Direct Marketing Tips Blog

Social Media Networking For Businesses 101

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:33:00 GMT

To Twit, or not to Twit, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to post to LinkedIn and Plaxo or to Facebook.

For those of you wondering whether or not all this hullaballoo about the new in thing for Business--"Social Media" is anything that you need to be concerned with, please read on.

It's time to take the blinders off and start to take notice that this technology obsessed society of ours has fallen in love with anything and everything that can be accomplished with a cell phone.

Just this afternoon, I walked a client through how she could use Twitter and Facebook to create additional buzz for her product offerings. She cringed a bit at the thought of developing such an intimate relationship with her cell phone (a geometrically increasing percentage of tweets--Twitter updates for the uninitiated--are executed from sms emabled phones). I assured her that it could become quite addictive--note to self, check for Twittering obsessed groups on Google. Told her that her Twitter account could be set up so that her posts were picked up and displayed on her Facebook page and her LinkedIn and/or Plaxo pages as well. She did warm to the idea of accomplishing four tasks with the push of the send button...Lol. But I digress.

What is Social Media?

Short question, long answer. According to Wikipedia, "Social media is a term used to describe the type of media that is based on conversation and interaction between people online." "Social media are media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media use web-based technologies to transform and broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues. " Now what the heck does that mean? It's an outlet for people to quickly, easily and inexpensively communicate their likes and dislikes to hundreds, thousands and in certain instances, millions of readers. Wikipedia also states, "Social media have become appealing to big and small businesses. Credible brands are utilizing social media to reach customers and to build or maintain reputation."

Check out this article by Paul Chaney, author of The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media in Marketing Profs on "The Three Most Popular Social Networks for Business (and Why You Should Use Them)". It discusses the basics for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for Business.

I'll be diving into using this chanel in more depth, but suffice it to say that if you aren't using Social Media sites to help build your business, you should. More importantly, your competition probably is, or will be soon.

If you have any questions, please post your comments or email me at dcslistguy@greatmailinglists.com

Regards,

Doug

Time to start Digging Those PreMover Leads Worms

Doug Sauerhaft — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:01:00 GMT

The worms are fat and ready to dig. That's right, I know I've written about them in the past, but Premover Leads from my multiple moving services supplier ARE FINALLY HERE!.

We've all heard the business axiom "The early Bird gets the Worm". It was true back when this phrase was first coined--and it is even more true in today's tepid economy. Truisms like the worm and "a bird in hand..." focus on one very important factor that tends to get downplayed in an up Economy. And now that the Economy is down, down, down, it should not be overlooked as a necessary solution to not only your business's prosperity, but survival.

FIRST

There's no place like first. We live in a first society. First is almost always considered best by default.

So when it comes to developing new leads/customers for your business both on and off line what do you do? Well online, you might optimize your website, send email to your customers and approved prospects, you might have an affiliate program, you might buy web based ads like banners, columns, pop-ups, pop-unders, you might purchase keywords...Off line you mail to your customers, you might purchase mailing lists of potential new customers, you might do some telemarketing, you mail ruthlessly to your housefile, AND if you have a brick and mortar presence, you mail New Mover Lists.

But none of this is sustaining your business. Churn rate has risen alarmingly and your new customer acquisition programs just aren't cutting it. There are fewer New Movers and the competition mailing to those New Movers is intense. New Movers' mailboxes are filled with a glut of offers--useful, and might I dare say..."Junque" mail.

What to do?

So just how do you differentiate yourself to gain a foothold and get ahead in this wonderful business climate?

...think FIRST.

If the competition is beating you to the punch or nipping at your heels with their own New Mover acquisition programs, then stop waiting to reach prospects after they move and reach them Before they move with real premover leads!

All PreMover Leads are not created Equally

In fact, only premover leads from www.premoverleads.com are aged by an actual hard move date. Any other pre-mover lead is either based on mls listings or Real Estate advertising...and especially in today's marketplace, that is not a valid indication that a move is going to take place any time soon, let alone at a fixed date like the leads from premoverleads.com.

These leads enable you to contact the soon-to-be mover by phone or at their current home address and establish a relationship with the prospect before they even move into your zip code. On moving day your prospect can arrive with your information on hand, and with one less worry...and that much closer--if you haven't closed them already--to being your new customer.

And that is how you can get the Best worms!

Post Cards as a Marketing Tool Redux

Doug Sauerhaft — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:11:00 GMT

It's been a couple of years since I wrote about Post Cards as a marketing vehicle. In the past 36 Months business life as we knew it has drastically changed. And yet, the opportunity to successfully launch a localized business and grow marketshare within one's geographic footprint using direct mailing lists have never been better.

And one of the few things that has remained constant for my clients is the success those using Post Card marketing (SNAIL MAIL -- Gosh how I hate that term!!!) to attract customers still achieve.

But there's a catch...

Like many things in life, Post Card marketing also has a catch. It's called FREQUENCY. Mail the same audience a second time about 2 and a half weeks after your intial mailing. This will help you to maximize exposure and increase response. (Make sure you order your mailing list for "multiple" or "unlimited" use to make sure that you can use the list more than once).

Over the years I've spoken with thousands of small business and home business entrepreneurs. Each of them looking for the most effective means to deliver their message into the hands of their target audience. With the proliferation of the Internet and email into the fabric of our society, many folks in my opinion, mistakenly fall in love with the concept of using email lists to drive cold traffic. I'm not anti-email. Far from it.

Email is an incredible vehicle, but as a prefered solution for building a business on a shoe-string budget...it is not. Email to communicate with customers/clients is a magnificently efficient tool. But unless you have a significant budget to devote to the testing of Subject Lines, copy, images, etc...the odds of hitting a winner with a one-shot email blast is slim.

