Archive for category Marketing Direct

How Focusing Your Marketing Efforts Can Help

Posted by in Marketing Direct on January 25, 2012

By Gill Pilling

So have we all returned to work after the festivities with new ideas and inspiration for attracting new business? In 2012, an Olympic year we need to be aiming high for achieving those ultimate goals. Increasing response rates and winning new customers may well be top of your agenda for 2012 so how do you go about it?

Think like an Olympic athlete and you can race past your competitors and collect gold every time. Athletes put so much training and effort in before the big race and this can be compared to direct mail campaigns because you will put a huge amount of foundation work into ensuring that you have an up to date database and as many quality contacts as possible. You follow this by choosing carefully exactly what you need to say – you may be promoting a brand new product or service so you will have all the meetings and discussions before a final draft is decided upon.

Then onto the final hurdle – you need to ensure that all your efforts are not going to be in vain and that your communication is read and not discarded before the starting pistol has fired. Some companies think that a letter or a flat pamphlet will suffice but I am of the opinion that this simply is not good enough anymore. You need to use attention-grabbing products that are not only entertaining but will definitely be opened, read and responded to.

Choose your product wisely – do you want to shock and surprise with a pop-up product or would you prefer to keep your customers entertained with fun folds? Either way you can award yourself a gold medal for keeping ahead of your competitors and ensuring that your professional and unusual approach to marketing is rewarded with higher response rates. You may be of the opinion that e-mail marketing is the way forward and whilst it does have its place I believe that it is still not as effective as direct mail that has attitude and creates an impact. How many times have you scrolled through your in-box hitting the delete button without a second thought? Your customers do exactly the same and whilst your e-shot may say something they would benefit from in a second it can be gone forever,

Direct mail items that have an element of surprise or are interactive are never ignored and are almost always shared with colleagues and co-workers too. It is easy to capture a greater audience with amusing and entertaining direct mail pieces; give them a try for your next marketing campaign and see the results for yourself. As I said earlier when compared to an Olympic athlete, it is not only about the training it is the performance on the day that counts.

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How to Improve Your Marketing Chops By Sitting In A Coffee Shop

Posted by in Marketing Direct on January 25, 2012

By Wesley B Murph

I don’t know where you live.

But in my neighborhood coffee is KING.

In fact, people worship coffee. And for some strange reason that’s always surprised me. Don’t get me wrong. I like a piping hot cup of java in the morning to get my brain lubricated with red hot marketing ideas.

But when you stop and think about it, you have to admit that coffee doesn’t taste all that good.

In any event, I’ve figured out a way to sit in my local coffee joint in order to make my marketing chops razor sharp. And while this tip “works”, I want to warn you that it is for more advance marketers. Someone who already understands that basics of direct response marketing like: an offer… a guarantee… a bold headline… and persuasive sales copy.

So keep reading if this is you because this marketing tip will help.

But if you’re new to direct response marketing then you may want to stop here.

Here’s the marketing tip:

Once a month, I’ll get a pad of paper and a pen, and I’ll head down to my local coffee joint. When I get there, I’ll buy a small cup of black coffee. I’ll add a squirt of cream to cool it down and mellow-out the flavor.

And I’ll then grab a seat closest to the flow of traffic coming into the coffee shop.

And for as long as it takes me to drink my cup of coffee, I’ll just watch people and make notes on my yellow pad of lined paper.

And while I’m looking at people, my marketing radar is working like a hound dog on a hot scent… listening for what people say.

How they are dressed?

What mood they are in?

What they buy?

Do they have kids with them?

How old are their shoes?

How do they walk?

What is their posture?

I carefully “people watch” while I’m perched in my chair.

And boy does this help me write sizzling hot marketing campaigns.

Why?

Because I am keeping my finger on the pulse of the common man.

These are the same people that are most likely to buy what I have to sell.

And as a result, I must know who they are and what makes them tick.

Famous copywriter Eugene Schwartz used a similar technique like this which is probably why most of Schwartz’s ads were blockbusters.

None the less, using my “coffee shop” approach is an advanced sales and marketing strategy that can help you stay dialed into the “everyday buyer” which can be the small difference that makes all the difference when you go to write your next marketing campaign.

And one last thing:

If you are serious about growing your business, then more than likely all you need is a few more good ideas like the one in this article.

So ask yourself this:

Where can you turn for more good ideas like what you just read in this article?

In my humble opinion, you have to be careful where you look for good ideas because just about everybody and their brother claims to be a so-called ‘business expert’.

Remember:

Saying is one thing.

Doing is another.

And most of these “talking heads” have never run their own successful small business.

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