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Member You - Direct Mail Postcards: 10 Ways to Boost Your Response Rates
Clever and unusual marketing ideasThe following are some ways to promote your business that are a bit unusual and out of the ordinary.1. Post signs on the stalls in bathrooms. 2. Create coupon flyers and hand them out in heavy traffic places. 3. Place business cards inside books in libraries and bookstores that pertain to the items you are selling or in books about running a business. 4. Create an audio file with your voice and ad and post it on the internet 5. Create a podcast promoting your business. 6. Create a video promoting your business. 7. Make wearable signs with poster board and wear them around town. 8. Write your ad on a whole bunch of stickers and put them on your clothes to attract attention. 9. Create a new yahoo group with the subject and theme of your business. 10. Find or create a costume of an item you sell and wear it. 11. Place some drawing bowl
3. Polish that headline.
Direct mail postcards have only a brief moment to capture the reader's attention. I refer to this as the "golden glimpse" -- that moment when your postcard comes out of the mailbox and either engages them or loses them. A strong direct mail headline goes along way in helping you survive the golden glimpse. So rewrite your headline as many times as needed until it is (A) easy to read at first glance, (B) interesting in some way, a
Most weeks I have little or no difficulty in thinking what to write. This week was difficult, I was blank. Then along came web site statistics. You may think I'm a little strange but I bet your mind works in funny ways too.I was absentmindedly looking at my web site statistics when the thought from my consultant days struck. 'If you can't measure it you can't manage it'. I used to rely on this adage time and again because a common weakness in many businesses is they don't know what they are facing.The managers, owners will regale you at length with all of the perceived difficulties of managing their business and how nothing is their fault. It's usually the Bank Manager demanding certain reporting/notifications of the position facing the company. Or officialdom imposing contractual conditions, etc. Never is the owner manager at fault.We then start probing asking for monthly accounts and other data to be able
But as with any other form of marketing, direct mail postcards should be optimized in every way possible. To get the highest return on your investment, you must seek constant improvement in all aspects of your postcard marketing program.
After working in the direct mail postcard industry for a few years, I've noticed some trends. I've seen which postcard strategies work the best, and which ones should be avoided. And I'd like to share a little of that with you right now. Just keep in mind that the only way to truly validate a direct mail strategy is to try it for yourself.
So here are 10 of the best ways to improve your direct mail postcard response rates:
1. Start with the big idea.
A good offer will motivate people to respond. A solid promise of value will motivate people to respond. But a pretty postcard alone will not. So before you worry about the wording or the design of your direct mail postcard, focus on the big idea. What's the whole point behind your direct mail postcards? What's the offer, incentive or idea that's going to make people say, "Wow, I definitely want to learn more about that!"
2. Invest in your mailing list.
Now that you have a big idea for your direct mail postcards, you'll need to match it to the right group of people. In reality, you should already have a profile in mind of your ideal customers -- that's Good Business 101. But you'll need a direct mail list that matches your ideal audience profile as closely as possible.
Don't skimp on this step. An in-house list of qualified prospects is usually the best way to go. If you don't have one, call in the experts. Use a professional data company like InfoUSA, or a highly regarded list broker to assist you.
3. Polish that headline.
Direct mail postcards have only a brief moment to capture the reader's attention. I refer to this as the "golden glimpse" -- that moment when your postcard comes out of the mailbox and either engages them or loses them. A strong direct mail headline goes along way in helping you survive the golden glimpse. So rewrite your headline as many times as needed until it is (A) easy to read at first glance, (B) interesting in some way, a
Yesterday I received a phone call from an acquaintance that I’ve met once or twice but haven’t seen in over a year. She wanted to let me know that she was referring me to a client of hers who needed help with his Web site copy. Although I hadn’t thought about her in months, she mentioned that she’d received a postcard from me for the past two quarters — and that’s why she instantly thought of my services when her client voiced his need. Although it wasn’t really magic, it sure felt like it. That’s the magic of keep-in-touch marketing — people remember you and feel like they know you, and eventually, they often give you business or refer others to you.Want to develop some “keep-in-touch magic” of your own? It’s easy. You’ve probably got a number of names in your contact database, but when was the last time they heard from you? If you’re like many business owners or marketers, you spend more time looking for new business th
So here are 10 of the best ways to improve your direct mail postcard response rates:
1. Start with the big idea.
A good offer will motivate people to respond. A solid promise of value will motivate people to respond. But a pretty postcard alone will not. So before you worry about the wording or the design of your direct mail postcard, focus on the big idea. What's the whole point behind your direct mail postcards? What's the offer, incentive or idea that's going to make people say, "Wow, I definitely want to learn more about that!"
2. Invest in your mailing list.
Now that you have a big idea for your direct mail postcards, you'll need to match it to the right group of people. In reality, you should already have a profile in mind of your ideal customers -- that's Good Business 101. But you'll need a direct mail list that matches your ideal audience profile as closely as possible.
Don't skimp on this step. An in-house list of qualified prospects is usually the best way to go. If you don't have one, call in the experts. Use a professional data company like InfoUSA, or a highly regarded list broker to assist you.
