MAILWAYS
A free newsletter offering direct mail marketing tips from
Bi-County Mailing & American Mail Communications
March 2010
Copyright © 2010
888-MAIL-888
IN THIS ISSUE
- Marry DM & Social Media
- 10 Great Marketing Tips
- No Postage Increases in 2010
- Boost Response
- Press Box
- Our Favorite Charities
- How Are We Doing?
- Hold That Thought
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HOLD THAT THOUGHT...
“Every morning I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work.”
Robert Orben
Selected by Long Island Business News readers as..
Mix Direct Mail & Social Media
For More Effective Marketing
Every time we find a new route to customers — such as the Internet and other digital channels — we tend to hail it as “the” key to marketing success. While the willingness to embrace digital channels is a positive approach to selling, it shouldn’t happen to the detriment of other proven techniques. The real key is in the mix.
By combining direct mail and social media you can make your direct mail campaign more effective.
Direct mail is a highly targeted approach to prospects with a “BUY NOW” message. But even though they may be interested in your product/service, not everyone is always ready to respond immediately. That’s where the social media come in.
Make sure you include your social media contact information and web address on your direct mail piece, and invite prospects to join you by appealing to their self interest.
For instance, you can say: “For more tips on how you can benefit by using our widget, follow us on Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn, etc., read our blog or visit us at www.xyz.com.
This way, when your prospects get ready to buy, they’ll know how and where to find you, boosting your entire marketing campaign.
10 Tried & True Marketing Tips
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A customer relationship doesn’t end with payment.
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Customers want to have their problems solved.
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Focusing on what your customer wants is more important than what you have to sell.
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Your competition can copy everything you have. How you communicate with customers is the great differentiator.
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Personalizing your message is an important key to marketing success.
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Marketing is much more than a full-page ad.
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Lead generation is only one small part of marketing.
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Enclose your brochure, ad, flyer etc., in all your outgoing mail. You'll be surprised by who can use what you're offering.
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Follow-up purchases with thank you notes, inviting customers to return with "this note" for a “private” 20% discount on their next purchase.
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Print your best small ad on a card and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. A card can drive traffic to your website and generate sales leads.
USPS Freezes Rates in 2010
Many businesses anticipated a 2-to-3 percent increase in postage this year. But, the U.S. Postal Service has given direct mail marketers a gift: It will not raise first-class or standard rates in 2010.
The freeze can mean “found money” for businesses that use direct mail to sell their products/services. Here are some ways to make the stable prices work for you:
- Take advantage of the break by increasing the number of pieces you mail.
- Mail more frequently.
- Try new strategies, including personalizing your mailings and testing new markets.
- Stay focused on creating high-quality mailers.
- Make sure your mail gets presorted so you can achieve the highest possible postage discounts.
- Take a portion of the savings and boost your marketing efforts.
6 Ways to Boost Response
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Keep your message short, with tight copy that gets to the point quickly.
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Make it easy to respond. Include an “800” number, website address, easy to understand reply card.
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Appeal to your prospects’ natural sense of curiosity by introducing something new to encourage response. For example, “When we meet, I want to tell you about the new pricing package we’ve designed for our loyal clients.”
- Don’t paint prospects into a corner with an unrealistic response deadline. Give them time…but definitely give them a deadline.
- Don’t waste time with “just following up on our last mailing.” Send another call to action.
- The more prospects see you as an ally / helper / problem solver, the more likely they will respond.
Our mission is to make your use of direct mail correct, efficient, effective and as hassle-free as possible. In every way possible, we will operate as an extension of your company or organization
with your needs and goals as our paramount responsibility.