Our Solutions News Blog was envisioned to gather and share information from the very best to help you and your business to become more effective.
Canada Post gives you a powerful and effective sales force at a bargain price. Using the postman as your salesman via direct mail advertising is a great bargain. And one of the most effective marketing strategies available to most businesses, direct mail gives the marketer tremendous control over the sales process...
Properly used, direct mail and following direct mail principles can be one of the most effective and cost efficient marketing strategies you'll ever find for your business.
Here are the 3 basics of any direct mail marketing process you may choose to create:
People should also compile their own mailing list beyond just demographical outreach.
For one thing, you should maintain an up to date mailing list of all your customers and clients. Direct mail can stimulate additional business, introduce new products and services or promote sales or special offers.
--------------------------------------------------
For one thing, you should maintain an up to date mailing list of all your customers and clients. Direct mail can stimulate additional business, introduce new products and services or promote sales or special offers.
You can also build prospect lists of your own in many different ways. If people call your business for information, your staff should be trained to get the caller’s name, address, and email. If you exhibit at trade or consumer shows, you might use a free prize drawing or some similar method to obtain all the show attendees’ names and addresses.
You can also compile your own list from business directories, chamber of commerce directories, association directories, and other similar sources.
Success is found in repetition. You should think in terms of mailing offers and information to the same list 3-5 times during a 12 month period, not just once.
The list or list selection is the starting point of the direct mail marketing process. Then second comes the development of a matching offer.
The offer you make in a direct mail package needs to be carefully thought out and matched as closely as possible to the interests, needs and motivations of the list. And as a general rule of thumb, the more specifically matched the offer and list are the higher the response rate.
--------------------------------------------------
I want you to understand that it is not necessary or even advisable for you to engage the expensive services of graphic designers or ad agencies to create your direct mail pieces.
If you will make the format decision yourself, write the copy yourself and provide some graphic components yourself, then you have your piece prepared by printer that provide direct mail handling services.
An ad agency or graphic designer may charge you several hundred to a thousand dollars just to design a simple direct mail piece. Most small and medium sized businesses do not need to incur such costs.
You then have to write the copy that will present your offer and tell your story.
I've written all of my own advertising copies since the 1970s and have never had any formal education in advertising. I'm self-taught through studying the many excellent how-to books readily available, and through practice.
This is a very valuable skill and I urge most business people and entrepreneurs to develop the ability to write good advertising copy. There are two main reasons for this first. It's very costly to have your advertising materials written by a good professional copywriter or consultant. I charge between $3000 and $5,000, and my fees are typically lower than most other well qualified consultants in this field. Second, no matter how much you pay to get the very best outside help, no one can ever have the same feel for your business and your clientele that you do.
P.S. Don’t forget, whoever can spend the most money to acquire a customer wins.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please contact us for free information, tips and assistance!
Written By: Dan Kennedy / Souce: Magnetic Marketing
Marketing your business comes with a multitude of tools for your toolbelt. It’s critical to have digital elements, such as a website and social media accounts, but print collateral is equally important. In some cases, print marketing materials are considered more important than digital elements because some people don’t rely on the internet a lot for their everyday lives, which leaves print materials as their introduction to your business.
There’s something about putting your brand in people’s hands and giving them the chance to interact with it outside of your goods or services. You know you need to stand out but wonder if that’s even possible given that people have been using print marketing for hundreds of years.
The good news is that you don’t have to reinvent the print marketing wheel. Instead, you can put an original spin on what’s already been done. I know, because that’s what my team does. Here are a few things you can do to improve your print marketing collateral and better promote your business.
1. Take shape.
Many people almost always use standard shapes and sizes when it comes to print marketing materials. Instead, consider creating a piece in a unique shape or size to stand out. For example, a round business card will be easy to pick out among a stack of rectangle pieces. You could also use a shape that reminds recipients of your business, such as a camera-shaped business card for a photographer.
If you don’t want to change the entire shape of the product, you can use die-cuts to alter various elements. For example, these brochures for BMW have die-cuts on the covers to match the brand. The first is rounded to make the logo stand out, while the second is shaped like a car, which draws attention to them.
2. Use bold images.
A powerful image can make or break a design. Stock images are money-savers, but it’s important to choose images that make a statement. Select images to which people can relate, or show the benefits of your product or service. This will leave a larger impression on your audience instead of pictures of your product on a pretty landscape.
That’s what happened when we worked with a client to create a presentation folder with bold images. The images illustrate what customers can expect when they select this company to provide maintenance or janitorial services, whether it’s an impeccably kept, vibrant garden or floors so clean you can see your reflection in them. There was some information inside on the pocket of the folder, but overall, the company let the images tell the story.
3. Connect to digital.
Just because it’s print marketing material doesn’t mean you can’t add a digital element. In addition to your website URL, consider using a QR code that will send recipients directly to your website, provide them with a digital coupon or unlock some other special deal. The key is making sure your print design is compelling enough that customers want to see more.
Another option for combining print and digital is using a video folder. With a video folder, screens are placed on the cover or inside the folder. Not only does this merge both types of marketing, but it also allows customers to better interact with the brand. This is also great when you have a lot of information that might not fit in your folder. For example, a real estate agent could provide virtual tours of properties with the video and include other info inside the folder, such as tax information and blueprints.
4. Add texture.
There are two ways to add texture to your design — physically and visually. Embossing and debossing are great ways to do that. Embossing uses pressure to raise elements of the stock for a three-dimensional effect, while debossing is the opposite and uses pressure to depress elements of the stock. Both provide a textured element that recipients can see and feel.
A more cost-effective way to add texture is visually. You can use various colors or shades to make it look like your product has a wooden, leather or marble texture, for example, just as designer Candice Bondi did for Halo. The business cards and brochures look as if they were printed on various textures, such as marble, plastic or sand, making the recipient want to run their fingers over the surfaces.
5. Shine on.
Build on adding texture by using a coating. It will not only change how your piece feels but also give it some shine, depending on the coating you use. Gloss and semigloss coatings provide a luxurious luster, while a soft-touch coating feels like a smooth piece of velvet. You can cover the entire product or highlight specific elements, such as the company name or logo.
Coatings also can add protection to your product from water, fingerprints and tears. If you don’t think your piece needs to shine, you can use a matte coating and still get the same protection.
You don’t have to do all of these things to have great print marketing materials, but you can. Or, you can try one or two methods. At the end of the day, you know your audience the best and to what they will respond. The important thing is creating something you can be proud of and that will help grow your business.
Written By: Vladimir Gendelman / Source: Forbes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please contact us for free information, tips and assistance!
Direct mail vs email is arguably one of the longest standing debates in marketing, this could be down to the constantly evolving industry and it’s audiences..
Today 70% of consumers reportedly feel like they receive too many emails, something we can probably all empathise with. As our virtual inboxes reach the thousands we have less and less tolerance for email marketing.
As the digital industry grows the direct mail vs email debate takes a turn and the death of email marketing as we know becomes apparent. The average lifespan of an email is now just 2 seconds and brand recall directly after seeing a digital ad is just 44%, compared to direct mail which has a brand recall of 75%. Whilst digital media is still a crucial part of marketing we compare the statistics of direct mail vs email.
The evidence suggests we need to revaluate the way we use email, rather than thinking of it as a cheap form of marketing how we can utilise it’s strengths? If we continue to bombard customers we may risk alienating them. As the effectiveness of email marketing declines the response to direct mail is on the rise, and printed media becomes a more trusted form of consumer engagement. Looking at the strengths and weaknesses of each media it seems the rising popularity of direct mail could work to reinforce email, if used in the right combination, and may we suggest in moderation.
Source: Proactive Marketing UK
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please contact us for free information, tips and assistance!