Targeted Direct Mail on the other hand is a much better bet. Once you have chosen the right list(s) for your marketing effort (Reference my post on "How Do I Buy a Great Mailing List") you need to decide what message you want to communicate to your prospect. Once you have determined this, you next must design a mailing piece around your call to action (Reference my post on "Do I Need a Good Call to Action in My Direct Marketing Pieces?".

And that is where we come to WHY I like Postcards as a Marketing Tool.

Next time you go to your mailbox, observe yourself. Once you have thumbed through your mail, stop and replay what you did. Was there anything that caught your eye? Any plain or unexpected #10 envelopes that just made you want to open them? Probably not, unless they used 4-color artwork or were from a company that you were familiar with. How long did it take you to go through your mail and determine what was trash and what you would/needed to keep? Not long, huh?

So, in that fraction of a second when you were determining the fate of a piece of unsolicited mail what tempted you? Maybe nothing. Maybe it was an attractive or interesting postcard? It certainly wasn't a plain envelope.

The beauty of a postcard is that it NEVER has to be opened. In that fraction of a second that you will have to convince your prospect to keep you from the recycling bin (we're all thinking Green these days, right?) having a postcard with your call to action staring them in the face gives you a much higher probability of gaining relevance in the prospects eyes than an envelope that needs to be opened.

Looking for a low cost, high quality quote for your post card marketing job, email me at dcslistguy@greatmailinglists.com and I'll be happy to get you a no hassle, no strings quote.

Getting the Best Worms

Doug Sauerhaft — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:54:00 GMT

FIRST

There's no place like first. We live in a first society. First is almost always considered best by default.

What to do?

So just how do you differentiate yourself to gain a foothold and get ahead in this wonderful business climate?

...think FIRST.

All PreMover Leads are not created Equally

And that is how you can get the Best worms!

Email Marketing On the Rise, Direct Mail in Steep Decline

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:21:00 GMT

According to a study released yesterday by media research and consulting firm Borrell Associates, Direct mail spending will drop by as much as 39% during the next five years from $49.7 billion in 2008 to $29.8 billion in 2013.

Email is the #1 Choice

The Borell Associates study predicts email will continue to grow in importance as the preferred online advertising outlet. "e-mail advertising quietly moved to the No. 1 online ad category spot, surpassing all other forms of interactive advertising. Advertisers spent $12.1 billion last year on e-mail marketing, more than they spent on display/banner advertising or search advertising. We're predicting that e-mail will continue to distance itself from other online advertising formats over the next five years, growing to $15.7 billion and remaining the preferred channel among many marketers."

Local Email Advertising Will Lead The Growth

So where is the growth going to come from? Borell believes that "Most of the growth in e-mail marketing will be local. We're expecting local e-mail advertising to grow from $848 million in 2008, to $2 billion in 2013, as more small businesses abandon direct mail couponing and promotional offers and turn to a more measurable and less costly medium, e-mail.

Borell cautions "Those trying to latch onto this trend aren't likely to strike instant gold. Managing large e-mail marketing campaigns require database marketing expertise, a savvy sales force, adequate e-mail management software, familiarity with the rules and regulations and a lot of patience."

So just how exactly can a small, SOHO, or geographically targeted (local) business begin to use email to advertise to Consumers effectively?

Email Made Easy

We offer a way for companies without their own cultivated list of customers and prospects to effectively email market to Consumers within their geographic footprint. Now you can send emails using our easy to build template system to create your email message and select the geography you want to send to.

How hard is it to use? Easy. It's Email Made Easy.

Simply click on the banner below to find out just how easy.

We'll be happy to assist you in creating your Subject Line and critiquing your content at NO Additional Charge.

Get started using email to help you grow your business.

2009 Off To Strong First Quarter for Direct Mailing Lists Provider

Doug Sauerhaft — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:01:00 GMT

First Quarter 2009 Sales are up over 30% against Q1 '08 here at DCS Marketing Solutions LLC and GreatMailingLists.com. I don't say this to be boastful--although it is nice to see--but as a thank you to our customers and more importantly as a barometer of change in today's business marketplace.

Change or Die

These are the worst of times, these are the best of times, to paraphrase Charles Dickens. For almost everyone, concern over finacial instability and the present--let alone the future--is a reality and not just an emotional response. Need I go on?...

This is the 30th year that I am blessed to be working in the Direct Marketing industry. I have observed many socio and economic changes in this country during this time--having worked during three (3) prior economic downturns (although none quite as harsh as this one) and one thing stands out to me about Amercian Business throughout.

Small business drives this country during economic downturns.
Big business will never fail to screw good people.
Americans are a resourceful lot and we come up with workable solutions where others see none.
Greedy people suck.

And where is all this leading...why Change of course!

Change is why my company's business is outperforming 1st Qtr. 2008.

The landscape of American business is once again changing and a multitude of small businesses are being launched by former executives and sales people from bigger businesses. The net result is leaner, more lithe businesses that are better prepared to bend with the prevailing wind and not snap like a tree in a hurricane.

These businesses need cost effective solutions that don't hold them to annual contracts or exhorbitant minimums. And that is why our Mission Statement is: "GreatMailingLists.com is a website developed to provide superior general interest and niche market direct mailing lists and email marketing lists to small and mid-sized businesses. Because these lists are available direct online, we are able to keep costs down--which we pass on to you, the end user. "

And even with our low costs and low minimums, we have been known to work with new businesses to help them to establish themselves whenever necessary.

I have been known to spend 15 or 20 minutes talking with a prospective customer trying to talk them out of doing what they thought was a great idea...why? Because it's the right thing to do, and wish there were more people out in the business world who would do the same for me in certain situations.

I'm told we reap what we sow.

First Quarter Sales are up over 30% here.

If you'd like some help with your direct marketing efforts, send me an email at dcslistguy@greatmailinglists.com

In the next few weeks we will be launching an entirely new way to target local prospects on a nationwide scale.

