose them into thinking this is something they should get for their customers.
As a final touch I also purchased postage to match the envelope and invitation. I'm really pleased with these flower stamps -- the images are simple and stunning. They are just the right accent on my apple green envelope. The postal clerk was trying to sell me "Forever" stamps since the price of stamps is going up shortly (May 12). I held fast to my stamp selection because all my invitations have to go out next week anyway. However, I might buy even more of these flower stamps because they are so beautiful and even with a one cent stamp (which has a nice illustration of an American kestrel) they still make a nice envelope presentation.
I hope I haven't over-thought this mailer. I just wanted to send something out that wasn't just information with a dash of hype. I wanted to send something out that was personal and meaningful, something that is a part of me.
I believe that greeting card is one of the means of presenting our filling. Over here you have made really a good greeting card.
Posted by: Greeting Cards | September 20, 2011 at 12:51 AM