Three Vital Direct Mail Tips for the Small Business Owner
Three Vital Direct Mail Tips for the Small Business Owner
Strategy #1: Match Your List to your Target
There are basically two types of direct mail lists; rentals lists and house lists. The reason you rent a list is to bring new prospects into your business. A list rental, when purged of any existing prospects or customers, is a list of suspects. A suspect is someone you think might be interested in your products or services, but you aren’t sure.
Your goal for any suspect mailing is not to sell – it’s to convert them into a viable prospect by building up their trust and confidence. If you immediately put on the hard sell for a suspect, chances are good that you’ll be ignored. Good suspect mailings will give away a free report, product sample or service trial in exchange for contact information like an email or address.
A house list is simply your current list of prospects, first-time buyers and repeat buyers. You should split your house list into these three areas and come up with the most compelling offer for each group. Your house prospects have shown an interest in your products and services but haven’t made that all important first purchase. Make them a deal they can’t refuse. For your buyers, concentrate on upselling and cross-selling complementary products.
Strategy #2: Track Your Results
If you can't track it, don't do it. Make sure your direct mail piece contains a way to track whether the customer took action. If you don't do this, you will never know if your mailing had an impact.
Here are three suggestions for tracking your direct mail promotions.
1. Mail a postcard that contains a promo code that must be brought into your retail store.
2. If your business is web based, use a unique promotion code that must be entered at your website when redeeming the offer.
3. If you are referring people back to your website, send them to a special page your regular web visitors can't access.
Remember, the more you can track and measure, the more you can adjust in order to create a more effective mailing the next time.
Strategy #3: Have a Compelling Offer
What exactly is your call to action? Make it clear to your customer what it is you want them to do and make sure your offer is clear and compelling. Below are some ideas to get you going.
- Free product trial
- Discount on product or service for limited time
- Free consultation
- Free report for download at your website
Make sure you capture everyone's contact information so you can add it to your database. On your website, this can be as simple as having them fill out a contact form before redeeming the direct mail offer.
Direct mail is a great way to supplement a strong ecommerce marketing program. In addition, using your website to capture new suspect contact info is a great way to combine direct mail and web communication channels.
Three Vital Direct Mail Tips for the Small Business Owner - To learn more about this author, visit Corte Swearingen's Website.
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Direct mail can be a very profitable marketing channel for the small business owner. With much emphasis on website and search engine marketing, many companies have forgotten the power of a strong direct mail package to pull in quality leads and convert prospects into customers. This article outlines four tips for ensuring direct mail success.
Strategy #1: Match Your List to your Target
There are basically two types of direct mail lists; rentals lists and house lists. The reason you rent a list is to bring new prospects into your business. A list rental, when purged of any existing prospects or customers, is a list of suspects. A suspect is someone you think might be interested in your products or services, but you aren’t sure.
Your goal for any suspect mailing is not to sell – it’s to convert them into a viable prospect by building up their trust and confidence. If you immediately put on the hard sell for a suspect, chances are good that you’ll be ignored. Good suspect mailings will give away a free report, product sample or service trial in exchange for contact information like an email or address.
A house list is simply your current list of prospects, first-time buyers and repeat buyers. You should split your house list into these three areas and come up with the most compelling offer for each group. Your house prospects have shown an interest in your products and services but haven’t made that all important first purchase. Make them a deal they can’t refuse. For your buyers, concentrate on upselling and cross-selling complementary products.
Strategy #2: Track Your Results
If you can't track it, don't do it. Make sure your direct mail piece contains a way to track whether the customer took action. If you don't do this, you will never know if your mailing had an impact.
Here are three suggestions for tracking your direct mail promotions.
1. Mail a postcard that contains a promo code that must be brought into your retail store.
2. If your business is web based, use a unique promotion code that must be entered at your website when redeeming the offer.
3. If you are referring people back to your website, send them to a special page your regular web visitors can't access.
Remember, the more you can track and measure, the more you can adjust in order to create a more effective mailing the next time.
Strategy #3: Have a Compelling Offer
What exactly is your call to action? Make it clear to your customer what it is you want them to do and make sure your offer is clear and compelling. Below are some ideas to get you going.
- Free product trial
- Discount on product or service for limited time
- Free consultation
- Free report for download at your website
Make sure you capture everyone's contact information so you can add it to your database. On your website, this can be as simple as having them fill out a contact form before redeeming the direct mail offer.
Direct mail is a great way to supplement a strong ecommerce marketing program. In addition, using your website to capture new suspect contact info is a great way to combine direct mail and web communication channels.
Three Vital Direct Mail Tips for the Small Business Owner - To learn more about this author, visit Corte Swearingen's Website.
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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