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...nothing happens. Now you’ve got a case of Postcard 'Em Depression. Why did it happen? What did you do? For battle-tested reasons, let's turn to Postcard Marketing Secrets subscriber Hiram Wurf, a veteran of the direct mail Wars. Here are his Infamous Four: 1. Bad mail timing (calendar-wise). Studies say Monday (and probably Friday) are bad, while Tuesday is good. Mailing near holidays is probably bad and summers can be tough (especially business-to-business)—so be ready to adjust your expectations during those times (or adjust your campaign timing). If you're not sure when your mailing will hit—ask the post office when you should mail it. If you're mailing across the country you may need to mail in batches, so that you can time things right. 2. Bad mail timing (fiscal-wise). Some businesses and organizations commit their money at specific times. If you are selling to customers on a fiscal schedule, try to know those times – and get them thinking about putting you in the budget before the budget is set. 3. Wrong mailing list/list selections. If you are not dealing with established customers—or if you are selling a new or different product/service—are you getting before the right decision-makers? You might want to do a test mailing before the big one or try the more immediate method of calling up some prospects and asking them if you are on the right track. (It may help if you already know the prospect, but it is not necessary—tell them it is "marketing research"—because that is what you are doing). 4. Wrong offer. There are a lot of reasons why an offer can be wrong beyond the possibilities above. Remember, one benefit of frequent (and inexpensive) postcard mailings is that you can test them until you get it right— so chin up! What are some things that may prevent success? As my three-year old might say, "I don't like it—it's UCCI": U You are an Unknown business. This is an affliction that hits new businesses (and businesses branching out to new customers/products/services). If I've always bought from Jane why should I buy from Dan? Who is Dan? Is Dan really cheaper, higher quality, etc.? The cure is two-fold. First, familiarity breeds business. Most people go with what they've heard of (even if they don't know where they heard it or have any other association with it). Studies vary widely, but it may take as many as 8-12 "contacts" with a customer before closing a sale—so be patient—and keep sending cards! Second, interest and consistency breeds familiarity. Have something of interest and you may be better remembered (of course remembering the sock puppet from Pets.com, Inc. is not the same as a successful business plan). A consistent message (or product/service 'personality') creates a brand—and brands are a shorthand directing people to products and services. C See if your business suffers from Cannibalization or saturation. Have you 'trained' your customers to expect a 'better' offer (cheaper, extra product/service, etc.)—are they waiting for your annual 'clearance' special? Or, are you hitting the same market repeatedly after everyone that needs what you provide has gotten it? In the first case be careful not to promote unsustainable expectations that eat your profits. In the second case you may need to branch out to new customers or expand your offerings into related areas. C See if you offend with Controversial topics/presentations. If your mission is not "controversial” to others then you may want to consider whether to inject controversy into your brand. Standing out is not always positive. Carefully consider campaigns involving sexual innuendo, cigarettes/alcohol/drugs and other topics before you use them. I I would avoid making Inappropriate offers to a target. Offering something beneath the status of the target (colored paperclips for a CEO) and soliciting business via postcard in a situation where formal bidding determines the results fall under this theme. Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder," hails from Tucson, Arizona, USA. She is the author of Postcard Marketing Secrets, a downloadable PDF manual will show you how to put postcards to work for your business—profitably. Learn more about it at: http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com | ||||||||||
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