Premovers.

Now you say awe shucks Doug, I've tried premover lists before, they work ok in a brisk marketplace, but in today's economy--simply knowing that someone is advertising their house for sale is not a measureable indicator that they are moving. TRUE.

That's because you haven't tested our Premovers yet. These premovers come from moving related services sources and we have the ACTUAL MOVE DATE.

Now these leads don't come cheaply, but think about this. These leads give you the ability to communicate with a New Mover before they even move into their new neighborhood. That type of leg-up on the competition is priceless.

At DCS Marketing Solutions LLC and GreatMailingLists.com it doesn't matter to us whether you drive a Porsche or a Chevy. If you're looking for help to grow your business, we're here.

How to Win with Direct Mailing Lists in a Losing Economy

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:24:00 GMT

Republicans, Democrats, Independents and all non-affiliated Americans are all secretly, and not-so-secretly rooting for newly elected President Obama and his political Agenda to take successful steps to stop the bleeding and begin the much needed repairing of our anemic economy.

But until that day comes--and hopefully it is soon--it's survival of the fitest. At last look at The Dow, the meek are destined to inherit nothing. Those brave enough to embrace change will prosper--everyone else will do their level best to tread water.

What kind of business are you? The meek? The brave? Or are you a fan of the doggie-paddle?

Quick Business Assessment

1. Customer Value is down. Customers are just spending less. The profitability of individual customers is off 30% or more.

2. Customer Erosion. Typically, Merchants experience annual churn of 20% ¹

3. Layoffs, cutbacks, down-sizing, gurding for survival over the long-haul, these are the moral crushing realities of almost all of our businesses as we proceed through Q1 of '09.

In With The New

Replace the old with the new. Not an original concept by any stretch of the imagination; just a sound one. But how do you do it?

For local or regionalized businesses (after all this is a Blog for small to mid-size business) finding new customers comes two ways. Develop a new relationship with an established resident(s) living within your geographic footprint, or grab them when they're new. Success with existing residents comes with tweeking your existing sales and marketing efforts, and one that I can't personnaly speak to on your behalf.

But the second one...revolves around identifying and targeting New Movers to your business trade area. Now New Movers is not a "new" thing. And in fact, there is intense competition to curry the favor of New Movers everywhere these days. And the chief problem with targeting New Movers as an acquisition strategy today is that New Moves themselves are off by 20% ² or more. Hence, the available pool is diminished, while the competition has exponentially increased.

How To Win

The concept is simple. Get to the New Mover BEFORE they move. Introduce yourself and your business to your future new trade area resident before they move. Avoid competing with the glut of New Mover offers that irritate and inundate every new mover today.

OK, so "How do I do that?" you ask?

Pre Mover mailing or per inquiry phone leads.

So maybe you're thinking, "I've already tried "Pre Mover" lists and they just aren't dependable. Especially in today's abysmal Housing Sale Market! And if you are thinking this, you would be Absolutely Correct! Today's Pre Mover lists are predicated on Real Estate Advertising...and that is not a valid indicator as to when someone will be moving today.

But there is a solution. And it is coming soon. Very soon. It is a Pre Mover list that is triggered by a Moving Services quote request. These soon-to-be-moving to a neighborhood close to you leads will be available on a weekly basis and typically become available 5-7 weeks prior to the actual move date. Plenty of time for the prepared marketer to send one, even two direct mail solicitations, or to execute a well planned phone introduction/conversion campaign.

I'll be announcing the availability date of this Fabulous new customer acquisition tool in the coming weeks. Send me an email with your contact info and I'll contact you a week before I Blog about it.

You can Win, even in this Economy!

dcslistguy@charter.net

¹: Page 1. "How to Overcome Retail-Customer Erosion by Capturing New Residents", Moving Targets, 2006.

²: Page 1. "Fewer People Are Moving, Epsilon Report Shows", DIRECT Magazine Chief Marketer Online, Feb. 9, 2009.

Top 100 Blogs For Small-Business Cost Cutting Inspiration

Doug Sauerhaft — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:34:00 GMT

The Web Design Schools Guide recently came out with its list of the Top 100 Blogs aimed at helping Small Businesses save costs in the following Categories:

General Business Finance
Accounting
News
Business Inspiration
Startup
Frugality
Business & Personal
Cost & Supply Management
Marketing & Customer Service

"In this economy, everyone's looking for ways to cut down, and small businesses are no exception. One of the best ways to save money in business is to examine your annual expenses and consider how you can decrease those costs. Thankfully, there are some pretty amazing resources to help you figure out new ways to do just that. Check out what we consider to be the top 100 blogs for resources and inspiration to cutting your small business costs in 2009:"

This list is helpful for any small business, whether they are using direct mailing lists, email marketing lists or any other media to market and promote their businesses.

I encourage each of you to check out and Bookmark the following link.

http://www.webdesignschoolsguide.com/library/top-100-blogs-for-small-business-cost-cutting-inspiration.html

As always, the DCSListguy is here to help you succeed with your marketing efforts.

Setting Goals for the First Quarter of 2009

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:39:00 GMT

It's important to set goals for any business. If you don't have goals and objectives to measure yourself by, how are you going to know if you are achieving them?

Just looking at your account balance on your business checking is not the smartest way to measure small business growth.

Tell me what your business goals are for the first quarter and I will compile and aggregate them into a post in a couple of weeks.

Send me an email to dcslistguy@greatmailinglists.com listing your top 5 objectives or leave a comment at the end of this post.

Here are my goals.

1. Improve communication with my prospects/customers.

2. Focus on improving my direct mailing lists conversion activity.

3. Continue to develop my email marketing lists sales.

4. Expand my eMarketing client base.

5. Show my wife I love and respect her, every day.

Hoping everyone has a successful first quarter.

Happy New Year everyone!