3. Polish that headline.
Direct mail postcards have only a brief moment to capture the reader's attention. I refer to this as the "golden glimpse" -- that moment when your postcard comes out of the mailbox and either engages them or loses them. A strong direct mail headline goes along way in helping you survive the golden glimpse. So rewrite your headline as many times as needed until it is (A) easy to read at first glance, (B) interesting in some way, a
The wealthiest people in the world acquired their wealth through a careful recognition and exploitation of a major trend. For example, Bill Gates took advantage of the birth of personal computers and made billions by marketing software that enabled people to use their computer. Sam Walton took advantage of a trend in retail sales and developed a self-service, discount department store concept that became Wal-Mart.We are at the brink of four major trends. These trends are the Internet, the aging of the world’s population, the exploding home-based business market, and the growth of the wellness industry.First, the Internet is an exciting marketplace, made up of nearly 1 billion global users. People have become accustomed to using the Internet to purchase products, and have gained confidence in its security and ease of use.Second, the world’s population is aging. One-third of the population was born between 194
2. Invest in your mailing list.
Now that you have a big idea for your direct mail postcards, you'll need to match it to the right group of people. In reality, you should already have a profile in mind of your ideal customers -- that's Good Business 101. But you'll need a direct mail list that matches your ideal audience profile as closely as possible.
Don't skimp on this step. An in-house list of qualified prospects is usually the best way to go. If you don't have one, call in the experts. Use a professional data company like InfoUSA, or a highly regarded list broker to assist you.
3. Polish that headline.
Direct mail postcards have only a brief moment to capture the reader's attention. I refer to this as the "golden glimpse" -- that moment when your postcard comes out of the mailbox and either engages them or loses them. A strong direct mail headline goes along way in helping you survive the golden glimpse. So rewrite your headline as many times as needed until it is (A) easy to read at first glance, (B) interesting in some way, a
Please stop emailing us We have been getting alot of email from other retailers that sell leather apparel complaining that we have way under priced our Leather Items. (Get over it already and STOP emailing us). We opened this business because of these other companies that have way over priced there leather apparel. If you think we are cheating you out of any businnes then lower your prices.We opened in 2005 and business has been GREAT! We have never had an unhappy customer. Our Customer service is probably the best on the internet. If you don't see what you are looking for, We can and will find it.About our Leather Good quality Leather Clothing always begins with the Leather itself. Your highest quality products will be made from large pieces of Leather that have been graded for blemishes, thickness and uniformity of grain. Virtually all cowhide has blemishes. The severity and amount of blem
Don't skimp on this step. An in-house list of qualified prospects is usually the best way to go. If you don't have one, call in the experts. Use a professional data company like InfoUSA, or a highly regarded list broker to assist you.
3. Polish that headline.
Direct mail postcards have only a brief moment to capture the reader's attention. I refer to this as the "golden glimpse" -- that moment when your postcard comes out of the mailbox and either engages them or loses them. A strong direct mail headline goes along way in helping you survive the golden glimpse. So rewrite your headline as many times as needed until it is (A) easy to read at first glance, (B) interesting in some way, a
Work environments can be very challenging, balancing the internal personnel with all the external customers and suppliers. Everyday you’re putting yourself on the line for that company’s benefit, but are you working with ethical people? When you look at companies that inflate their sales, provide information that’s inaccurate to stockholders, or cover up problems that are harming their employees, consumers or the environment; who’s responsible and who pays the price? Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and Adelphia are examples, where dishonesty was the tool of greed that committed fraud. Distorted facts are not always obvious at first, but when fraud and deception are the reflection, that mirror image will haunt you. Arrogance and manipulation dictate with double standards like, ”do as I say, not as I do.” This inconsistent behavior results in hypocrisy that causes so much underlying hostility in
3. Polish that headline.
Direct mail postcards have only a brief moment to capture the reader's attention. I refer to this as the "golden glimpse" -- that moment when your postcard comes out of the mailbox and either engages them or loses them. A strong direct mail headline goes along way in helping you survive the golden glimpse. So rewrite your headline as many times as needed until it is (A) easy to read at first glance, (B) interesting in some way, and (C) suggestive of the value to come.
4. Choose the right image.
Obviously, direct mail postcards have limited space. So in most cases, you should only have one dominant image on the non-address side of the postcard. Don't choose an image just because you think it's neat or pretty. Your postcard's image will support the headline mentioned above, and vice verse. Together, they must identify and engage the audience. So choose an image for your direct mail postcards that is (A) eye-catching, (B) relevant to your headline and message, and (C) relevant to the reader in some way.
5. Limit the scope.
We've already mentioned the limited space of a direct mail postcard. Because of this, it's wise to limit the scope of your message to one major product or idea. Make it your direct mail copywriting mantra: "One idea per postcard!"
By limiting each postcard to one product (or service, or idea, or topic), you can develop it in a way that is more likely to generate a response. You could explain the primary benefits, offer a testimonial or two, include some product photos, and make a strong offer. But you can't do all that while covering several topics, not on a direct mail postcard anyway. Save the multi-topic sales pitch for your brochures and website.
6. Clarify your message.
I've read a lot of marketing pitches over the years that I simply did not understand. This comes from a writer who makes assumptions about his or her audience. Don't ever assume that people will understand your product or service as well as you -- they don't. So on your direct mail postcards, your message has to be crystal clear and easy to understand, with only one read-through. If people don't get it the first time around, they won't give you another chance.
7. Sell the next step.
Alternately, this tip could be labeled "Support the overall process." I can think of few occasions where th
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