January 23rd, 2013
Direct mail marketing is one of the most powerful business tools when targeting new business opportunities. It puts your message in front of consumers or businesses using print material sent directly to your target audience. It is very different from advertising in newspapers, magazines, television or radio stations which is considered a broader, and less targeted, method of advertising- using these methods puts your advertising efforts in the hands of editors and or producers who know nothing about your business model. Direct mail puts you in front of your target market, whether it is businesses or consumers, by sending a mail piece (i.e. letter, flyer, postcard, etc.) using your exact geography and criteria requirements.
What makes direct mail marketing so attractive is the fact that you can target a specific group of potential customers or business prospects with a message that is directed to their specific needs. You can measure your success through responses to the mail piece, and it can be a more cost-effective marketing component than most other advertising mediums.
Keep in mind that your campaign must enhance your overall marketing strategy; it’s not a replacement for other marketing components. It’s an excellent approach to bring in new customers as well as retain your current customer base. A well thought out print piece, sent to a targeted mailing list, can bring in many new business opportunities.
Direct Mail Marketing:
- Allows you to target a specific audience of consumers or businesses.
- Delivers a physical mail piece directly into the hands of current and potential customers.
- Gives you the ability to track responses and sales from your mail piece.
- Is cost effect and, in many cases, give you the highest response rate.
Categories: Direct Mail
January 20th, 2013
Most any type of business can benefit from a mailing campaign. Here are some examples of how a targeted mailing can promote a business, service or product.
• Increase sales
• Increase profits
• Increase customers
• Increase brand awareness
• Fund raising
• Advertise seminars or trade shows
• Market research and analysis
• Promote new products
• Promote political campaigns
Remember, mailing lists can get very targeted. For example, if you are targeting households you can narrow your search by age, income, homeowner, female present, child present and many more. Business mailing lists can be broken down by sales volume, employee size, type of business(SIC Codes), phone numbers and fax numbers.
List response is often confused with list deliverability. A list could be 100% deliverable, but perhaps you did not get any responses to your offer. Automatically it is assumed that the list was “no good.” It could be that the mailing list was targeted to the wrong market. The key to making the mailing list work for you is knowing your target audience. Keep in mind that the national rate of response for direct mail is ½ to 1% and depends on many factors….attractiveness of your mail piece, cost of your product and timing of the mailing. See our step by step guide.
When should I order my mailing list? Timing is critical. Your mailing list is custom ordered – it is not sitting on a shelf waiting to be mailed. Mailing lists are available by e-mail with hours of making your purchase. Make sure you allow plenty of time to receive your list. A general rule of thumb would be to order your mailing list before ordering your printed material. If the list you have ordered has gone through an update, or a count was pulled incorrectly (this can happen) your count may have changed. A discrepancy of even 500 names may affect printing and mailing costs.
If you have dated material to mail – make sure you allow enough time for your mailing piece to be delivered. The post office has 2 working days to process your mail, BUT your mail could go to 3-4 different post offices before it is delivered. It could be 6-8 days before your piece actually reaches its destination. If you have taken your mail to the post office a week before your sale, you run the risk of it being delivered on the day of the sale or after the sale has already occurred – resulting in disastrous consequences.
Remember to plan in advance when purchasing your mailing lists and planning your direct mail campaign.
Categories: Direct Mail
December 27th, 2012
Have you noticed that sometimes you receive a postcard from a company every month or every quarter for a year? You ask yourself, “Why are they doing this? I don’t need this now.” Here is an example of how repetitive mailings are very effective.
Our example is that of a mosquito abatement company sending postcards to households in Florida, every two-three months starting in January. January is not a month when you would expect swarms of mosquitoes, even in Florida. There is no benefit to your target audience in January. But if your goal is to get name recognition during the winter months so that you have customers starting in the early and throughout the summer months, this strategy is very effective for postcard campaigns.
