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

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

Don’t want your direct mail to end up in the trash with the rest of the unread mail? Studies show an effective direct mail campaign should draw a .5 to 1 percent response. These 10 tips will help you get the results you want:

1. A clear, bold headline. On the envelope or front of the mailer there should be one central message. The best way to achieve that is with a bold, clear headline that’s not cluttered up with other text. A good guideline is to have the headline fill up at least 15% of the front of the mailer.

2. A graphic that supports the message. The graphic should be easy to understand and add to the message the headline is trying to convey. For instance, if you are trying to get people to list their home you would want to show a home with a SOLD sign clearly visible out front. That graphic reinforces the message more than a simple picture of a home.

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The number of businesses using direct mail marketing now compared to how many used this medium 10 to 15 years ago is staggeringly higher. More and more marketers understand its effectiveness and are on the bandwagon – especially Mortgage Brokers.

Years back the novelty of receiving an advertisement in your mailbox was such that any direct mail pieces were not only looked at but mulled over. Not so anymore. The term ‘junk mail’ was coined sometime since then and I’m sure you’ve thrown out your fair share of unread pieces enough to understand why. So, what can you do about it as a marketer? How can you ensure you get the biggest bang for your direct mail dollar? Now more than ever, you have to understand how to put together a direct mail piece. More than ever you have to really target your mailing to go to a specific market. And more than ever you need to be patient and learn how to campaign – because that is the key to success. Don’t get me wrong… direct mail is not dead – and I don’t see it dying any time soon. It is still the quintessential part of the largest company’s campaigns. Because it works.

In this article I will teach you some of these three topics:

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You have to market to stay ahead in business today. Even if you live in a small community, marketing plays a big role in making your business creditable. Consumers today are subjected to anywhere from 1800 – 3000 advertising messages per day. With that large of a statistic, it is no longer viable to rely only on word-of-mouth marketing.

Word-of-mouth marketing is the best way to build a reputation, but if a competitor’s marketing message comes along that hits your consumers’ “buttons” they may be likely to leave your business in search for a better price, closer location or just plain curiosity.

You have to continually market to let people know you exist and so they will not forget about you. The way you do it may vary depending on your type of business, but there is one marketing avenue that will get you an excellent return on investment, if done right. Direct mail.

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Defining â??Correct Estimation of Effortâ??

What is the correct estimation of effort for your marketing? Do you know the answer to that question? Figuring out what it is for your business is relatively simple once youâ??ve done some test mailings. For most business owners, mortgage brokers included, marketing is about as clear and certain as being blindfolded in the middle of a six lane freeway. Because of this they make assumptions that are way off base in the areas of how much to spend and how much to mail out. There is a mathematical formula that I have discovered that works through and through. When you use it, you will never be in the dark again.

I remember a time in my business where we were sending out 2500 postcards per week to our prospective clients. We did quite well â?? until we hit a plateau. A plateau that was totally frustrating. We wanted to grow and were beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out why, no matter how hard we pushed, we were not able to push up to the next level. Then, one day in a fit of thinking-outside-the-box passion, my execs and I decided to double the number to 5000 per week! That simple action burst us through that seemingly impenetrable barrier and my company has never quit expanding since.

What I learned in that instance was something very valuable. I could determine the correct estimation of effort of my marketing to control how fast my company expanded. I learned how to project the amount of income I could make by testing and tracking my postcard marketing. Then I figured out what I needed to do to get more leads and more closes based on my tracking results. So, by tracking the number of leads, how many of those leads closed and for what dollar amount they closed for, I was able to ascertain the future number of leads, the future closes and the return on investment (dollar amount) for each increased postcard mailing. It became a science and that science has paid off. (By the way: My company now mails out 76,000 postcards per week.)How It Can Pay Off For You Too

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So you have been writing mortgages like crazy now for the last few years. You have a pretty big database of customers and hopefully you have been getting and keeping full contact information for them. An organized database is the first key to customer retention.

The next step is to put together a direct mail campaign to keep these customers thinking about you when they think about mortgages. It is often years between times when each customer needs a mortgage professional, and it takes far less than that for them to forget your name. As well as fighting time, you are fighting indifference. Customers who get great service are often reluctant to pass that information along, while customers who feel they have gotten poor service will tell everyone. Most of the time good customers need to be reminded of their experience. By following up with each customer on a regular basis you will not only stay in the front of their mind but you will also start to build a reputation as a solid and responsible business.

So how do you get started? Below are a couple of the most frequently asked questions when starting a campaign to keep in touch with past clients.

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Defining â??Correct Estimation of Effortâ??

What is the correct estimation of effort for your marketing? Do you know the answer to that question? Figuring out what it is for your business is relatively simple once youâ??ve done some test mailings. For most business owners, mortgage brokers included, marketing is about as clear and certain as being blindfolded in the middle of a six lane freeway. Because of this they make assumptions that are way off base in the areas of how much to spend and how much to mail out. There is a mathematical formula that I have discovered that works through and through. When you use it, you will never be in the dark again.

I remember a time in my business where we were sending out 2500 postcards per week to our prospective clients. We did quite well â?? until we hit a plateau. A plateau that was totally frustrating. We wanted to grow and were beating our heads against the wall trying to figure out why, no matter how hard we pushed, we were not able to push up to the next level. Then, one day in a fit of thinking-outside-the-box passion, my execs and I decided to double the number to 5000 per week! That simple action burst us through that seemingly impenetrable barrier and my company has never quit expanding since.

What I learned in that instance was something very valuable. I could determine the correct estimation of effort of my marketing to control how fast my company expanded. I learned how to project the amount of income I could make by testing and tracking my postcard marketing. Then I figured out what I needed to do to get more leads and more closes based on my tracking results. So, by tracking the number of leads, how many of those leads closed and for what dollar amount they closed for, I was able to ascertain the future number of leads, the future closes and the return on investment (dollar amount) for each increased postcard mailing. It became a science and that science has paid off. (By the way: My company now mails out 76,000 postcards per week.)How It Can Pay Off For You Too

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