Doug the DCSListGuy.

Targeting and Timing -- The Keys to Successful Small Business Direct Mailing List Marketing

Doug Sauerhaft — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:29:00 GMT

I consult with dozens of small business owners each week. Without exception, each seeks to grow their business as inexpensively as possible--especially in today's tenuous marketplace. Some are quite focused on how to go about building their business and have an actionable direct mailing lists plan that they are just looking to me to fulfill with a list or help them tweek. For them, I am happy to oblige.

But for the most part, the small business and home business owners I speak with fall into three categories: I only want 100 Leads, I Want an Email List, Bigger is Better.

For those looking for 100 leads, or for 1,000 for that matter, there really is nothing I can say or do that can help them. Why? Because at those tiny numbers, the likelihood of getting any responses is remote. We have very low minimums--$200 for Consumer and $250 for Business. Why? Because that is the bare minimum that our experience tells us that you can have opportunity to receive a reasonable response from. If you don't have budget for that, it is going to be quite difficult to make a go of using direct mailing lists to grow your business.

For there person coming in telling me that they want to buy an email list to drive people to their website, or to build foot traffic at their brick and mortar location, I typically ask why? Nine times out of ten when I tell them how much they cost and what the minimum quantities are, they say that it's very expensive. And they are right. Quality emails are not cheap. General Internet untargeted emails (Bulk) are cheap. Then I launch into my spiel and they usually shift interest to a mailing list strategy...like the one to follow shortly.

And for the optimist contacting me saying they want a count for all of the people who buy from catalogs in the country...I try to reign them in.

Always work within your budget. There is no point in overspending on your test. What if you need to make changes and re-test? You'll neeed budget for that as well.

Targeting

Define your target market prospects as tightly as possible. Make the parameters for your direct mailing lists narrow, not broad. You can always loosen up your criteria to increase circulation once you have found your sweet spot.

At this point, I want to share that I ALWAYS recommend that a small business do postcard marketing to drive traffic to their on and/or offline businesses.

Buying Your Direct Mailing Lists

When I first started in the Direct Marketing Industry back in the 1980's, the big buzz was "shotgun" marketing. Lists were relatively inexpensive, postage was a small fraction of what it is today, and the philosophy of the day with many successful marketers was "the more hooks you put in the sea, the more fish you catch." And then targeting started to become more important. And more important. And more important.

Today the buzz words are "relevance", "content", "frequency", or timeliness. Relevance is addressed with proper targeting. Content is strictly a factor of the marketers' ability to effectively communicate their message to the recipient. And Frequency is the focus of this post.

Timing

Frequency, frequency, frequency. In email, you can find marketing experts that claim you need to send a prospect message 5 times or more to maximize effectivness. Well I have found that it is not a lot different with certain direct mail.

You are a small business that is opening a new location, or seeks to generate new customer activity at a site (New Memberships, New Customers, etc...) then you want to saturate your target market within your target geography. And to do so you need to mail more than once over a period of time. Say once every three weeks for at least 3 times. This enables you to build up recognition with a prospective customer (even though that postcard might get tossed the first time, there will be some recognition established for the second or third time received). They might have looked briefly at the card, considered it and either put it aside--where it sits until this day covered by something, or they might dismiss you the first time. But when they receive your card the second time, they take action.

So my recommendation is to:

1. Define your Budget.

2. Target your most responsive customers.

3. Purchase direct mailing lists for unlimited use, keeping within #1 above.

Email Subject Line Branding

Doug Sauerhaft — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:22:00 GMT

Getting your business email opened by the right people is a very challenging endeavor. These days with the proliferation of preview pane viewers, a recipient doesn't even need to open your email to take a look at it. That has its own pros and cons which will be addressed in futire posts. But what it does is put even more pressure on your Subject Line to compel the recipient to not only click, but to NOT delete your email before it even renders in the preview pane.

Recognition breeds relevance. If the email recipient comes to recognize your Brand (Company Name, Newsletter Title, Product Offering, etc...) then, the possibility of your email being of interest and ultimately ending in the action you seek, increases.

I've been reading a lot lately on what Mark Brownlow at email-marketing-reports.com has to say on the subject, and would like to share it with you here. In his latest article titled "Subject lines III: Branding" Mark tackles the issue of Branding.

"Let us begin with a common question: should you include your brand/business name? Well, if a core aim of the subject line is to ensure your email is recognized, putting some recognizable name in there makes intuitive sense."

To read Marks' very helpful article in its entirety, click here.

What is Subject Line RIA and Can I Survive Without It?

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:10:00 GMT

In my first post focusing on email subject lines, I referenced Mark Brownlow's post on the Email Marketing Reports site. The focus of today's post on Subject Line optimization is RIA--Recognition, Interest and Action.

What is the objective of your subject line? To get the targeted recipient to open your email. Obviously that is a component, but is that all a subject line is? Hope not. "If that's all there is to it, you'd see more subject lines like these:

Your last purchase has a dangerous defect
We overbilled you, $100 gift voucher enclosed
We sold your credit card data by accident

Clearly, just getting people to "open the email" isn't your real purpose. Instead, your subject line is looking to generate RIA: Recognition, Interest, Action."

To read the rest of Mark's second post on the art and science of Subject Lines, click here.

It would seem to me that in today's economy when conversions are paramount, garnering RELEVANT prospects is a Must.

For more information on Subject Lines, check back this weekend to read about subject line Branding in part three.

How Important is the Subject Line in my Promotional Emails?

Doug Sauerhaft — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:09:00 GMT

For those of us that use emails (both customer, and third party opt-in prospecting) to develop new relationships and spur sales, "just how important is the Subject Line?" with regard to the success of my emarketing campaign?

Well, I was digging through my myriad of Blogs and don't ignore info sites and came across the following post by Mark Brownlow on the http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/ site addressing Subject Lines.

