October 20th, 2011
There are numerous tricks to the trade when creating your mail piece . Color, print, wording and size of the piece are just a few of the components that can “make or break” the success of your campaign.
Industry standards for the return on investment (ROI) are 1 – 2%. However, a well thought out campaign can see as much as 4-6% return on investment. Once you’ve created the piece you want to mail, you should consider a test run before mailing to your entire list so you can see the impact it has on the recipients. Once you’ve “tweaked” the mail piece, and achieved your target response, send it to your entire list.
Here are some key points to consider:
• Paper quality, size, color and texture are all part of the presentation, not just what you have to say. Don’t cut corners – you’ll never have a second chance to make a good first impression.
• Don’t over-design; keep it simple. Remember you want people to read what’s on the card.
• Send a separate mailing to repeat customers with special offers, promotions or advance notice of
upcoming sales. They are vital to your business.
• If you are mailing to a business, try to find the best name to send to.
• If possible, ink jet your addresses directly onto the mail piece. It’s more professional looking.
• Write copy that states what your product or service can do for the reader.
• Avoid technical jargon – keep it simple so the recipient understands the key points.
• Make your phone number prominent on the mail piece.
• If you are requesting a return by mail, make the process simple and the instructions very clear.
• If you have a web site, include it on all direct mail pieces.
• Add a personalized touch when sending letters; merge the names into your mail piece.
Direct mail campaigns can get costly; keep track of your expenses. A successful direct mail campaign should generate a profit, so keep track of your spending versus your return on investment (ROI).
Categories: Direct Mail
October 20th, 2011
1. Know your consumer.
2. Provide your mailing list broker with an accurate description of your product or offer. The broker may have suggestions as to the type of list that would best suit your needs.
3. Know the difference between a response and a compiled mailing list.
-Response mailing lists are comprised of individuals who have responded to an offer either through the mail, phone, and television or through other means of mass communication.
-Compiled mailing lists are a compilation of information from public records and sources such as the phone book, courthouse records, bankruptcy filings, mortgage deed records and more.
4. Have a customer profile-address your offer to an individual. Understand your customers’ needs and desires.
5. What is your offer? Be straight forward and enticing in the merchandising of your product
6. Make sure there is quality in your offer. How can the consumer or business benefit from your product and/or service?
7. Evaluate your costs. What is the cost per lead verses the pricing of your product?
8. The appearance of your mail piece should look personal so the consumer is more likely to open it.
9. You may want to include informative brochures and testimonials regarding your offer.
10. Track responses. You can evaluate the success of your mail campaign by analyzing and tracking the response so with your next mailing you can make adjustments to increase responses, thus increasing business and profitability.
Many times it does take more than one contact with a consumer or business to turn a prospect into a loyal customer. Success campaigns usually have multiple mailings for optimum results
Categories: Direct Mail
October 20th, 2011
Direct mail campaigns need to planned, have a goal for the number of responses and they need to be repeated for optimum success. Here are six key points to consider when implementing a campaign for your business.
Response Rate?
Begin tracking the results of your direct mail campaign as the first responses start to come in. The best way to measure the success of direct mail is to analyze the results to determine your best course of action. Response rates will vary because there are many factors that go into a direct mail campaign. Important components include the mail piece itself, your offer or product, timing of your mailing and of course the mailing list.
How do I narrow the geography?
You are able to narrow your target by selecting the geography that you think will best suit your target market. You can select the geography by state, county, SCF, zip code or by carrier route of the postal carrier if you need to get even more specific. Carrier routes can usually be obtained from your post office or by going to their website www.usps.com. SCF is the first 3 digits of a zip code that is a useful way to target a broader area than pulling just by zip code.
Will all of my mail pieces be delivered?
Direct mail is a very effective method of marketing a product or service, and the mailing list is a very important part of the of the campaign. However, mailing lists cannot by guaranteed 100%. Look for a mailing list that is guaranteed to be at least 90% deliverable. This is an industry standard with most business and residential marketing mailing lists. Some of your more specialized mailing lists should be guaranteed to be about 95% deliverable.
When should I do my mailing?
This depends on the product you are selling. If you are selling Christmas ornaments you would want to start your marketing efforts in the fall. If you are selling a gardening tool you may want to consider the spring to start your campaign. It is important to analyze your product and the target market to determine the best timing for your mailing campaign.
