Every now and then, ideas dry up. You need to create a marketing piece, but
you’re blank. It’s time to open the
swipe file.
A swipe file is a collection of other people’s marketing. The marketing may or may not be from your
industry. It is probably preferable that it is not.
Swipe file material can take the form of direct
marketing, magazine ads, newspaper ads, social media coupons, etc. Every piece in a swipe file bears one common
trait. Something about the piece
intrigued you enough to cut or print it, and save it.
When you start a swipe file, you become a student of the
craft. You start looking at other
people’s marketing for ideas you can use in your marketing.
What to Swipe
What do you look for in a piece for your swipe file? Try the following.
·
Attention Grabbers – What gives you pause so
that you take a second look? Is it a
headline? Is it the graphic design? Is it a picture?
·
Calls to Action – What are the calls to action
that companies make? Which ones seem
compelling? Almost all marketing should
carry a call to action, yet it is surprising how often one is missing. When you come across interesting ones, they
should definitely be saved for your swipe file.
·
Novel Promotions – Are there promotional ideas
that can be spun into a version that will work for your business? Don’t simply look for sales. Look for bundles, affinity marketing, and
other promotions.
·
Seasonal Messages – Look for holiday or seasonal
marketing that you could use next year.
·
Information Presentation – Is there a way of
presenting complex information that you find attractive or easy to
understand? This is especially true for
financial information or engineering data.
·
Design – Does the overall design for the piece
look compelling? Why? What do you like about it? Could you replicate it or design something
similar?
Age of Material
A good swipe file item never wears out. I’ve used concepts from 20 year old print ad
campaigns for a direct marketing effort.
Some things must be modernized, but a good concept a decade ago is still
a good concept today.
Graphic Design Books
To kick start a swipe file, visit a Barnes & Noble or
Half Price Books and look at the graphic design books. You will find huge volumes filled with old
advertising campaigns. These are used by
graphic designers and advertising copywriter to stimulate their creative
juices.
Not Just For Marketers
Swipe files are a tool of any businessperson who
interacts with the marketing function.
Even if you do not create marketing, a swipe file gives you a way to
communicate to your marketer what you do want.
So what are you waiting for? Get started.
©2014 Matt Michel