Mark's article on subject line length starts--"Creating a subject line is like creating a work of art.

While there are some guidelines a budding artist can follow, there is no "art creation" template that guarantees success. Painting by numbers produces no masterpieces."

To read the whole article, and the feedback of others, please click here.

The second part of his treatis on Subject Lines will appear later this week.

The Importance of Having Strong Direct Mail Headlines

Doug Sauerhaft — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:23:00 GMT

For the past couple of posts I have ventured off into the world of online search (search engine optimization and PPC). Today I return to direct mail marketing and direct mailing lists.

So many newcomers to direct mail marketing rely too heavily on the quality of the direct mailing lists they purchase to determine the success or failure of their mailing effort. While there is no question that the mailing list is the single most important element in the success of a mailing, if you do not:

capture the readers attention
provide relevant content
and ask for the order

the mailing will almost certainly fail. I read a post earlier this month from Brandon on the postcardsmarts blog that I wanted to share with you. Brandon makes good points and offers helpful resources for the neophyte copywriter.

"In postcard marketing, the headline is the primary attention grabber. With direct mail letters, the envelope teaser fulfills the same role. The fundamentals for creating both of these are much the same. These are two of the most important elements in direct mail copywriting."

Take a look at his article "Direct Mail Headlines - How to Grab Attention" and leave me a comment letting me know what you think.

Also, don't forget to vote for the next Blog topic. It helps me to tailor what I write about to you the reader.

SEO or PPC--Where Should Your Marketing $ Really go?

Doug Sauerhaft — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:08:00 GMT

I typically scan 300 or so marketing blogs on a daily basis to see what's what in the direct marketing and emarketing Industries. I recently posted an article "Why Search Engine Marketing is Essential for Your Website" and received some interesting feedback. The gist of the feedback was this.

As a start-up site we need to drive traffic to our site immediately. SEO takes time. "How much of my budget should I spend on each?"

While scanning yesterday, I came across the following post by "Randfish" on the SEOmoz.org blog. He is SEOmoz's CEO, and co-founder, as well as the primary blogger for the site . His post on "The Disconnect in PPC vs. SEO Spending" is well worth reading to get some insight on how dollars are actually spent (about 85% on PPC) versus where research of user eye tracking behavior map users actually look (predominantly at the top of the organic, or natural listings). When you read the post, make sure to also read the comments from SEO experts at the bottom of the article.

My personal experience with this falls along similar lines as Randfish's post...at least initially. I used PPC to drive traffic from keywords that I believed made the most sense--based on Keyword research analysis of competitor sites. I spent thousands of dollars driving heards of traffic to my site and learned a lot about what word could and would pay off. But it was a bloody experience financially.

Today my PPC expenditures are about 5% of my overall search marketing strategy. Search Engine Optimization is where I spend the majority of my non-selling and servicing clients time. After all, I'm the DCSListGuy, so I see direct mailing lists and email marketing lists in my sleep.

Why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is Essential for Your Website

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:05:00 GMT

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing (modifying--for those who don't speak Internet) a website so that it is considered to be search friendly by search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc...). The aim of Search Engine Optimization is to design your website in a way that it will appear higher in search engine rankings. When that happens, your website becomes more visible to browsers (people searching on the Internet) when they use keywords and keyword phrases to find the information they are looking for.

SEO is a Process

Search Engine Optimization is a process. This is very important to understand. This type of optimization does not pay dividends for your traffic results over night. It takes time and searching by the Internet public to affect this change if your SEO has been done properly. Time can be weeks, more realistically-Months. But if you don't do it, you'll be severely handicapping your capability for searching traffic to find you, and ultimately grow your online business or service. So, SEO is a process for improving the ranking of your website in the natural (the left side of the page that is not shaded in Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc...) search engine rankings to increase the amount of qualified visitor traffic to your website over time.

It is not something that a typical business owner is expected to know how to do and almost without exception, doesn't have in-house IT staff that is sufficiently versed in (no ill reflection on the IT Staff intended).

Search Engine Optimization typically includes:

Keyword Research and Development,

The Optimization of:

Meta tags
Meta descriptions
Title tags and
Anchor text.

It can also include:

Linking strategy and implementation
Website submission and
Results reporting and tracking.

(I'll cover these in detail in future posts, or you can contact me directly at: dcslistguy@greatmailinglists.com for further explanation at anytime.

Various eMarketing market research studies conclude that as many as 70% or more of those who search using Google (the 800 Pound Guerilla of Search Engine traffic) only click on the natural or "organic" listings and the overwhelming majority of those don't search past the first page of results.

Your goal should be to secure a first page ranking in Google, the leading search engine, for competitive keyword phrases. But getting there may not be quite so easy. If you compete in a competitive marketplace like I do, then selecting the keyword phrases to be optimized should be done with a realistic set of expectations. What do I mean? Don't expect to rank on page one for a term that is highly competitive like say "Widgets" Consider a longer term like "Blue Widgets" or "Buy Widgets", these terms will have less search traffic, but the trade-off is that there is most likely less competition for these word and therefore, you stand a better chance of eventually ranking highly for that term.

Nearly 90 percent of people find websites through Search Engines. With natural or organic search engine optimization, you can ensure a high return on investment by achieving maximum visibility within major search engines including Google, MSN & Yahoo.

Search engine optimization takes planning and preparation. It is all about fine-tuning your web site so that it displays prominently within a search engine's results page.

The best time to SEO optimize your site is when it is being built. But don't worry, if you have an existing non-optimized or poorly optimized site, there are steps that can be taken to improve your websites searchability performance. But getting your website SEO optimized really isn't a case of just improving your results, but of survival! Proper SEO can have a huge impact on a particular client base finding you or not.

Search engine marketing shouldn't be taken lightly. Effective search engine marketing is a complex affair and yields the greatest benefit if handled by experienced professionals.