You receive the first postcard in January. Your initial reaction might be, “I don’t need mosquito abatement in January. Mosquitoes aren’t a problem until May or June. What’s wrong with these people?” Because of you took the time to skim the card, you make a mental note of these crazy people trying to sell you mosquito abatement in the dead of winter. In the trash goes the postcard.
In March, you receive another card from the same company. You have the same reaction. But now you have seen the same company name twice and you remember it from January.
In May, you receive another postcard from the same company and you remember it from the January and March mailings. You remember seeing on TV earlier in the week this might be the worse season for mosquitoes in the past 20 years. Now you think you might benefit from this company so this time you put the postcard where you can easily find it in case you have to call them or maybe you toss it. Either way, you can now recall from memory the name of “… the crazy mosquito abatement service company that sends me postcards during the mosquito dormant months”.
Two weeks later, you are in your yard trying to enjoy a cook out. You notice the mosquitoes were plentiful and you have the bites to prove it. You need help getting rid of these pests if you want to enjoy your yard over the summer. Now you can benefit from the “crazy company” that sent you postcards during the winter and you call them to get to your house in a hurry.
The card you received the first two times was almost as annoying as those mosquito bites. By the time you needed their services, you could remember the name of the company. Even though the postcard did not result in an immediate response, it gave the company brand and name recognition. You remembered the name and the card made an impression on you because you received it in January.
As human beings, we learn by repetition. The more we do something or read about something, the more likely we are to remember it. The same holds true for the postcards.
It only takes a second to skim the postcard and decide whether or not to toss it in the trash can. But if you receive it more than once, it is likely you will be able to remember the name of the company from memory. If you think you might benefit from the company’s offer, you might save the postcard for future use. Either way, the mosquito abatement postcard campaign was effective. They probably received zero responses in January but by May, their phones were ringing off the hook.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
November 11th, 2012
You probably wonder how the small amount of space on a postcard can possibly convey all the information about your offer, your company and the advantages you have over your competitors. Postcards must be attention grabbing enough in their wording to prompt the potential customer to contact you.
As with any postcard, the front of the postcard should have an attention grabbing photograph or graphic, as well as a headline that will peak the reader’s interest. It is important to keep it simple, yet effective, with the text and photograph complimenting one another. Of equal importance is a “call to action”. You want to offer a discount, freebie, etc. with a set expiration date to get the reader to respond. An example would be: 1) 20% discount on all web site orders received before February 1st 2) Purchase before February 1st and receive “xxx” gift at no additional charge.
Conversely, the back of the postcard might be the first side of the card that is seen by the reader. The only difference between the front and the back of the postcard is the recipient’s address is found on the back. Since the back side of the card could be your opportunity to make a first impression, you want it to carry as powerful a message as you have on the front. You should include another photo or graphic, some bulleted items outlining your offering and the basic information of your web site, email and phone number. Give your potential customers enough information to peak their interest and point them to your web site or get them to pick up the phone and call for more information or to place an order.
It is very important to make your contact information visible on either side of the postcard and it doesn’t hurt to have this information on both sides of the postcard. Place the web page prominently on the bottom of the front of the postcard. Take advantage of adding the address and phone number of the physical store location on the back of the postcard. Make sure the size of the contact information lettering is visible whether it is on the front or the back.
Although postcards are small, they can have a major impact using very few words and attention grabbing headlines. The postcard is the introduction of you and your business to potential customers.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
October 27th, 2012
Creating a successful direct marketing program involves clean data records with highly deliverable addresses. Cleaning and appending your in-house files will mean cost effective postage rates, improved deliverability and minimal bounces in mail pieces. It is a proven method to ensure that you’re maximizing marketing dollars.
1) Keeping Your List Clean
Statistics show that up to 20% of records within a typical in-house data file are undeliverable. In addition, there are crucial pieces of missing information that could help increase customer sales. Does your data include:
• Phone numbers but no addresses
• Updated area code changes
• Out-of-date information
• Key information that could affect your marketing strategies (i.e. consumer lists with homeowner/renter information, presence of children, income level, marital status demographics; business lists with business size, employee size, sales volume demographics, etc.)
