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Member You - Postcard Marketing Checklist: 5 Things to Consider Before You Mail
The Dance-a-Thon is not an original idea, but using a dance fundraiser as one of your primary fundraisers might be. Kids love it, especially at the middle school and high school level. Whether your group holds many fundraisers throughout the year, or relies on one large fundraiser, this might be a good solution.A Dance-a-Thon is probably most suited to school fundraising, but it could also be adapted to other groups as well. If you are investigating a Dance-a-Thon for a school fundraiser, a word to the wise, do it early in the school year.That is, within the first three months of
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web a
Many women restaurant owners and managers have learned how to drive a starving crowd to their restaurants on a shoe string budget.On the other hand, many men restaurant owners and managers seem more likely to stick with the status quo and many keep using conventional marketing techniques even while they continue to lose money.The problem with conventional restaurant marketing techniques is that they are getting more and more expensive while they are proving to be less and less effective.Maybe a psychologists can explain why women are taking the lead of using unconventional
The checklist that follows is not all-inclusive, but is meant to provide a solid enough list to get your postcard marketing campaign underway.
The List
Your mailing list (a.k.a. database) should be the result of asking tough questions and doing some hard research. To build a good mailing list, you need to find out who wants and needs the products / services you sell.
If you're mailing to your customer base, your list requirements are simple -- just mail to your best customers. But if you're mailing to "strangers" in the hopes of making them customers, you'll have more homework to do.
Questions to ask:
* Have you obtained your list from a reputable list vendor?
* If using your in-house list, have you checked it for accuracy, duplication, etc?
* Does your list match your message? Is your message relevant to your list?
The Headline
Direct mail postcards have a major advantage over their enveloped counterparts -- immediate impact, right out of the mailbox. This is where your headline comes into play. The reader will give your postcard a "golden glimpse" during which you have a chance to pull them in. Whether you do so or not will depend largely on your headline.
Questions to ask:
* Does you headline identify your target audience?
* Does your headline promise a benefit?
* Is your headline clear and to the point?
* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?
The Offer
In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"
The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web ad
Experts say that there are societal trends in play that are precipitating a return to pre-industrial era ways of survival. In the face of changing economic realities and disillusionment, many people are questioning the ways they currently make money and are seeking alternate means of income. But, instead of simply getting another job, or opening a fast-food franchise, many are instead asking, "What am I good at?" "What's my passion?"Today's trends are all pointing to a move back to the way things were. At the very least, as the economic landscape becomes more uncertain, people need to lo
Questions to ask:
* Have you obtained your list from a reputable list vendor?
* If using your in-house list, have you checked it for accuracy, duplication, etc?
* Does your list match your message? Is your message relevant to your list?
The Headline
Direct mail postcards have a major advantage over their enveloped counterparts -- immediate impact, right out of the mailbox. This is where your headline comes into play. The reader will give your postcard a "golden glimpse" during which you have a chance to pull them in. Whether you do so or not will depend largely on your headline.
Questions to ask:
* Does you headline identify your target audience?
* Does your headline promise a benefit?
* Is your headline clear and to the point?
* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?
The Offer
In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"
The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web a
The U.S. Census Bureau’s recently released “Statistical Abstract of the United States” reveals interesting statistical trends about a variety of aspects of life in this country, including where spending stands for out-of-home advertising in comparison to other popular media like newspapers and broadcast television (Section 27 Accommodations, Food Services and Other Services, Table 1261).Part of the abstract is a table from powerhouse ad agency Universal McCann New York that shows spending growth of nearly 20 percent for out-of-home advertising from 2000 to 2005 –the last year for which s
Questions to ask:
* Does you headline identify your target audience?
* Does your headline promise a benefit?
* Is your headline clear and to the point?
* Did you test your headline to make sure people understand at first glance?
The Offer
In postcard marketing, it's the offer that generates the response. It answers the reader's fundamental questions: "What's in it for me? Why should I bother? How is this worth my time?"
The offer is usually related to the product or service being sold, but it doesn't actually have to be that product or service. A company selling software might offer a discount on the software, a free trial, a free 28-page software buyer's guide, or a number of other things related to what they are selling.
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web a
Back during the late nineties, a conversation at a swank Auburn Hills, Michigan, French bistro turned heated when the talk shifted from personal pleasantries to discussing the ending of one of the most storied names in the automotive world: Oldsmobile. Gathered together in a separate room, the eight men and one woman were tasked with the responsibility of plotting multi-brand strategy for General Motors as well as to discuss concept cars that would make it off of design team drawing boards and onto production lines.Suddenly, a red faced, balding middle aged man got up and left the group,
When using direct mail by itself (not in conjunction with TV or radio), it's best to keep your offer related to your product. You're not after "freebie hunters" with no real interest in what you're selling. You're after qualified prospects -- the kind of people who might actually buy your product or service.
Questions to ask:
* Is the offer related to your product or service?
* Does it have enough of a perceived value to generate a response?
* Have you described the value of your offer (dollar amount, time savings, etc.)?
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web a
In this article i will explain how you can make your brand an succes.Corporate branding...does not start at your logo and stops at your products. The corporate brand is more than the visible parts, but is very deeply rooted in your company and encapsulates all the customer's interaction with your company.The holistic perspective ensures consistency in the manifestation of your brand promise, through all media and all levels of customer interaction. You have to approach a brand as a whole.All who devaluate the important contribution the brand elements and attributes make to
* Is the offer specific and relevant to the reader?
The Call-to-Action
Think of the call-to-action as a road sign. It points readers to the offer and tells them how to capitalize on it. It is part of the offer, but it also needs to be considered on its own.
If the offer is a 30-day free trial, the call-to-action might be the bold sentence that says: "Sign up for your free trial at www.fakeswebsite.com/trial."
Questions to ask:
* Is your call-to-action simple and easy to understand?
* Does it stand out from the copy around it?
* Does it make responding easy?
* Does it offer multiple ways to respond (web address, 800#, etc.)?
The Tracking
One of the great things about postcard marketing is that it's fairly simple to track. Compare the number of postcards you sent out to the number of responses you get back, and you've measured your response rate. You can then compare the results of two mailings to see which postcard performs better.
For instance, you might send the same postcard to the same audience but with different offers. The offer that pulls the biggest response wins. The other one goes away.
Question to ask:
* First off, do you have a tracking program?
* Have you considered the technical details of tracking responses?
* Do you know what elements you want to test (headline, offer, etc.)?
* How will you modify your postcard if it doesn’t get the response you want?
Conclusion
As your postcard marketing program evolves, so too will your checklist. Before long, you'll have a list of things that have worked well for you (as well as those that haven't). And that's a valuable checklist to have!
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