The Benefits of Mailing Consumer Bankruptcy Lists

Doug Sauerhaft — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:02:00 GMT

This isn't an article on how to capitalize on others misfortunes...er...not really. Honest.

Lets face facts here folks, the economy is down the tubes--almost every day we hear of another financial icon going belly-up, housing sales are non-existent, mortgage lending is impossible. And I'm an optimist! No wonder record numbers of individuals are filing for Bankruptcy protection, even as the restrictions for such actions become tougher to qualify for.

So, for the people who find themselves helplessly upside-down, Bankruptcy moves from an option to reality. Once it is reality, what are they to do? Are they to disappear, of course not, they need to live and they hopefully will be working toward remedying the life/lifestyle circumstances that put them inexorably behind the proverbial eight-ball in the first place.

Isn't this a Marketing Blog?

Ok, so as a Marketer, don't I want to avoid these folks like the plague...especially in today's tenuous economic environment? Depends. Depends upon what you do, and who you offer it to.

But before I go into this in more depth, let me tell you about the two types of Bankruptcy mailing lists that are available.

Types of Bankruptcy Lists

Bankruptcy Fresh Filers - Consumers who have just filed for Bankruptcy protection (Chapter 7,11,12 or 13). This type of file can be selected by Filing Date as well as the aforementioned Chapter type. These people seek a "fresh start" to begin the road back to fiscal responsibility. This type of list is updated Monthly.

Bankruptcy Discharged Filers - Consumers who have just met the requirements of their Bankruptcy filing and had their case successfully discharged. Discharged date and Chapter type (7, 11, 12, or 13) are also selectable and this file is also updated Monthly.

In both cases above, lists like these should be selectable by a host of demographic (Age, Income, Education, Gender, Marital Status, etc...) overlay data and perhaps phone numbers, to enable you to target a specific type of prospect.

The Path of a Discharged Bankruptcy Filer

Once a person or persons is discharged, they have to re-establish a positive credit history before they can apply for a credit card or a loan. Marketers offering "secure" credit and other forms of payment options will be of benefit to these individuals until the person re-establishes his or her credit. Discharged bankruptcy filers have to find financial institutions, banks or merchants who are willing to give credit cards or financing alternatives.

Bankruptcy filings continue to increase. From a marketing perspective, this means that these types of Consumers will continue to provide a significant quantity of prospects to market to. So if you are one of the above, or are a creative marketer, then using Bankruptcy mailing/phone lists is something you should add to your marketing mix.

What I Learned about Direct Marketing on Holiday Abroad in Italy

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:12:00 GMT

I've just returned from an eye opening family vacation in the land of the EURO. Ouch! No question, the value of the dollar is hurting abroad. A soft drink cost the equivalent of $9.90! It was very interesting to observe how Europeans market themselves...especially to Americans. But we'll get to that in a moment.

Lest you think I was actually relaxing and enjoying the wonders of Italy, Spain and France, I'll have you know that I had 100% access to my work desktop and was on line for almost 800 minutes servicing clients and prospects thru a remote access feature. While my email replies were a little tardy (after all, I was 6 hours ahead, and I was ostensibly on Holiday...lol) I replied to each and every inquiry, ran counts, emailed counts, etc...Had my Cell Phone Carrier not failed to activate me for International service as they told me they had (I won't mention them by name, but it rhymes with "hint") I would have also had International phone service too. But enough about broken promises.

When in Rome

How does that famous saying go? "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". Well I can tell you that doesn't apply to Roman Pizza. It sucked, ugh, doughie, almost no sauce, and even less cheese. But the Romans do have personality. They are charming, helpful and attentive. And they are clean.

We saw some of the magnificent Roman sites:

The Coliseum-It's amazing how similar the design of many of today's Football stadiums in the US are to this ancient edifice.

The Roman Baths-the Romans took being clean to a new art form.

Trevi Fountain & The Spanish Steps-I kept expecting to turn around and see Cary Grant or Debra Kerr.

And more Obelisks, domes and ruins than you could shake a stick at.

Here are some key take-aways:

The Romans were very good at recycling what works. The original Mosques and Temples of the old city were built by early invaders. When they were vanquished, the victors would take Marble, Granite and other building materials from the existing buildings and use them to build new buildings. Then they would be conquered and so on, and so on. It is why pictures we see of The Coliseum today show all these craters and holes in the remaining structures. Those holes are where the rods from the fascia Marble came together. The Romans used Marble like we use wood or siding for our houses.

I. To put it in a direct marketing perspective, they borrowed winning elements of prior packages to create a newer more up-to-date ones. And the cycle was continuous.

II. Don't eat Roman pizza.

III. Custom Service is what keeps clients as clients.

Pisa

Everything is leaning in Pisa-the Tower, the Cathedral, the Baptisimal, even the Cemetery. The Miracle square is quite impressive.

The architecture is a blend of many influences

throughout time, and everything is spotlessly clean.

But what struck me most about Pisa was the goods for sale. A throng of stall after stall of identical merchandise. I'm not going to dwell on the Italian vendors' penchant for showcasing "private parts" emblazoned on boxer shorts or "boobie" aprons. Some vendors' goods were more expensive than others (for the same item, mind you) and some were more negotiable than others, but it was all the same stuff...stall after stall after stall. The vendors stayed back in their stalls and rarely engaged customers.

It was the most egregious example of lack of marketing savvy I had ever witnessed...and yet sales were made.

Portofino

Portofino might be the prettiest little town I have ever seen. It is more picturesque than I can find the words to describe it. Walking down the main quay, I had the feeling I was on a Hollywood set for "Portofino, the Italian Riviera".

The collection of multi-million dollar yachts (with and without optional Helicopters) moored at the Pier made me giggle. It also reminded me that there is a level of affluence in this world that I cannot begin to imagine.