2) Learn Who the People are behind the Data
When you know who you’re dealing with, you know how best to approach them. You can achieve this by supplement your data with appended information. Here are some of the most common pieces of information to append:
• Add postal addresses to records that only contain email addresses.
• Add phone numbers, names or business titles.
• Add consumer details, so that you can niche your message for a better response.
• Add business details such as sales volume, business headquarters or branch offices, number of employees, or contact names.
3) Data Hygiene Will Increase Your Sales
Keeping your lists clean will control mailing waste and save on postage not to mention the money you’ll save on printing costs. It will open doors to new selling opportunities, streamline your marketing efforts and give you the most return on your investment for your mailing campaigns.
Creating a successful direct marketing program involves clean data records with highly deliverable addresses. Cleaning and appending your in-house files will mean cost effective postage rates, improved deliverability and minimal bounces in mail pieces. It is a proven method to ensure that you’re maximizing marketing dollars.
1) Keeping Your List CleanStatistics show that up to 20% of records within a typical in-house data file are undeliverable. In addition, there are crucial pieces of missing information that could help increase customer sales. Does your data include:
• Phone numbers but no addresses
• Updated area code changes
• Out-of-date information
• Key information that could affect your marketing strategies (i.e. consumer lists with homeowner/renter information, presence of children, income level, marital status demographics; business lists with business size, employee size, sales volume demographics, etc.)
2) Learn Who the People are behind the DataWhen you know who you’re dealing with, you know how best to approach them. You can achieve this by supplement your data with appended information. Here are some of the most common pieces of information to append:
• Add postal addresses to records that only contain email addresses.
• Add phone numbers, names or business titles.
• Add consumer details, so that you can niche your message for a better response.
• Add business details such as sales volume, business headquarters or branch offices, number of employees, or contact names.
3) Data Hygiene Will Increase Your SalesKeeping your lists clean will control mailing waste and save on postage not to mention the money you’ll save on printing costs. It will open doors to new selling opportunities, streamline your marketing efforts and give you the most return on your investment for your mailing campaigns.
Categories: List Hygiene
October 20th, 2012
It’s easy to make an error when implementing a direct mail campaign. Errors can be costly! I’ve listed the most common mistakes people make when developing campaigns.
1. Using the wrong list. The biggest and most costly, mistake you can make is not using a targeted mailing list that represents your audience. Make sure your list is current and targeted to meet your needs. If you’re purchasing a new list, make sure you have the exact criteria of the audience you’re trying to reach.
2. Poor copy. Even if it’s only 50 words, it needs to be the right words. Take the time to review your copy and make changes until you know the text will grab the attention of the reader. Don’t write a book; stick to the key points of the product or service.
3. No call to action. Not telling the reader what you want them to do defeats the point of sending the direct mail piece. Is the offer time-sensitive? Do you want them to respond by calling, e-mailing or visiting the web site? Clearly state what they need to do or you may not get a response. Offering a “perk” will increase your response rate; it doesn’t have to be a discount; it can be a “free” or “discounted” add-on to the purchase.
4. No testing. Too many people learn the hard way that their direct mail piece is not effective. It should be common practice to test out anything you plan to use to market or advertise your business to see if it makes an impact. Many times, post card copy needs to be “tweaked” to get optimum results or the list may not be targeted enough to reach the desired market.
5. Using hype over benefits of your product and/or service. Talk about the benefits for the customer; don’t inflate the product or service as it will only backfire on you. Stick to five key points, and the reader will not be overwhelmed with information.
6. Not proofing the copy. Too many times people send out mail pieces only to find there were spelling errors, incorrect pricing, wrong addresses or phone numbers, or misspelled urls. Have several people proofread your copy and re-visit the piece over a few days before going to print. It’s easy to miss errors when you’re been looking at a piece numerous times; a “fresh” set of eyes can spot costly errors.
