Tweet

IT’S TIME WE LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON FROM ADVERTISING

Guest post by: Billy Sharma

Article Overview: Here's a valuable lesson direct marketers can learn from the field of advertising.

IT’S TIME WE LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON FROM ADVERTISING

It’s called reach and frequency.

Advertising works because the same message is repeated again and again for months.

We watch the same commercial, view the same billboard on the subway and see the same ad in the magazines we subscribe to for months on end.

Unfortunately, we cannot duplicate this method in direct marketing. We cannot send our prospects the same letter again and again.

Even though the writer Stephen Pidgeon used this gimmick once.

He simply sent a carbon copy of the original letter with a note commenting that since the post was so unreliable, the recipient may not have read the earlier letter.

The result: The copy got half again as many responses as the original.

Which brings be back to my original point of the importance of reach and frequency. There are many ways to do this and yet we seldom use them in direct marketing even though they have a multiplier effect and produce better results each time.

One way is to send people reminder mailings. A reminder piece I did for Make-A-Wish resulted in a bigger response than the original letter.

Another method is by using various media to send the same message. If the first communication is a direct mail piece, follow it with an email. Follow a magazine ad with a direct mail piece.

The important point is that the more often you can expose your target audience to the same message the greater the likelihood of a response. And isn’t that what direct marketing is all about? And yet we seldom use this tried and true method to our advantage.

Related Articles
  What Does Your Gut Say?
  Lessons Learned From a Cliffhanger
  Leadership Lessons Heard
  Lesson #5: “Hard times are an opportunity for growth”
  Selling swimming pools is the same as selling what you sell
  It Takes Teamwork to Make a Company Dream Work
  Three Marketing Lessons from Realtors
  Lesson #1: Make Your Money Work For You
  The Explanation Gap
  How to Say No
  Actions speak louder than words
  “Failure Breeds Success – If You Learn From Each Failure”
  Lesson #2: Learn To Mind Your Own Business
  Target Marketing A Case Study in Identifying Your Best Prospects Talking Directly to Them and Sealing the Deal
  Small Business Advertising A Classic Small Advertisement
  Lesson #2: “You can’t cut grass when it’s covered with snow”
  Build It and They Willl Come?
  Lesson #2: A Good Rebound Can Come from a Bad Misstep
  Newspapers Are For Burning.
  You Can't Give What You Don't Have

Article Tags: advertising works, billboard, carbon copy, direct mail, direct marketing, first communication, gimmick, important point, likelihood, mail piece, multiplier effect, original point, pidgeon, prospects, recipient, reminder, subway, target audience, true method, writer stephen



Related Forum Posts
Re: Is facebook adverts effective? - We have done it for our online live tutoring services. But, I have decided not to use it again because we could know that there were around 250 clicks in a week ,but we could not see capitalise a single student. We targeted UK based 24-30 or something. We actually received a very few (I think around5 out of 250 clicks!) ... They too seem to be Indians and Pakistanis residing in the UK with a full time student visa, which prevents them from taking online lessons from us (then why they clicked our ads and even contacted us mean, I think, they do not going to lose anything!) ... So, I realised that our target market UK based PART TIME ACCA and CIMA students do not use FaceBook to browse ACCA and CIMA related sites although they use FaceBook. So, as our website is for ACCA and CIMA courses, probably it might have been shown in ACCA and CIMA FaceBook groups, where FULL TIME students were browsing it. So, I think it is we, selected the wrong medium .... Not to blame FaceBook I think .... So, it mainly depends on your target market, where they reside and actually from that area/country, truly would your target group see your adverts ? Much to consider ....
Re: How much is social media part of your marketing strategy? - The magic word: TIME If i had more time... but since I don' have it i go strictly to other marketing methods, that brings in more targeted traffic, like article marketing.
Re: Training and Self Development - Lets dust this one off Offline, budget and TIME, I feel are the reasons Training and Development take a second seat to building your business. Few start ups business have employees and the 1 or 2 partners are busy getting their business off the ground so the loss of 1 to training is a loss of a working partner Start ups are seldom well capitalized until they reach a certain growth and can offer proof of their business model to Angel or Venture Capital Funding - then they have to perform to meet the requirements of the funder. Angel are more ideal because they understand the important of personal development and often may be the source of your further development and training Offline Chamber of Commerce and related organizations offer training, but normally during your business hours and a often at a cost prohibitive for a start-up - I started a dozen companies and never had time or budget for such offerings - SO WHAT IS WRONG THE LIBRARY? Obviously that comment and I were before the INTERNET. So now we have both the LIBRARY and the INTERNET to source our training - FREE I start every Business Plan and Marketing workshop with a personal NEEDS ANALYSIS. We are looking for entrepreneur suitability, skill sets, etc, While Passion, Confidence, Attitude and Commitment are more difficult to change in a workshop - Awareness can be heightened, Take aways include a personal development plan. Yes would be Entrepreneurs can be trained to be entrepreneurs, but the person has to be open to assessment and honest in identifying their shortfalls. Better still Entrepreneurship is not an end itself as the business grows - either train yourself or turn the company over to corporate guru. How many companies ultimately fail because the entrepreneur would not turn lose of the reigns Be honest with your needs, take time for your needs development! INTERNET INTERNET, where you when I went to college? YOU can do learn and do anything and with the INTERNET and FORUMS such as this are ideal for LEARNING your TRADE Budget, what budget, EXPERTS here share and help you for FREE, all your need it TIME
Single mother business - Hi Evan, Every problem can be solved. Check these four 'T' points: 1. THINK that you are important. Therefore one can do anything one sets her mind to. This can be applied to many different types of businesses. Perhaps she has set her mind on a specific market. With the help of the internet one can explore avenues of possible area to fill the need. 2. TRUST yourself that you are able. It doesn't matter, if you make a mistake. You know your strength and weaknesses. Concentrate on strength, this is your potential. 3. TEAM-UP with somebody. Perhaps a friend, who has some experience in this. You can get good advice and encouragement. There are Nay-sayers out there, just ignore them. Look for positive and achievers These can be a great strength. Finally, 4. TIME for your children. When you have a routine set up, you can plan ahead to be with them. As they get older, they will understand the reason for you to work. Kindest Regards Beat "Unlock People's Potentials!"
Re: Email Marketing, Permission Based - I agree that a double-opt-in (i.e. confirmed opt-in) system of email marketing is the best method. Of course, having people confirm their subscription is no guarantee that they will read your email! Signing up subscribers is only the FIRST stage. The next thing you need to get is their TRUST, and the best way to "get" is not to "sell" but to "give"... - give freebies - give useful, valuable tips - get the subscribers to feel that opening your mail is something WORTH SPENDING TIME ON. Entertain them, make them laugh, but always give them something of value connected to the niche market that your newsletter deals with. - invite feedback - use the [[firstname]] tag, and don't be afraid to use it in the newsletter title field either! Cheers, David H


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Make Small Commitments. Get Big Changes.

THE “SECRET RECIPES” OF LEADERSHIP

How Promotional Caps became a Fashion Trend

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.