| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
High Response Marketing With Low-Cost Postcards
Postcards can drive a huge amount of traffic to your web site, generate a flood of new sales leads or produce a surge in any business activity you want. And you don't have to spend a lot of time or money on them ...if you apply these four little-known postcard marketing secrets. Postcard Marketing Secret #1: Keep Your Message Very Brief Don't try to close sales with postcards. You don't have enough space to provide all the information needed to close sales. Instead, briefly state the major benefit(s) you offer to attract the reader's attention. Then focus on motivating them to get more detailed information from a source where you can close sales. For example, send them to your web site or give them a phone number to call. Postcard Marketing Secret #2: Design Your Postcard To Look Like A Message From A Friend. Most postcards I see look like an ad in a magazine. But when a postcard looks like advertising, people react to it as advertising. They don't pay much attention to it. Instead, set up your postcard to look like a brief personal message from a friend. This attracts attention and lures prospects into reading your postcard ...even though they realize it is advertising. It generates a lot more replies than postcards that look like an ad. Postcard Marketing Secret #3: Don't Spend a Lot on Printing Postcards that look like a personal message can be very inexpensive to print. For example, here are 2 ways you can do the job on any computer with a printer: * Print postcards on plain (no printed lines) 4 x 6 inch index cards. Cost: about 1.5 cents per card. * Print 4 postcards at a time on 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheets of standard index card stock. Then cut the sheets into quarters. Each postcard will be 4 1/4 inches high by 5 1/2 inches wide. Cost: about 1 cent per card. Tip: In the US you can send postcards by First Class Mail for 23 cents if you make them at least 3 1/2 inches high by 5 inches wide but not over 4 1/4 inches high by 6 inches wide. Postcard Marketing Secret #4: Don't Underestimate the Importance of Your Mailing List You can generate a high percentage of replies by sending your postcards to prospects likely to be interested in your offer AND who have a proven record of taking action on offers that interest them. This is why postcards produce a big response when you send them to your existing customers. But how can you find new prospects with these same 2 characteristics? Here are 2 ways: 1. Rent the customer lists of companies that are not your competitors, but who sell their products or services to the same targeted market. 2. Rent the paid subscriber lists of magazines and newsletters read by prospects in your targeted market. You can get both lists through most mailing list brokers. The next time you want to generate a flood of traffic to your web site or a flood of new sales leads ...send postcards. Apply these four little-known postcard marketing secrets and you'll produce a big response without spending a lot of time or money. Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing From Both Sides Of The Ball In the world of business, marketing is often conveyed as a game. It is not uncommon to hear or read of a company "playing the marketing game" or "establishing a marketing game plan". Roping In Loyal Customers While Making An Extra Profit! You've probably bought a book or two at one of the major chain bookstores. When you're checking out, you get asked if you have the "discount card. After The Mailing Is Done, What Happens Next? If you're doing any sort of marketing effort, whether it's getting news coverage or sending a postcard, you must be prepared for what happens next. If you're sending postcards promoting your business, and you have people working for you, tell them that you sent the card. The Dare-To-Be-Different In Marketing Checklist There is a big payoff in being different. When you accept "what is" you place yourself in the category of "sameness," and people don't buy sameness. Direct Mail Response Rates Low? Eliminate These Mistakes Are your direct mail response rates lower than you expect? Check your sales letter or direct mail package against this checklist to uncover the reasons for your poor response.LIST You are mailing to people who are never likely to buy You are not mailing to others in the same business who influence the buying decision Your list is out of date Your names and addresses are not formatted correctly for proper delivery Your list has job titles only, not namesFORMAT You are using the wrong format for your audience (self-mailers to professionals, for example) Your letter and brochure are not complete sales pitches in themselves Your liftnote or buckslip confuses your offer or main selling promiseENVELOPE Your envelope gives too much away, so your prospects throw it away unopened Your mailing envelope looks like junk mail Your package is addressed to "Occupant" and not to a person by nameMESSAGE Your letter lacks a strong, customer-focussed headline The opening line in your letter is not compelling You spell your prospective customer's name incorrectly Your letter lacks specifics about product size, weight, color and other vital details You discuss product features but not customer benefits You talk