While anyone can walk along the streets of Portofino, and even have an Espresso while sitting outside at one of the dock-side Restaurants, the prices in the stores made it quite clear that I was NOT a member of the privileged elite.

We ran out of sunscreen by the time we got to Portofino and I had the misfortune to need to purchase some from the local Farmacia. For the equivalent of generic sunscreen in the US, I paid 25 Euros or about $40 bucks for a store sample sized spray.

Clearly, I am NOT their target market...lol!

Top 5 Things I Want from MY Vendor/RESELLER Relationships?

Doug Sauerhaft — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:32:00 GMT

What do you look for in your Vendor and/or Reseller relationships?

Please send me your list of Top 5 things and I will post the results at the end of the Month. Also, everyone who replies will qualify for an additional 10% off of any list purchase made in August or September.

I have been in the Direct Marketing field since 1980. My first job was as the mail-boys' gopher in a leading List Brokerage firm. My grandiose title was "Assistant Printers Apprentice". I collected the mail, ran the A.B. Dick offset printer to produce the management company's promotions, and I assembled the promotions for my boss. A short time later, I was transferred into Sales...where I have been ever since.

Over the decades, I have spent many years as both a provider of mailing lists and email lists services and a recipient of services...and on some occasions, do both in a single client project.

Here is my Top 5 Things I Want from My Vendor/Reseller Relationships.

I must preface my list by mentioning that A) I will have already satisfied myself that the Vendor or Reseller is providing QUALITY goods and/or services. If it isn't high quality, then I can't use it myself or recommend it to my clients and/or associates. B) That the person trying to get my business isn't too aggressive. Nothing turns me off faster than some Huckster that makes me feel like his last gig was cold calling selling stocks and bonds to "suckers" over the phone...

1. Price:

It's still the primary door opener-although today, that only gets you in the door.

2. Service/Knowledge:

It's what keeps clients wanting to work with you.

3. An Interest in My Success:

I don't want to feel like a number. I want to work with someone who goes the extra mile for me...gladly.

4. Follow-Up:

Also along the lines of not being a number. I don't mean follow-up to make sure I bought, but follow-up to make sure everything is as it should be.

5. Response to Problems:

Let's face it, nobody is perfect. I don't want to work with someone who hides behind denial and blaming others. I want a Fixer--someone who can assess the nature of the problem and work with me to remedy the situation expediently.

So tell me what your Top 5 Things are...

5 Truths: Using Postcards to Grow Your Regional Business

Doug Sauerhaft — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:14:00 GMT

These 5 truths can help you to implement a successful direct mail marketing campaign.

In marketing to your potential prospects/customers you'll need to understand some rudimentary direct mail marketing principles that will help you to acquire new prospects/customers effectively:

1) A postcard is more visible and more effective than even the most compelling sales letter stuffed into an envelope.

There's nothing to open with a postcard, so your prospect/customer doesn't have to open anything to see what you want them to see.

People are fast and merciless when it comes to thumbing thru the mail. We see and read very quickly - actually much more quickly than we even realize. Think about yourself - how fast do you go through your mail and process out what you want to keep and what you don't want to keep...it takes a fraction of second to decide whether you are going to bother looking at a piece of mail. If you are a poor #10 envelope, what chance do you have to be opened to reveal what lies within?

With a postcard, even if the recipient throws it away, they have already visually registered a portion of your message regardless of whether they think they did or not. They saw it enough to either throw it away or keep it or respond to it.

And if they tossed it, the next time they get that same postcard in the mail, they'll see it again - as they throw it in the trash, again., or something might click, and you've engaged your prospect!

Let's face it - junque (I don't use a "k" in that word) mail gets thrown away. And postcards are junque mail just like other advertisements you get in the mail.

Frequency can help you bridge the gap between being junque and useful...especially if you offer a service!

2) Frequency is the key to postcard marketing.

How many times do you have to tell your spouse-or vise-a-versa-to take out the garbage?, close the lid on the toilet? Feed the pets, etc... Two, three times? Well it is no different when we see things in the mail. The first time almost everyone pays no attention...some do. The second time a few more take notice, and a third time even more make recognition. When you are targeting a finite geography (cities, towns, Counties, Zips) the more you repeat an action, the more familiar the target audience becomes.

People start to really believe you exist when they see your postcard over and over in the mail. It communicates credibility and gives people the idea that you are established and not going to go away. Some people may respond right away - a lot of people do not.

Think about all the mail you receive at home and think about the companies that hit you again and again. In your own mind, I'll bet those companies are more real and more credible then some company you received just one piece of mail from.

The long and the short of it is, frequency, not quantity is your best bet for cultivating a localized clientele.

3 Don't print both sides of the postcard in full-color.

Why? Because full-color on both sides is confusing. People don't know where to look first, and your message can get completely lost. On the other hand, if you have an attractive full-color front - with a great headline - the recipient will just want to turn that postcard over. And that's where your main message is, your call to action, your offer, and your contact information.

4) Promote one and ONLY one thing at a time on your postcard.

Even if you sell lots of different products and services, you only promote one of them. It is okay to mention more of the more popular services you offer on the back of the postcard bullet pointed. But your main focus on the front of your postcard needs to be one product, service, or item.

The purpose of a postcard is to generate enough interest so that the recipient takes a solitary action to contact or visit your business.

5) A person could grow a business with no other marketing media.

Postcards are a staple that works as long as you mail with frequency.

Enough said, now start mailing!

Any questions? Contact the DCSListGuy @ 203-546-8551 or email to:

DCSListGuy@GreatMailingLists.com

How to Fail at Direct Mail—7 Don’t Do’s to Don’t Do

Doug Sauerhaft — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:36:00 GMT

Over the years...

