Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at
9:46 am
If your direct mail pieces are not getting the interest you want, you may want to think about the packaging you send your direct mail in. Are you sending letters in plain white envelopes with just the recipientâ??s name and address printed on the front? A boring package could be your problem.If you have a great offer, but no one is opening your mailer to get to that offer, try putting your postcard, brochure or whatever mailing piece in a box. Actually, it does not have to be in a box, it can be in anything that is not flat. Tubes and boxes are generally the most common dimensional mailer and both are regulated for postage by the United States Postal Service. These mailers will cost you more to ship, but you are more likely to get a higher response rate so it is worth the extra cost. Check out the U.S. Postal Services Web site to find out what shapes are okay to send: http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/mailcharacteristics/mailpieceShape.htm.Unfortunately, the Postal Service can limit your shape choice. For instance, you cannot mail a round postcard. You can find out more by visiting the aforementioned Web site.The good thing is that with boxes, you can print just about any design you want on them, which will help you attract more attention to it. People are more likely to open dimensional mailers because it is like Christmas or a birthday â?? they feel like they are opening a present!Dimensional mailers tend to get past receptionists and are hardly ever seen as junk mail because they look important in their box or tube. These mailers also help you to stand out among your competitors. Some marketers have reported response rates of 25 to 50% from dimensional mail, so it is worth a try.You can also tie your dimensional mailer to other marketing materials, like your business cards. Ask your business card printing company if they can create a dimensional business card. Many can create 3-D business cards, so just check online with several printing companies to see what they can do.So, what should you put in your box or tube? You can send a sample of your product, or you can send something that makes noise or plays music. You could record a message for your recipient to play once they open the box and see the recorder (you can get one-time recorders pretty cheaply). Aprimo Inc, a software creator, sent a box to business prospects with a wooden train and tracks inside along with literature headlined, â??Wondering how to keep your organization on the right track?â? The trains had labels with Aprimoâ??s name on them and the trains were nice enough to display on an executiveâ??s desk. This creative package helped ensure receivers would be open to a follow-up call.The biggest downside with dimensional mailers is that they cost so much to mail. This is why you should only send them to a small target market. This target market should be potential customers that are very well-qualified and likely to do business with you.Tips for Creating Dimensional MailHere are a few things to keep in mind when creating your mail pieces:1. Keep the packaging, the wording, the color palette and everything else consistent with your brand image. Use your logo and brand colors on the package.2. Include printed material along with the object you send in the direct mail box or tube. This mailing should relate to your overall marketing message.3. Include your return address. With everyone on high alert for packages that could be bombs, your package may end up getting blown up if not properly labeled!4. Include a call to action on the object or additional mailing materials.Make sure to follow up by making a phone call within a week after your mailer has been received. Many people will be happy to take your call to thank you for the interesting item you sent!For comments and inquiries about the article visit:Â Business Card Printing
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at
9:45 am
The first step towards setting up your direct mailing campaign is going to be figuring out who exactly is on your mailing list. Often mailing lists are bought from other companies, so you get a long list of names right away. In order to get the best list you will have to be sure you know who you are targeting and the best places to acquire the mailing lists. If you want to have a really large list you might want to go to several different sources to get your list started, but this will be up to you. No matter what I would suggest you get the biggest list that you can consider your costs. That way you can be sure you are getting your message out to as many people as possible. Next consider the material you plan on sending. Postcards are the most common form of advertising that people use when they get direct mailing done. The reason is because a color postcard stands out in a pile of mail increasing the odds of a person seeing it. Also postcard printing is rather cheap when compared to many other forms of marketing, and the postage to send them is very affordable. Now you need to set up how you are going to create your advertisements. The best direct mailing campaigns will involve multiple waves of postcards rather than just one big batch. This means you have to know in advance that you will need to create multiple postcards. A good system is to set up some postcard templates right away. This involves creating a few basic postcard templates you can use repeatedly over the period of a year or more. The templates allow you to just put in whatever messages or images you want, and you can greatly decrease the time it takes to create your postcards, allowing you to send them out that much faster. Once you have your postcards made and your first batch sent out the time comes to keep track of your results. Be sure that you track as best you can the sales that come in. Remember that you do not need a very high percentage of the people to respond for your direct mailing campaign to be a success. After all, if you sent out postcards to one thousand people, even a five percent response is going to lead to quite a few sales in the long run. After you have all of this set up everything becomes a lot easier. Keep track of your list and make whatever changes you need to, but the rest can largely run itself. All you need to do is keep those postcards coming. Eventually you can get your mailing list down to only the best customers, and always be ready to send out your next batch of marketing material. For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Postcard Templates
Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at
9:55 am
Direct mail marketing is one of the most difficult areas in which to contact prospects. It requires ingenuity and ideas in order to contact those who may be interested in what you have to sell. Even postcard marketing is a tough sell, but it is probably less difficult than the typical direct mail letter. Why? Because a postcard is open and easy for someone to read without any effort where a letter requires someone taking the time to open it. Many direct marketing companies use postcard printing as part of their campaign but whether this method is more effective than the direct mail sales letter is unclear.When you compare postcard marketing to the direct mail sales letter, you can easily see a difference right away. Postcards are visible from the start, but with a direct mail sales letter, it’s easy to disguise the purpose of the mail by putting the name of the sales representative on the envelope and a regular stamp instead of the name of the company and metered mail. When most people see the name of a company on an envelope, they tend to think someone is trying to sell them something or they are looking for money in other ways. When you place your name on the envelope, you will at least get more people to open the envelope that if you placed your company name on the envelope. If you have a subtle approach instead of diving right into your sales pitch, you may actually get someone to read the letter. Using postcard printing methods gives everything away from the onset and it probably ends up in the trash from the start.Direct mail must draw a response for it to be effective which means you have to have a unique approach that makes the prospect want to open you letter. It may mean you have to find out something about the person in order to use that unique approach—birthdays and anniversaries are good approaches to use. There is a world of difference when you open a letter with your sales pitch and open with a birthday or anniversary wish. Although your prospect may wonder how you got the information, the fact that you opened your letter with a personal note may actually make them want to read and see what you have to offer.You also need to have something unique to sell in order to interest your prospect. Everyone has a toaster, blender, and other types of household products, so you have to come up with something that is different or make your product sound like it is different from every other one on the market. In other words, you have to make your prospect feel that they just have to have what you are selling. Once you can accomplish that, your campaign will be hugely successful.For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Postcard Marketing, Postcard Printing
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at
9:48 pm
ROI are three letters which represent the key metric for analyzing any marketing idea. ROI stands for return on investment. Let’s assume you invest $10,000 in a given marketing project. Coming back out of that project is $15,000 in sales. Hence, the ROI is 50%. Keep in mind this $15,000 is sales and not revenue. The 50% ROI is not the equivalent of 50% profit margin on those expended marketing funds.Marketing falls into two general arenas. The first is mass marketing. This is when the business broadcasts its message far and wide. Any and all may hear it, and there is no focus regarding delivery of the message. The second form is called direct marketing. This entails crafting a specific message and attempting to deliver it with laser focus to a smaller defined group.Traditionally, direct marketing was accomplished solely from regular snail mail. Direct marketing campaigns would typically include avenues like postcard marketing. Ensure you select a good printer or you might be about to accidentally send out a postcard mailing. Postcard printing can be done quite economically. Efforts can be as basic as print greeting card bundles during the holiday season. This regular mail avenue still does provide great benefits for appropriate businesses.For other businesses there now are many new modalities for transmitting a direct message. Examples include e-mail, fax and text messages. Text messaging appears to now be a superior method especially when pursuing a younger demographic. Whichever technology is employed, there are common direct marketing rules which must be followed.The first rule is to target the right customers. Mailings or other campaigns arriving to uninterested customers certainly will not produce attractive ROI. Prior to initiating a direct mail campaign of any variety it is critical to know exactly who your market is. Additionally, it is desirable to know the levers which will move this demographic to action.Assuming you are targeting the right recipients, it then becomes paramount to deliver an effective message. The words contained in your copy are obviously important. However, also critical is the colors and design of the given piece of communication. If the recipient’s interest is not piqued up front, then ROI will be sorely disappointing.Most importantly, a business must be able to measure ROI to begin with. If you do not have tracking mechanisms, then it becomes impossible to ascertain which revenue emanates from which campaign. This equates to operating in the dark. A business owner who has no clue as to ROI is unable to effectively select the appropriate avenue.If you are solely engaged in mass marketing, then you are sending a message to many unreceptive parties. A focused direct marketing component is required within any overall strategy. Study who your customers are. Decipher what appeals to them and craft a targeted direct marketing campaign and your ROI will bring a large smile to your face.For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Print Greeting Card, Postcard Mailing, Postcard Marketing
Monday, December 28th, 2009 at
9:43 am
Direct mail marketing is one of the most popular marketing methods used especially when you have catalog printing for your collaterals. You can get your collaterals directly to your target clients by posting your cheap catalog printing materials to their addresses. There are four elements that you need to understand when you direct mail your catalog printing. First, you have to consider the mailing list of names and addresses of your target clients. This can be integrated to a database created by you or by another source. This particular element is especially important because without your mailing list, you will not have anyone to mail your cheap catalog printing to. Then there is the marketing collateral itself; in this case, your catalog printing. This also includes all the accessories such as your envelope printing or packaging that comes with your collaterals. You also have the process by which you label your direct mail collateral and to do other activities that you require before you send your catalogs to your recipients. Lastly, you need to know the postal charges that you will incur when you post your direct mail catalogs to your recipients. Direct mail is often used to achieve the objective of generating direct response from your recipients. This means that you hope that your target clients will be able to place an order from your catalog printing after they have read it. Direct mail marketing persuades your recipients to act right away to your offer with the end result being the purchase of one or more of your products in your catalogs. Hence, the need for you to include your full contact information, as well as a reply address so you will make it easy for your readers to get back to you. And depending on your message, the response you expect from your direct mail catalogs will either be positive or utterly negative. This means that either your target clients buy from your catalog list or not, the foundation of which is the value and usefulness of your products to your readers. The more relevant your products are to your target clients, the more likely that you will be able to persuade them to take you up on your offer. This goes to show that your direct mail collateral is only as effective as the message you have for your target clients. Even if your product is the best in the market, you can only get the response you need if your readers find it valuable and useful in providing solutions to their needs and concerns. All things considered, direct mail is not the best marketing method there is; but with careful planning, you will have one of the most effective marketing tools to help you become successful in your industry. For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Cheap Catalog Printing, Catalog Printing
Saturday, December 26th, 2009 at
9:45 am
If you are in the business for quite some time now, direct mail may be something that you have already utilized with your custom flyers. Whether you are a small business owner or a Fortune 500 lister, this marketing strategy may have been part of your advertising campaign one way or another. Direct mail is a marketing campaign that is very popular because of one thing â?? it reaches out to as many of your target clients in a short period of time. Your flyer printing for example, can be mailed directly to your target clientsâ?? addresses on its own or with accompanying marketing collaterals such as your brochure printing or custom postcards. The bottom line is that when you do direct mailing, you send your collaterals such as your flyer printing â??directlyâ?? to your target clients, usually by post. Here are some of the things you should know about direct mailing: Application Direct mail is often used to generate a direct response from your recipients. The main purpose is to encourage your target audience to act and make a decision based on your message. Hopefully, that decision is according to your call. It is either they give you a call or visit your shop. But nowadays, your call-to-action is often a request for your target clients to visit your website to know more of your products and services. The key in your direct mail is to draw your recipients to your offer and have them respond positively to your message. Hence, your collateral such as your custom flyers, should have a reply section, complete contact information and even a reply address so your clients can connect with you right away. Building Blocks There are 4 elements of direct mailing that you should consider. 1- The mailing list – This is where you will find the names and addresses of your target market, which is used as your database. Either you create the list or it may be a shared list that came from another source. 2- The marketing collateral â?? The most commonly used collateral for direct mail are postcards and custom flyers. When you direct mail them, your collaterals are often posted as well as the envelope or packaging that holds them. 3- The facility â?? When applicable, the facility is where you put the address or labels your flyer printing collateral, inserts them in envelopes or other packaging, and finally sends them out for posting. 4- The postal charges â?? This is the cost when you mail your collaterals. It is based on the size, shape and weight of your direct mail items. Call-to-action Depending on your message, your response rate to your call-to-action will be either overwhelmingly positive or insignificant. Your direct mail collateral is only as effective as your offer. Your database then should be regularly updated as well as the offer you are making to your prospects. Even with a great product, your marketing collateral can only be effective if the information and offer you made is relevant and will fit in your recipientâ??s needs and wants. The point to your direct mail is this: it may not be an exact science. It does not also guarantee you instant success. But when you have an effective direct mail campaign for your business, you are assured of sending your message to as many clients as possible when you do it right. For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Custom Flyers, Flyer Printing
Saturday, December 26th, 2009 at
9:45 am
If you are in the business for quite some time now, direct mail may be something that you have already utilized with your custom flyers. Whether you are a small business owner or a Fortune 500 lister, this marketing strategy may have been part of your advertising campaign one way or another. Direct mail is a marketing campaign that is very popular because of one thing â?? it reaches out to as many of your target clients in a short period of time. Your flyer printing for example, can be mailed directly to your target clientsâ?? addresses on its own or with accompanying marketing collaterals such as your brochure printing or custom postcards. The bottom line is that when you do direct mailing, you send your collaterals such as your flyer printing â??directlyâ?? to your target clients, usually by post. Here are some of the things you should know about direct mailing: Application Direct mail is often used to generate a direct response from your recipients. The main purpose is to encourage your target audience to act and make a decision based on your message. Hopefully, that decision is according to your call. It is either they give you a call or visit your shop. But nowadays, your call-to-action is often a request for your target clients to visit your website to know more of your products and services. The key in your direct mail is to draw your recipients to your offer and have them respond positively to your message. Hence, your collateral such as your custom flyers, should have a reply section, complete contact information and even a reply address so your clients can connect with you right away. Building Blocks There are 4 elements of direct mailing that you should consider. 1- The mailing list – This is where you will find the names and addresses of your target market, which is used as your database. Either you create the list or it may be a shared list that came from another source. 2- The marketing collateral â?? The most commonly used collateral for direct mail are postcards and custom flyers. When you direct mail them, your collaterals are often posted as well as the envelope or packaging that holds them. 3- The facility â?? When applicable, the facility is where you put the address or labels your flyer printing collateral, inserts them in envelopes or other packaging, and finally sends them out for posting. 4- The postal charges â?? This is the cost when you mail your collaterals. It is based on the size, shape and weight of your direct mail items. Call-to-action Depending on your message, your response rate to your call-to-action will be either overwhelmingly positive or insignificant. Your direct mail collateral is only as effective as your offer. Your database then should be regularly updated as well as the offer you are making to your prospects. Even with a great product, your marketing collateral can only be effective if the information and offer you made is relevant and will fit in your recipientâ??s needs and wants. The point to your direct mail is this: it may not be an exact science. It does not also guarantee you instant success. But when you have an effective direct mail campaign for your business, you are assured of sending your message to as many clients as possible when you do it right. For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Custom Flyers, Flyer Printing
Friday, December 25th, 2009 at
9:51 am
Business-to-business (B2B) marketing differs greatly from business-to-consumer marketing. Generally, services and products sold to businesses are multifaceted and cost more than services and products sold to consumers. The buying and selling process usually includes many more steps and involves more than one person.For these reasons, you should expect your direct mail marketing pieces to generate leads, not close sales. Businesses don’t make impulse purchases like consumers do, so you can’t rely on that aspect of marketing. Because you don’t know where buyers are in their buying cycle, your direct mail pieces need to generate interest no matter where they are in the cycle. And how do you get the buyers to pay attention to your marketing materials? There’s one answer:Give them a great offer. Your offer is the reward that you give prospects for responding to your direct mail piece. Offer something tangible, like a free item for visiting your store, or a discount for visiting your Web site and registering. Give prospects a benefit – whether it’s a time saver or a money saver, or information that they couldn’t get otherwise.Read on for examples of direct mail offers that have produced leads for B2b marketers in the past:Article. Send an article written by a third party about your business that highlights your great qualities. Or include an article with your direct mail package that talks about your prospect’s business challenges. Paperclip a brochure, catalog, or some kind of marketing piece that can help solve this business challenge. Highlight or circle what you want the prospect to see in your marketing piece to draw direct attention to your solution.Book. This works especially well if someone in your company has written a book about the industry. This also gives your company credibility. You can also send a book that is about your industry that is not written by your company that you think the buyer would appreciate. Fully use your business card printing budget, and stick a few business cards into the book.Booklet. Send a booklet that tells your prospects about their industry trends and how you can help them be the leader of these trends.Newsletter. Mail or email prospects a newsletter that is full of useful information. Include news and advice that pertains to your industry and try to tie that into other prospects’ industries. Newsletters work well in B2B marketing because they let other businesses check out your company without committing to buying from you. It’s a good idea to feature a case study or success story in the newsletter that boasts something your company did well.Report. Many companies send reports that deal with the current hot-button issues for your prospect’s industry. You can buy reprint rights from an industry trade publication or sponsor your own report. Again, include a few business cards to let them know where the report came from. Sending a report can show that you are up to date with industry news.Your product catalog. Mailing a free product catalog is the best way for business prospects to learn about all of your products. If you have a large catalog, use Post-It notes to direct attention to items you think would be of most interest to the prospect.Keep in mind that with B2B marketing, the more information you can send the better. This doesn’t mean to clutter your brochures, flyers and other materials with information, but to send out multiple marketing materials that show off all your great qualities. Send a few of these items every month to buyers to produce leads.For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Business Card Printing