How often should I repeat my mailing?
When a consumer sees a product more than once or twice that consumer is more likely to remember your company; you’re building name recognition. Repetition – the more something is put in front of them the more likely they would be to respond to the offer. So, depending on your product or offer the answer to this question can vary. With your first mailing you can determine what worked best and what did not work, so with your additional mailings you can revise your mail piece and your offer to best suit your needs. Follow up mailings are best done fairly close together so that the consumer can recall the product.
Should I follow up with a phone call?
You can enhance your mailing efforts with a telemarketing program. Most mailing lists have phone numbers available as well. This is a good tool to use as a follow up to a direct marketing campaign to remind the consumer of your product or service.
Categories: Direct Mail
August 29th, 2011
Your press release is ready to go. You have decided which audience you want to target and determined that your release is going to newspapers, magazines, internet wire services, and television and radio stations. You decided to pay the Acme Marketing firm to professionally write your press release. As a part of their writing the press release, they will also do the distribution for you. This saves you time and money. But how will you know if the release was picked up by any of the media outlets on your distribution?
You are probably familiar with the term “clipping service”. No, it is not used for clipping coupons. Clipping services have been around since the 1890s. Before the electronic, computer and internet explosions, these services were performed manually by companies that perused hundreds of newspapers, magazines and broadcast manuscripts.
Now, most of these services are performed by some of the same companies but they use the power of the Internet and other electronic sources to more quickly keep track of potential coverage not only in the print media, but also in blogs and any other internet communications. Television and radio stations make their manuscripts available by updating their database and making them available via the internet.
Many of these firms offer you the ability to search for yourself. The improvement of databases and their easy to use searching capabilities allows you to track where, when and by whom your story has been published.
Whether you decide to have the clipping service do the tracking for you or you decide to do it yourself, expect to pay for these services. Fees vary and you should take the time to find the service that will best meet your needs at a budget you can afford.
If you have a very tight budget and you can’t afford a clipping service, try a standard, free, Internet search engine such as Google or yahoo!. Both of these services allow you to set up an ongoing, automatic search for your company name or other key words or phrases. They notify you daily by email if and when your key words are found on the internet. You receive a link to the information as well as the date, etc. Keep in mind there could be a lag time between the time you distributed your Press Release and the time it takes to be found by Google or yahoo!. Paid clipping services cost money but most of the time, their data is updated as quickly as every two minutes. If time is of the essence, you may want a clipping service.
Measuring and knowing the effectiveness of your Press Release is very important. It helps you determine the return on your investment and keeps you informed as to how information about you or your company is printed, broadcast or “blogged” on the Internet.
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2011
When planning for your Press Release, you decide who would be the most interested in hearing your story as well as where your audience is located. If you are releasing information about a local public event, it would seem obvious that you would want to notify the public through local newspapers, newsletters, radio and television. You would also want to make sure the Press Release includes the actual dates you want the release published. If it is not published in a timely manner, it might be too late.
This scenario addresses your need to publish locally and in a timely manner. However, what if this event was of interest to a number of your customers or others located outside of your immediate area? You would want to give them plenty of time to arrange travel plans, child care, and hotel accommodations as necessary. Here’s an example of how to solve this dilemma.
These easiest and perhaps the most effective way to address local AND national coverage, especially for an event, is to prepare two different Press Releases. The first release you write and distribute is primarily for both local and national media outlets. It needs to be released and picked up by the media at least four to twelve weeks in advance. This allows your national target audience enough time to prepare to attend.
The Press Release is written in the standard format, including an attention grabbing headline and all the details of who, where, why, when and what. Remember, this Press Release must be newsworthy enough for it to be published. At the same time, distribute this Press Release to your local media outlets. By distributing it locally, you give your community ample time to make their plans as well.
The second Press Release would be distributed closer to the actual event date and only to local newspapers, television and radio stations. This release can be in a simpler press release format used specifically for public service announcements. This release is a great reminder to the local community that your event will take place in the next week or few days.
Keep in mind using two different types of Press Releases is an acceptable way to communicate local and national newsworthy events. The standard Press Release format can always be used for both local and national audiences. Don’t be afraid to write different types of Press Releases to meet your publicity needs and target the appropriate audience.
