Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

97. Technology Can Be Sexy: Poking Fun at Your Industry's Stereotypes Makes It Easier for Customers to Relate

When some people think of information technology (IT) services, they think of antisocial geeks working in a basement. Iddea Group, a start-up based in Valparaiso, Indiana, wanted to break out of this stereotype and show that the virtual IT company was fun, was easy to work with, and provided quality technology services. And they wanted to make it look like they had a big marketing budget. Design firm Group 7even took the challenge on and produced a comprehensive marketing campaign that included direct-mail postcards, magazine ads, e-mails, and website design.

Why It Works

The look across all marketing channels is consistently upbeat, with bright oranges and greens, accented by Iddea Group's logo, a talk bubble. The branding does an excellent job of helping everyday business owners understand what services it provides without talking over their heads, a common issue with IT companies.

The biggest challenge for business owners looking for IT services is speaking a common language. IT experts sometimes talk in terms of servers, the cloud, and disaster recovery, while business owners want a computer system that works and can't be hacked. Not communicating in the customers' language can easily lose an IT company a sale. Iddea Group keeps it simple and relatable.

Where most IT ...