7. Not having an attention grabbing headline. Mail gets tossed if it doesn’t grab our immediate attention. Your opening statement needs to make an impact; this is going to affect whether the reader will continue to read the postcard.
8. Over-thinking the design and not content. A mail piece needs to look good but the content must work with it or it will be become a disastrous campaign. You want people to focus on the wording not just the colorful graphics. Keep your design to 2-3 graphics along with 5 key points on your product or service. Make sure you have a “call to action”.
9. Not following up. Repetition is key in the success of any mailing campaign. A successful direct mail campaign involves 2-3 mailings. The biggest mistake companies make is to send one mailing and stop if they don’t get the desired response.
10. Tracking your success. It’s key that you track your response rate as it will play a key role in future mailings. Create a simple “in-house” tracking method that allows you see the number of calls, sales, etc. that have been created from the mailing.
Direct mail campaigns can be very successful if you use a “check and balance” system. Don’t rush to put a campaign together – remember, the mail piece is going to represent your company. You don’t have a second chance to make a good first impression.
Categories: Direct Mail
October 20th, 2012
You probably have a database of your customers already – it could be as simple as a card file or spreadsheet. The important thing is to use it wisely. If you don’t have a database, or you need to have a bigger list, then you can buy or even rent databases.
To target your best customers effectively and efficiently, you need a deeper understanding of who they are, where they live, what they do, what they like and dislike, etc. This is called profiling. You don’t have to profile to send direct mail, but it will improve your results.
Profiling helps you:
• Visualize the people you want to reach
• Fine-tune your offer to a well-defined audience
• Create more appropriate and more effective mailings
What is a profile?
Put simply, it’s a set of characteristics that help identify and group your target audience.
• For consumer mailings, you can use age, gender, income, geographical area, home type, hobbies, and special interests, or any combination, to provide a profile; for example: men, aged 30 to 40, who enjoy scuba diving, and live in San Francisco, California.
• For business mailings, typical characteristics may be: industrial classification, sales turnover, number of employees, geographical area and technology or machinery used. Are you looking to contact small-to-medium enterprise company car drivers in New York?
What if I have a little in-depth information on my customers?
If your database holds little or no profile information, you can usually get a much fuller view by matching it against external data, such as one of the major demographic or lifestyle databases, such as Experian.
Cross-referencing data in this way can be quite illuminating at times. You might, for instance, find that a segment of your database is actually youngish, just-married and enjoys rock-climbing and other active sports. Not ideal for that cruise you’re trying to sell… but you could position a mailing as ‘a gift for your parents’.
Categories: Direct Mail
September 19th, 2012
Your Press Release is ready to go. Now you have to determine what audience would be the most interested in reading or hearing about it. But it is also important to think about where these people are located and how to best communicate with them.
Let’s assume that your Press Release is announcing the world wide availability of a new product. You have put your international Sales Force on alert that the product is available and ready to ship. You also prepared them for what you hope will be an onslaught of orders and inquiries if and when the press release is picked up by the media.
In this example, you want to ensure that the media in markets where you have your sales force located are included in the distribution. You also want to include new markets. Your product is targeted at internet and computer users. You determine your Press Release distribution should include national and international newspapers, the Internet wire services (i.e. google or yahoo!); computer magazines, computer professional associations; and of course, TV and radio stations.
Seems like a daunting task doesn’t it? How could you possibly look up all the addresses, fax numbers and email contacts for this world wide distribution?
Lucky for you there are many companies that have this information at their fingertips. They specialize in Press Release distribution and offer many different types of Press Release Distribution packages to meet your specific distribution needs. The packages are priced based upon how narrow or wide the distribution. These companies have the names and addresses of most newspapers and magazines as well as the ability to distribute your one press release to hundreds of wire services on the Internet with the push of the button. They also have magazine lists by industry category. This is helpful if your product is of the most interest to a particular consumer or business group. In this example, you would need a world wide, comprehensive Press Release distribution package.
Keep in mind the publicity and hopefully, new business generated as a result of the Press Release, can easily and quickly pay for the cost of distribution. It has been proven time and again that the return on investment for a Press Release is the higher than any other advertisement.
While planning for your Press Release distribution, it is critical that you determine who is your target audience; where are they located; and how do they receive their news. Once you have answered these questions, you can easily communicate your needs to the professionals that provide Press Release Distribution Packages.
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2012
You have decided to write and distribute a Press Release about your upcoming lecture series that promotes your newly published novel. By following the accepted format established by media outlets, you vastly improve your odds for having your announcement published and broadcast.
This standard format is expected by every journalist on your distribution list. It is a simple template that helps you to compose your press release. It ensures you have included the necessary information for the journalist to determine if your message is audience worthy.
Because the first question a journalist might ask is “Who submitted this Press Release to me?”, your contact information is expected at the top of the front page on the left hand side. Include the contact person’s name, company, address, and phone number. The next requirement is a “Headline” in bold letters and larger print than the rest of the press release. Think of the headlines you see in the paper each and every day. These will give you an idea of what evokes the reader to read a particular item in the newspaper. The headline should grab the attention of the journalist and encourage them to read more of your release. After the headline, the first paragraph is introduced by the City, State of you or your company and the date of its release.
Journalists are inundated with Press Releases. They don’t have time to read every word and are in the habit of “skimming” press releases for information. Therefore, you must put your most important information in the first paragraph. You must write concisely using proper grammar and language that is understandable. Avoid run on sentences. It is faster and easier to read short, succinct statements.
Subsequent paragraphs can answer the Who, What, When, Where and Why, but keeping their interest between the headline and first sentences and paragraphs goes a long way in getting your release covered by the media. At the end of the release, you want to include a summary paragraph about you or your company.
Take the time to proofread, proofread and proofread again your Press Release. If you didn’t care enough to check the accuracy of facts or spelling or grammar, the journalist is likely not to care as well.
Use the journalist standard and accepted Press Release format and your Press Release will be skimmed and perhaps read for its newsworthiness. It is the first thing a journalist will notice about your Press Release. The first impression is the most lasting impression. Make a good first impression by following the Press Release format.
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2012
You have decided you need to distribute a Press Release to the local newspapers about your upcoming lecture at the neighborhood library. You also think that the listeners at local radio station FM 99.9 would be perfect attendees at this event.
The Press Release is the perfect communication instrument for letting the newspaper readers and radio audience know about your lecture. There’s only one possibility that would prevent this information from getting to its intended audience. What if the paper ignores your Press Release or the Radio Station decides it is not going make an announcement? Can they do that? Yes they can, and they will if they decide the information in your Press Release is NOT newsworthy.
Journalists and radio and television news directors are inundated with hundreds of press releases in the form of faxes, e-mails and standard USPS. They have the interests of their audience at the top of their consideration. If you want to get the attention of the journalist and get your press release noticed, you need to ask yourself:
- Is the press release newsworthy to the public?
- If you were the journalist, would you see value to your readers or audience?
- In a stack of Press Releases, will your release catch the attention of the journalist?
Although this lecture seems to you to be a very important event and you believe the topic should be of interest to everyone, you must ensure the Press Release communicates that information to the newspaper and radio station.
For example, you will need an eye catching headline that persuades the reader to continue reading. You want to state the facts about who, when, where, why and how as concisely as possible. When you read it yourself, are you excited about it and think “This is very interesting”. Make sure that you have included points that are important to their readers and audience.
For instance, your lecture is about the local jazz scene and FM 99.9 is the local Jazz Station. You might make an assumption that their listeners would automatically be interested in a jazz related topic. But if you didn’t give the radio station enough specifics in the Press Release as to “Why” it would be appealing to their listeners, they may decide not to report your Press Release because it does not appeal to their audience.
A well written press release can give you publicity that is priceless. It can greatly enhance you or your company’s exposure to the masses.
Categories: Press Releases
