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your ad message Mailing via the “snail” (USPO) can be useful and cost effective. Banish the traditional wisdom that says you have to mail to thousands and expect only a very miniscule return. If you think smaller, you can use direct mail to cost effectively test before you leap. • Mail 100 offers to one zip code and 100 to a second zip. Measure results from each of the zip codes. Re-mail the better one and then add a 3rd. Repeat. If no results, change your offer or can the project. • Mail 100 offers in a plain white #10 envelope and 100 in a hot pink envelope. Measure results and go forward using the envelope color that pulled best. • Mail 100 offers using a hand-addressed envelope (in Blue ink) affixing a commemorative stamp and 100 using computer generated address labels and postage machine produced stamps. Measure results and lose the method that pulls the least. • Mail 100 two-sided postcards and 100 #10 envelopes with the same offer inside to the same zip code. Adopt the method that pulls better. These “tests” can produce some plus business and generally will tell you what works and what does not work without requiring a huge investment. As with any kind of advertisement in any media, the devil is in the details. Your direct mail piece needs to speak directly to your clearly identified target market and needs to make an offer that has a shot at getting their attention and possibly some kind of action (other than tossing the piece in the shredder). Absent a strong headline and benefit copy, direct mail won’t work any better than any other media. Perhaps you do not consider your product or service a candidate for direct mail. Fair enough. A carefully crafted and targeted mailing may be worth a gamble to see if you are correct about your assumption. You may be surprised by the outcome. If you take the time to make a clear and decent offer with your direct mail piece and your results are puny, you have two choices to make: 1) tweak the offer and try again or 2) stop snail mailing. If your results are promising, you may want to consider expanding your mailings and go for the gold. Contact a List Broker and supply them with a description of your product or service, your sales goals and whom you believe is your target audience. The broker can assist you in selecting names based on factors such as location, age, gender, income level, past purchasing patterns, credit history, etc. The more “factors,” the higher the list price on a cost per 1,000 basis. A variety of offers can be sent to names from a single list. Conversely, a solitary proposition can be offered to names gathered from multiple lists. These kinds of tests will give you a clear and fairly accurate picture of whom and where your best prospects are. Constantly updating this kind of information is an example of what separates the winners from the participants in business. Test and test again. By so doing, you can actually measure the cost of your advertising investment against your return. The success of your mailing will be indicated by the initial flurry of first-time customers along with the number who return a second or third time. Do not promise the moon unless it's actually inside your envelope. A wild promise with no real payoff will cause you to lose face with prospects. Not only will this piece find the shredder, your next one will never get opened. Consider enhancing your envelope by printing a “rubber stamp message” on the outside in red ink. Design the rubber stamp imprint to convince the recipient that you added this stamp just as the envelope was going out. You will help get your envelope opened with the right choice of words on your rubber stamp: *At last! *Finally *Exclusive invitation *Free gift *Private information for addressee only Direct mail advertising can be effective, especially if you are working on a tight budget. Is there anyone out there who isn’t? This medium is often dismissed because postage costs seem to go up hourly and because of the lure of postage -free electronic mail. Snail mail can target a specific audience with a specific offering. Results will be commensurate with the offer and how you craft the entire piece (envelope and message). At least you can put your toe in the water (test) before plopping your entire body in the pool. Try it. You may like it. Bob Schumacher has 40+ years experience in retailing and marketing. His website http://www.20do80.com offers 74 complimentary articles on small business advertising and marketing as well as information on how your business can have a Marketing Audit performed cost effectively. Please direct comments and questions to marketingemporium@bresnan.net and Bob will get back to you directly. Back to Main Page Library of Complimentary Small Biz Reports Small Business Marketing Audit Information Small Business Workshops Information Just released: Getting Any Business UNSTUCK book Just released: Launching a NEW business book Surefire Secrets for Creating Ads That get Results book
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