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Snail Mail Marketing: Ensure Bang for Less Buck

Written by: Deborah Osgood

Article Overview: As an entrepreneur, controlling cost is #1 these days and so it makes sense that any time you can cut costs, you should. However, effective marketing can be a different story. A great case-in-point is that back in the days of the Great Depression, Kellogg chose to continue to market aggressively and Post did not. Which cereal brand do you relate to today?

Snail Mail Marketing: Ensure Bang for Less Buck

As an entrepreneur, controlling cost is #1 these days and so it makes sense that any time you can cut costs, you should. However, effective marketing can be a different story. A great case-in-point is that back in the days of the Great Depression, Kellogg chose to continue to market aggressively and Post did not. Which cereal brand do you relate to today?

In a recent article titled, Firms Hold Fast to Snail Mail Marketing, several small business owners share real world examples of old fashioned direct mail strategies and how they are still valid for building new customers and keeping existing ones loyal. The key to success according to Eric Anderson, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, is to have printed materials that are "more appealing than "junk" mail and potentially more noticeable than an email message."

If you're like most of us, however, creating direct mail pieces that are appealing, eye-catching and effective as a marketing tool collectively may not be your strong suit. If this is the case, the good news is that thanks once again to the growth of high speed Internet communications and graphic design technology, you can cost-effectively tap the talents of others.

For example, a company like Conquest Graphics that's been in the printing business for just shy of 90 years, has expanded its traditional print offerings by creating an innovative online interface where you can use step-by-step professional design templates to create a wide range of marketing materials. These include tri-fold brochures, post cards, business cards, catalogs, door hangers, magazines, newsletters, posters and stationery. Once you complete your design, the file is uploaded to a team of professionals with the finished product shipped to your business in a matter of days.

With no-cost value-add innovative services like these available over the web, there is no reason not to have first class printed marketing materials that show case your company products and services. Still, controlling costs is a #1 priority today and always will be for most any successful business. However, the key is to know what works, why, when and to take full advantage of it. In this regard, employing both a print strategy and an online strategy for marketing your business just might make the most sense in terms of maximizing ROI and revenues.

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Article Tags: effective marketing, mail marketing, snail mail



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One More Thing... - Ensure they clearly (i.e. they understand, not just you understand), what is expected of them. Regards
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Re: Should Evan add a "Social Media Marketing" category to the f - Hi, Online Marketing would be a great title, and having sub categories would make it even better, there would plenty of categories to choose from, Social Media, SEO, Article Marketing and yes even Affiliate Marketing to name just a few, great looking site btw Jeff, take care, Carol


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