In a weak economy, having a strong message holding together your marketing campaign takes on a whole new level of importance. Consumers are holding on to the money they have, buying only the necessities. For marketers, then, it is important to make the product seem like a need rather than a want.

At first, this sounds difficult to accomplish because in addition to establishing the necessity, the marketer must distinguish their product and message from all similar products and messages. Trust me – it is not as bad as it first sounds. Now, more than ever, it is important to go back to the basics of Marketing 101 and then add a creative twist to stand out.

As a marketing executive, my company works with clients from Maine to Australia and is faced with many marketing challenges presented by all types of businesses. The recurring question is ‘How can I get my postcards, flyers, brochures, even my email blasts and my web-copy to be more effective so I can get more business and set my business apart from my competition?’

In the many years I have worked in marketing, I have established foolproof steps to developing successful campaigns and establishing products as new, interesting, and innovative.

First of all, to reach potential clients in this kind of economy, you really have to understand who they are, what they want, and how to get their attention. In other words, know your audience. Do your research and hone in on the people whom you believe you can really get the best response from. Don’t waste precious money sending millions of postcards or letters to people who have no use whatsoever for your product.

Second, do something exciting and out-of-the-box with your campaign. No potential customer wants to see the same old boring advertisements or direct mailers. If they’ve seen the same thing 100 times, that person is more likely to just discard the memory of ever having seen the advertisement (and will probably physically throw any direct mail straight into the trashcan as well). More creative executives today are realizing that they need to catch the mail-recipient’s attention some other way.

In recent months, I have found the most successful and profitable tool to use in my marketing campaigns is to use colorful, crazy doodles to emphasize the important points that will hold the recipient’s attention. In fact, my favorite of these tools is called Doodleopes™. Potential customers will surely take a second look at the company that sent them this doodled envelope or postcard.

The beauty of these tools is any one can use them. No expensive professional graphic designers. No long hours trying to figure out how to use a design program. Just cut-and-paste, drop and drag.

Third, make the customer feel special, appreciated, and understood. It is human nature to surround yourself with people and things that make you feel comfortable. If you can make someone feel like they are one-of-a-kind and you really put a lot of time into trying to attain their business, they will be more willing to look at and consider the products you’re offering. And if they’ve already purchased once and they feel like a truly valued customer (you haven’t just sent them a postcard that said “You’re a valued customer!” but that they really believe it), they will most likely come back to you when they need your product or service again.

So, how do you accomplish making a customer feel special? Well, you tell it to them multiple times and you show it through your kind behavior and unbelievable customer service. An easier way, however, that Ratajczak has come to know and love is to use a font that looks like handwriting on each and every marketing document from envelope to sales letter to postcard. Most direct mail received has an address written in boring Times New Roman or Arial, with no customization except maybe the company’s logo. Obviously, not much time was spent on this individual customer and they can feel it. So, this letter goes straight into the trash. No one wants to feel like another consumer in the crowd, so use a font that looks like you’ve written it yourself.

Marketing genius Bill Glazer of Glazer-Kenndy Insider’s Circle agrees, “A handwritten font will typically outperform any other type of font because it appears that it is a friend sending a friend a personal message.”

Be sure, however, that you are not using a handwriting font that looks completely fake. The trick is to convince the customer, not turn them off.

There are hundreds of other tips that could be shared, but these are the top three most important to remember. If anything, remember what I said before – take yourself back to Marketing 101 and then add an outrageously creative twist.