I have heard dozens of clients and direct marketing friends share with me some of their most painful learning experiences in Direct Mail Marketing. Some were obvious...some were not. They've made these mistakes so you don't have to! Learn from the following missteps and increase your chances for success using direct mailing lists. Or, you could pick and choose as many as you like and try then out to prove to yourself that they deserve to be on this list. The first two Don'ts are cardinal rules, and the remaining five are more subtle ways to sabotage your direct mailing efforts. Ignore these at your own risk.

1. Not knowing your target audience.

If you don't KNOW who your target audience is, you better find out before you start marketing. All marketing whether it be direct mail, email, broadcast TV or radio is aimed at a target audience. The delivery vehicles may be broad, but who you are trying to connect with is not! All content should be focused to speak to a specificly targeted group. Know your audience's hot spots and cater to them.

2. Mailing to the wrong mailing list.

I've heard industry Guru's bandy about the number 60% with regard to how important selecting the right mailing list is to the overall success of a campaign. 60%! Apply the knowledge you have acquired from your research to identify prospects that most nearly resemble the key attributes of your customers as possible. If buying response mailing lists (lists of actual buyers of a product or service or subscribers, etc...) does not fit your marketing budget, then work with a Compiled list professional to mirror the demographics and/or psychographics of your customer profile if you are purchasing a consumer mailing list or the SIC's and sales volume and/or company size if purchasing a business mailing list.

3. Not writing to a clear objective.

Before you begin to write your mailing piece, know what the objective is you want your prospect to take. Are you looking to get the prospect to contact you by phone, email, reply card etc...? What do you want them to call for? Are you looking to get them to take a purchasing action? Are you trying to motivate or compel them to visit your location? Make sure your writing speaks to a specific goal. Make sure you know where you're going with each piece you write, then stay focused. Don't meander. Keep it simple.

4. Price before offer.

I don't know anyone who buys an unknown entity because it is cheap, do you? Price may be your chief selling point, but until your prospect knows what they are buying, price is irrelevant. Make sure you tell them about your product first. Then you can talk price.

5. Price before benefits.

Benefits sell. Price sinks the hook. Not the other way around. People buy benefits. You need to tell your readers what makes your price so great - in terms of benefits to the reader.

5. Wrong objective.

Asking for the sale instead of selling the call can be a fatal mistake. Unless you're sending a long, hard-sell direct mail piece your objective should be to engage the reader and compel them to contact you for additional information. Rule of thumb--do not ask for the sale in a postcard or short letter, you ask for a call. Offer the product, show the benefits, and sell the call hard. Cultivate your prospects and then close them. Don't bang them over the head with an anvil and expect them to buy.

6. Wrong headline.

The headline is the single most important element of your direct mailing piece. Solely on the basis of this one line, your reader makes the decision to continue, or not continue to read.

7. Not telling your readers exactly what you want them to do.

You should tell your readers several times (3 seems to be the magic number. In the beginning middle and at the close) exactly what you want them to do. Be specific. Let readers know exactly what action you want them to take; tell them, and tell them again.

10 Ways to Maximize Your Direct Mail Campaign (Part II)

Doug Sauerhaft — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:14:00 GMT

Here are the final six ways to maximize your direct mail campaign for those who have not already downloaded their free copy of the white paper. If you mention that you have read this article when you purchase your mailing list from greatmailinglists.com, you can receive a 10% off discount the already industry best pricing.

5. Offer a Guarantee.

People like guarantees, it makes then feel confident that you stand behind your product or service. But make sure it is a strong guarantee, if it seems flimsy, then the opposite affect will happen. People won't have confidence. You need to demonstrate that you have complete faith in your product. I've heard that 90 days and one year guarantees have strong impact, for example.

6. Call to Action.

Without a strong call to action, there is no reason to mail in the first place. If you don't tell your readers clearly and succinctly what you want them to do-they won't. Tell them more than once what you want to do "buy now", "subscribe now". Give your prospects an incentive to take action NOW. "Save 30% on orders placed today" Offer discounts, free merchandise, upgrades, whatever you think it might take to overcome hesitance to commit.

7. The Litmus Test.

Ask your self this critical question. Based only on your direct mail package or postcard, would you buy your product or service? If the answer is "no", then keep tweaking your copy until you can answer "yes."

8. Always Include a Reply Vehicle.

Postage paid business reply cards or envelopes boost response. Period. If you have an online presence, make sure to list your website URL on every page of your marketing piece. Don't put in a long fancy URL to take the prospect to an order page, 99 times out of 100 the prospect is going to type your simple URL into the search engine, so don't confuse them. Make sure it is easy to find the order now page on your Home page though. The use of email marketing can keep your costs down and offers possible easy contact with your audience.

If you don't give your customer a specific way to respond, many of them won't, and then you've lost a sales and a customer.

9. Teaser Copy.

If you are doing a postcard mailing, then skip this point. But if you are mailing a letter or some other type of "package", how do you differentiate yourself in the mailbox to get opened? Teaser copy! Use a teaser on your envelope. It must be a strong incentive to open the envelope.

10. Make sure to Key every Mailing.

Remember how I started off this white paper by saying that direct mail is all about measurement. Well if you don't include a unique identifier for each package type tested, for each list used, you won't be able to measure anything other than your expenditure to create and mail your campaign. There are many simple ways to create a unique code with out spending lots of time or money. The simplest way is to add a "key code" on to each mailing label. You can do this a number of ways. You can add a "middle initial" to each record IE John B. Smith, 123 Main Street, Anywhere, USA 12345. The "B" in the name is a code for XYZ List. And a "C" is for LMN List. Etc...Or you can print a key code on the top of a label.

IE ABC

John B. Smith

123 Main Street

Anywhere, USA 12345

CAUTION: Whatever you DO NOT print the actual name of the list you rented from unless you receive written permission ahead of time to do so. This can open up a can of worms best left closed. