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Marketing
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Direct Mail by Robert Wilkinson |
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Written by Editor
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Friday, 06 April 2007 |
If there's one thing that makes direct mail a reliable method of drumming up new business, then that would have to be the ability to test if different version of a pack achieve a better return on investment. Having processed many mailings over the years, I can attest that clients rarely take full advantage of this feature. In fact, more often than not, clients don't test at all.
Not testing is commercial suicide. In today's competitive climate, if there is anything that can be done to reduce the cost of acquiring a customer, then it must be done. It's a no brainer. Research shows that in times of depression, those that continue to advertise are those that do well. It also shows that those that continue to advertise also make efforts to stretch their budget even further.
You decrease your direct mail costs by application of a little commonsense and by testing which produces the best response. We'll take the example of direct mail pack that comprises five parts in all.
The parts of the pack are as follows:
1) Envelope
2) Personalised letter
3) Brochure
4) Leaflet/Order form
5) Business reply Envelope
Looking at this you would think that this it, but we've forgotten the most important part of all:
6) The data
So, there's enough there now to get your message out.
Experience shows that the most important part of the mailing is the data, so we must test this part. A badly produced but well targeted letter will almost certainly produce a better return than a well written badly targeted letter.
You may have a particular target audience already decided, for example, lawyers. You will be able to get lists of lawyers from more than one source, that can be tested. Equally you'll have the option of mailing to a named individual, or to a job title, so you can test that too. So far that's at least four permutations provided you use 2 data suppliers. It would be 6 if you used 3 suppliers. If you hadn't narrowed your field to one sector, then the choice of tests to run could be massively increased, but it's not practical to take it to the extreme.
Targeting is everything, you must get that right, and you can only find that out if you test.
Looking at the envelope, you have a huge number of choice here too. You can send plain with a stamp, or printed with a message. You could make the material from an unusual paper, print in full colour, use different sizes. You could print different designs, use different taglines and the like.
Depending on how your envelope is made you may be able to run multiple designs for a minimal charge. The nature of some jobs is that they are printed 2 or 3 or up on a sheet, so you will be able to produce equal quantities of more than one design. Even if it's not free, chances are that it won't be hat expensive for a plate change.
For the letterhead, you can change the material. Studies by paper merchants have shown a 20% increase in response just by changing to a textured paper. The copy itself on the letter can be changed, offers can be changed. The number of options to test here is almost limitless.
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Written by Editor
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Friday, 11 August 2006 |
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B-to-B direct mail: Don't get lost in the details
by Mac McIntosh
It seems that we business-to-business marketers too often get caught up in the
details of direct marketing, rather than concentrating on the things that are
most important: the list, the offer and the results.
Stop worrying about the unimportant details such as whether it is better to use
gray paper or white for your B-to-B direct mailer. It really doesn't matter what
color paper you use--if you're mailing to the wrong people with the wrong offer,
your campaign is going to bomb.
For example, if you're sending a mailing about graphic design software to chief
financial officers -- or sending a mailing about financial forecasting software
to design professionals, you're betting against yourself with regard to
generating sales leads or orders - no matter how good the copy or offers are.
When planning a business-to-business direct mail campaign, first determine your
objective.
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Which Is Better: Repeat Business Or New Customers? |
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Written by Editor
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Tuesday, 21 March 2006 |
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Which Is Better: Repeat Business Or New Customers? - Part 1 Of 2 by Paul
Lemberg
Every management authority on the circuit says that loyal customers and their
repeat purchases are the cornerstone of your long-term successful business. The
reason is obvious: it is less costly to get your existing customers to buy more
than it is to find new ones. The lower cost of sale leads gives you higher
operating margins, which you can then invest in other business building
activities, and so it goes.
Since I'm bringing this up at all, you've got to ask yourself, "Is this old saw
true?"
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10 Deadly Website Mistakes Made by Service Business Owners |
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Written by Editor
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Tuesday, 21 March 2006 |
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10 Deadly Website Mistakes Made by Service Business Owners (Part II)
by Donna Gunter
Copyright 2006 Donna Gunter
Websites of service companies seem to make some common website mistakes over and
over again. Part of the function of your website is to establish a relationship
with potential clients and get them into your marketing funnel. Previously, I
listed the first 5 deadly website mistakes most often made by service business
owners. Here are the last 5:
6. Hidden prominent benefit or feature that makes your company unique. When I'm
doing online research for a particular product or service, I want to know right
away what makes any company unique or different from their competition. Several
months ago I was speaking with the owner of a fencing company and was confused
about why people would buy fencing online and have it shipped, as the shipping
cost would negate any savings they might realize on the product over buying it
locally. I learned this company offered free shipping on purchases of $2500. I
replied, "That's great, but how would I know that?" The offer was buried in an
internal page of the site. I encouraged the company to put the offer in a
prominent place on the home page so that prospective clients would immediately
know the unique feature of doing business with this company.
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Autoresponder Email Service vs Software |
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Written by Editor
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Tuesday, 21 March 2006 |
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Autoresponder Email Service vs Software
by Bina Omar
Copyright 2006 Bina Omar
A followup autoresponder is essential for any web based business. The question
is should you sign up for an autoresponder email service or buy a software or
script with a one time investment?
To answer this simply: It really depends on your needs.
If you're just starting out, with no special or unusual requirements, then I
would highly recommend that you go with an autoresponder email service.
I myself started out with a service and later converted to a script. If I knew
then, what I know now, I would have stayed with a service and saved myself much
unneeded headaches.
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