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2011
One of the guidelines for writing an effective Press Release is to write in the third person. You want to avoid “I”, “You”, “We”, “Us” because you are reporting and not having a conversation with someone. These nouns are used in a Press Release only when they are a part of a direct quote.
Just because you are “reporting”, why should I believe you? Hopefully you have answered who, what, when, where and why and provided any facts and figures to support your statements. Providing quotes from experts in the field or testimonials from your current client(s) can give your press release the most credibility.
Let’s say your press release is going to announce performance enhancements to the lawn mower you manufacture. You have covered all the technical details about the lawn mower’s power, how long it has been on the market, its’ old vs. new capabilities, the price etc. You were fortunate enough to design these enhancements by collaborating with the Lawn Mower Manufacture’s Association of America (LMMAA) and using suggestions made by your largest customers. Now is the time to ask these people for testimonials that can be used in your press release.
Many of us recognize the stamp of approval or endorsement by an Association on a product to mean the product was designed, tested and approved using the Association’s stringent guidelines for production. The “Good Housekeeping” stamp of approval and “Utilities Laboratories” or UL, are commonly recognized on products that are made to a certain set of standards.
You could ask the President of the LMMA to talk about his experience working on the project and the care your company took in the new design and the enhancements. “The LMMAA thinks these enhancements to the XYZ Lawn Mower are the first of its kind. XYZ considered safety and cost at every point in the project. We are proud to have worked with them and couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.”
Perhaps you delivered the newest mower to your largest customer ACME mowers and they have used it for the past two months. The ACME owner sent you an email recently saying how wonderful the new mower was and they looked forward to doing business with you for the next 20 years. Call ACME and ask them if you can quote them in your news release.
These testimonials and quotes let the reader, viewer, or listener know that the story you are reporting is substantiated by outside parties. One or two testimonials or quotes are all you need to have a credible news release.
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2011
Most journalists have been taught that they must be able to answer the five Ws before they have a credible piece of journalism. The five Ws are Who, What, When, Where and Why. It seems so simple, doesn’t it? Yet newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations receive many Press Releases that are not newsworthy because the Press Release author didn’t, couldn’t or wouldn’t use the five Ws. By answering these five, one word questions when writing your Press Release, you can be assured that your Press Release is newsworthy and written from a journalist perspective.
Journalists are in the business of reporting the news and stories they deem of interest to their audiences. With their inboxes overflowing with faxes, mail and e-mail, they have to sift through hundreds of Press Releases looking for those that will be published or broadcast. These journalists are looking for newsworthy information that is both factual and accurate.
By answering the five Ws, you are sure to have included the necessary facts. Always write the release as if someone else is talking about your company, service, product, etc.
For instance, you want to announce a new product offering. You think that everyone from a housewife to a scientist will be interested in your new product. By using the five Ws as your guide, you will include factual information that is important to the journalist. This journalist is the gatekeeper of Press Releases for the very audience you want to see and hear your announcement.
In this product announcement example, the five Ws are answered as follows:
- The Who is the company name that produces the product and making the announcement
- The What is your new product, its features and benefits
- The When is the date of the product release and the date(s) it is available for purchase or ordering
- The Where is where product purchases or orders can be made. Include ordering information such as company name, address, telephone number and price, or include your web site address to encourage on-line ordering
- The Why explains your product’s uses and benefit. You should include any examples as well as facts or figures that help to substantiate your statements.
By using the five Ws, you have written your Press Release in the same manner familiar to most journalists. When you include an attention getting headline and your first paragraph grabs the journalists’ attention, you greatly improve your chances for having your Press Release picked up by the media.
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2011
There was the classic TV Show and more recently the movie, “Dragnet”. The main character, Sergeant Joe Friday, was known for the quotation, “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts.” He would let a witness to a crime tell their story with all their emotion and commentary on what they believed happened. After a few minutes of listening to this extraneous information, Joe would interject his most famous line of dialogue, “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts.” As with Sergeant Friday, journalists are most interested in the facts you present in your press release.
The facts are the deciding factor as to whether or not a press release is published. Your press release is only successful if newspapers and magazines publish stories or broadcasters broadcast information based upon receiving and reading your press release.
Because newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations receive hundreds of Press Releases a day, they don’t have time to read creative writing pieces. They are most interested in releases that give them facts that are going to be of interest to the public masses.
Journalists are looking for NEWS. They decide which press release will be made public not based on how cleverly it is written; how many words it contains or if it contains the most persuasive point of view of all the press releases received that day.
They are the gatekeeper of the news based upon the facts they read in your press release. You will need an attention grabbing headline so they will keep reading. You want to summarize your facts in the first paragraph so the reader can see your information quickly. You must include your contact information at the beginning and at the end of the press release so they easily know how to reach you in the event they have questions or they want to interview you. Be sure the information is concise, clear and interesting.
When deciding to use a Press Release to announce your next big product; your upcoming book; or your new location, remember the key to success is having the Press Release picked up by your distribution (newspapers, magazines, radio or television). The way you ensure your press release is used by the media is to remember Joe Friday’s mantra, “Just the facts ma’am, just the facts.”
Categories: Press Releases
July 29th, 2011
While planning your postcard campaign, you created your goals, offer and message for the postcard campaign. A critical component of the planning was to define your target audience.
Your target audience is those individuals who would most likely benefit from your offer and take advantage (buy!) your services or products. Taking the time to carefully “profile” your target audience will improve the likelihood of success.
You can profile your target audience by using the buying characteristics of your current customers. For example, your company manufactures and wholesales trinkets to small businesses in your state. You further define a small business as a company that has gross revenues of less than $1 million per year. The decision maker for these businesses is the purchasing agent. Your offer is to sell surplus trinket inventory at a discount. Another goal for this campaign is expanding your business to a nearby state.
Since you want to sell surplus trinkets at a discount and encourage repeat business, your target audience includes your current customer base. They know you and are familiar with your name and reputation. Because you want to expand your business to a nearby state, you want to mail your postcards to the purchasing agents of those companies that gross less than $1million per year.
Profiling is important not only for business to business postcard campaigns but also for business to individual consumers. Before you ever went into business, you probably did market research to determine the characteristics of those who were likely to buy from you. For example, you located your store where there was foot traffic; you sell expensive jewelry so you located in an affluent area where the buyers make more than $50,000 per year; you offer your services exclusively over the internet so you need buyers who own a computer; you sell rock and roll memorabilia and your customer profile includes certain age groups, income levels, and people who purchase more than 25 CDs per year.
It is very important that your goals, offer, message and the mailing list you select work together. Take the time to profile your current and potential buyers. The more specific you are about your target audience the better your chances for a successful postcard campaign.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
July 29th, 2011
You have painstakingly designed your postcards with attention grabbing photos, imagery and headline. You believe you have selected the best mailing list for your target audience. After all this careful planning, how will you know if your campaign is successful?
During the planning phase of the campaign, you defined your goals. For this particular campaign, you wanted to increase the number of orders coming through your web site. You offered a special discount that is valid for 30 days. How will you distinguish between orders coming from the web site that are a result of the postcard campaign versus normal traffic to that webpage?
One solution might be to direct your postcard campaign recipients to special URL/web page such as www.yoursitename.com/offer11. Another way to track this new customer would be to use a promotion or coupon code unique to this mailing. The promo code is used during the checkout process in order to receive the discount offered on the postcard. This code can be used to track the number of orders received as a result of the postcard campaign.
Perhaps your campaign goal is to get people to contact you so they can receive free brochure materials about your latest life insurance plan. An easy and inexpensive way to track results that are coming from phone calls is to use a different 800 number specific to this campaign. The cost is minimal and your monthly statement will show you the number of calls received. Your phone bill statement is much more accurate than asking your customer service team to keep track of how many calls they received as a result of the postcard campaign.
Another method for measuring campaign effectiveness is to stagger the mailing of the postcards. For example, you order 5,000 postcards and for the first campaign you will send 1,000 cards. But you would like to control and gauge how the postcards are received before mailing all 1,000 cards. You decide to send out 250 a week so that your response rate is more manageable and you can make minor changes to the postcards if needed before mailing all 1,000 cards.
Since postcard marketing is only one component of your marketing strategies, it is important to know its effectiveness. As you do each campaign you learn more about your target audience and what resonates with buyers and what doesn’t. Whether you select a promo or coupon code, an 800 number or have a special web site address, knowing the effectiveness of the postcard campaign compared to your other marketing methods is valuable information for your future planning and budgeting.
Categories: Postcard Marketing