too much about your company and not enough about your reader You do not create enough desire Your letter lacks urgency You do not offer a guaranteeOFFER You are offering the same thing that your competitors are offering Your offer is not specific Your offer is not exclusive Your offer is not relevant Your offer is not valuable Your offer is not unique Your offer is not usefulCALL TO ACTION You do not ask for the order You ask for the order, but too late in your letter You conclude by saying, "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me" You give too many ways to respond-or not enoughREPLY DEVICE Your reply device is too cluttered You do not tell prospects what to do to buy your product or service Your reply device is not postage-paidTIMING You are mailing at the wrong time of the year Your letter is arriving on the wrong day of the week You are mailing too often, so prospects ignore you You are not mailing often enough, so prospects do not remember youAbout the author Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using creative direct mail. How Do You Get Past The Gatekeeper? The best joint ventures are with people in your own network - those that already know, like and trust you. However, there's nothing to stop you from partnering with "cold" contacts - those you've never associated with before, and you would therefore need to build a relationship with. Promotional Bags: Your Company Details on Parade The trick to a good promotion is to attach your company details to something useful. Now, there is "private useful" like the promotional toothbrush you use in the privacy of your own bathroom, and there is "public useful" that you use out there where everyone sees you inadvertently parading the promotion. Making a Hit with Your Marketing Campaign Considered a vital link in a show's promotional plan, direct marketing is vital only if it's done right. It's certainly not as simple as typing a letter, adding an address and stamp, and popping it in the mail. Marketing: Are You Focused? In early 1992, President George H.W. Writing A Marketing Strategy It is my belief that if anyone is to suceed in any type of business then the business needs to be marketed to it's target consumers in an effective manner. In order to do this effectively rather than in an ad hoc, probably expensive, manner I propose the construction of a marketing plan. Marketing Manual Sample Outline The key to success in any business relies a large part in your ability to market your product or service. Often MBA students spend years studying marketing as it encompasses and relates to nearly all business operations. Limited Time Only (Shh! Its A Secret) Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to "limited time only" offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Specialized Mailing Lists Make All the Difference If there is one thing I can't say enough it is that the most important part of your mailing campaign is your mailing list. It is vital that you put the right amount of energy into learning about lists - who to mail to - so that your mailing efforts aren't wasted. Why Referral Business Is So Valuable With so much money invested on innefective advertising, it's time to look at some good old fashioned ways of generating new business. One tried and tested way is by referral. Marketing to Hispanics/Latinos A powerful consumer market with annual spending power exceeding $350 billion, Hispanics-or should that be Latinos?-have become the largest minority group in the United States, and a marketplace well-worth looking into and with plenty to see--once you get the labels straight.Is it "Hispanics" or "Latinos"?Hispanics and Latinos have hotly debated that question for years, and apparently, picking one answer over the other means drawing political, social, and generational lines in the sand. Matrix Web Sites - Scam or NOT? While I am not talking about the movie "Matrix", you may be wondering like many others if Matrix Web Sites are Legal!Before answering this, you may know that there are some wonderful deals offered on the net, that will make you want to jump at it. Keep your shirt on. Have Something Good To Say If you don't get this right, you can just forget about everything else.. T.E.A.M Profit As you network and meet other business owners, keep this philosophy in mind: "Together Everyone Achieves More Profit"Remember this when you meet someone with a business that serves your target market. Think about how each of you can work together to achieve more and grow your businesses. Mortgage Broker Marketing - Sell Problems, Not Solutions Are your marketing messages to Realtors guilty of these promises?- To render great customer service? - To close loans on time? - To offer the best competitive rates? - To help them make more money? - To deliver referrals or free leads? - To co-market services? - To qualify all buyers through a diversity of programs?Guess what?Realtors have heard this before. So much so, that they've become immune to listening. Embracing The Future - Marketing Yourself, Your Business And Your IntroductionMany businesses and organisations have a perception that marketing means promotions and advertising. They think being good at marketing is producing a glossy brochure and having an ad on the local radio or television.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
