Category — Direct Marketing

Sometimes, the old and unexpected can be new and fresh. Snail mail may seem out of date and old-fashioned, but being able to hold something (and look at it any time) can be very powerful.

In fact, Smashing Magazine had a feature the other day about creating snail mail campaigns.

But, if you’re going to do a mailing, you’re going to need a list of people to send it to. The obvious first place to start is with the people you already know: your clients, your prospects, and your contacts. You’ll get a better response from people who already know and like you.

If you don’t have clients yet, or your list isn’t big enough, you’ll need to get more names.  What are your options?

Buying a list

Purchasing a list is a bad idea. Purchased lists are generally compiled – meaning that they were put together without any action or purchase from the people on the list. They haven’t asked for anything, or expressed any interest in what you’re selling. Worse, the information is usually out-of-date.

Renting a list

You’re better off renting a list. This means paying for a single use of a list owned by someone else. It might be a list of conference attendees, subscribers to a trade publication, or members of an association in your target market.

Borrowing a list

By borrow I mean bartering (or trading) with someone who already has a list of people you want to reach. Share resources with them. You could provide the design in return for a mention, or do a co-op mailing (where several companies share costs – think ValPak coupons – but more creative).

Have you tried snail mail?  What happened?  Were you pleased with the results?  Need help?  Ask me.

Image thanks to:  fdecomite

The other day, Rob (at Robs web tips) asked which is more important: 3,000 blog subscribers with a 10% open rate? Or 300 active subscribers who all click on your emails?

Is it more important to have high numbers? Or people who are really interested in what you’re saying?

A Little Secret

Internet marketing is really direct marketing. It’s just sped up really fast (and with less paper). When all we had was snail mail, we had a general sense of deliverability (how many letters reached their destination), based on whether any of them came back with wrong addresses.

There was no way to tell who looked at the envelope, who opened it, or who read the letter. All we had to go on to tell if the mailing was a success was the number of orders we got.

The Marketing Numbers That Matter

What really matters is not the raw numbers of subscribers, but the percentage of people who are actively interested in what you’re saying: the opens, the click through rate, and if you’re selling something, the conversion rate (percentage of sales you get).

Monitor your open rates and clicks. If they’re low, find out why.

Are you covering topics of interest to your readers? Set up a quick poll (with surveymonkey) and find out.

Do your subject lines and headlines need work?

If you’re selling something, look at the copy. Is it focused on you, or what your readers will get?

Which numbers have you been tracking on your blog or newsletter? Which ones do you think are important? Not sure? Ask in the comments.

UPDATE:  For another take on this, check out Bob Poole’s post: Wrong

Photo compliments of: lrargerich

Ever seen one of those sites with a really long sales page?

You know the kind, the ones with big, urgent headlines (Act Now, Or You’ll Regret It for the Rest of Your Natural Life). They’ve got big, red headlines, and lots of yellow highlighter.

They’re what we call “Direct Marketing Ugly” – urgent, in-your-face stuff that screams and jumps up and down, begging for attention.

It’s still used because it still works. However, if you’d prefer something a bit more low-key, try engaging your visitors instead.

Get people involved.  Ask them to submit stuff, biggest challenge, or offer a free analysis, or review.  Build trust by asking for opinions.

Do you ever wonder if people actually read your ads?  Would you like to get more readers (and more orders) from your ads?

Here’s how.

Write a great headline

Use it to make a big promise.  Offer something your audience desperately cares about.  Tell them you can fix a problem they have (or avoid having the problem in the first place).  Here’s an example for an imaginary product.

“Stop Struggling With Flat Tires!”

Then, fill out the promise.  Paint a picture of what they’ll get, and how they’ll enjoy it. The more descriptive (and specific), the better.  Don’t use fancy words or technical jargon.  Make it about the buyer (not about you).  She’s the “hero.”

“New Super Tire Jack slips easily under your car.  Just press the button, and whoosh, the  car goes up and you can easily remove the tire. ”

Turn features into benefits

A feature would be “push-button operation”  A benefit is:   “No more sweating (and swearing) to get your flat tire changed.  Super Tire Jack does 90% of the work for you.  Just push a button!”

Prove that it works

Include testimonials from happy customers.  Even Seth Godin says that he sells more books on his blog when he reviews someone else’s work than when he talks about his own.  Use testimonials, case studies, statistics, or demos to make your point.

Ask for the purchase

Call, click, write….(do it now, before they’re gone).

Photo: johnny automatic

This  post was inspired by a post on morecaffeineplease.  Greg was wondering whether offline only marketers were “leaving money on the table” and also why online and offline marketers are often so divided against each other.

Jeremy commented that he thought offline marketers were well, lazy, entranced by big numbers and splashy ad campaigns, rather than conversations.

I do agree that there are many brand advertisers who are captivated by big campaigns, and big awards.  Neither of those  result in conversations and don’t necessarily even make any money.

Conversation, Not Shouting

Whether your marketing is online or offline, it still has to follow the same rules.  Both will fail when they don’t build trust, offer value, or treat customers fairly.

A few days ago, BMW hijacked the front page of the New York Times online with an ad that couldn’t be shut off or bypassed. Clearly, they had no respect for the newspaper’s readers.

On the other hand, Jack Daniels bourbon has been having an ongoing conversation with a friend for years.  He’s the proud squire of 1 square inch of Kentucky land near the distillery.  They sent him a deed, and regularly send letters asking if he’s seen a lost mule, or enclosing pennies and odds and ends they “found” on his property. It’s all offline, and impossible to do online (until someone invents the Star Trek transporter).

Online is Faster

The primary difference is that online companies can respond to problems or opportunities much more quickly.  I posted a Freebie Friday SEO Fast Start report on my blog two months ago.  A few hours later, the author left a comment saying a new edition was coming out in a few days.

This is one important lesson many offline marketers have failed to learn.  Word spreads, and it spreads fast.

I complained online about a  bad experience at Victoria’s Secret (in short, they require a driver’s license or a passport (?!?) in order to return something, even with the receipt).  Nobody has contacted me, apologized, or responded in any way.  They clearly are not interested in having a conversation, only in glitzy marketing campaigns.  I will never, ever buy anything there again.

Photo: meaganjean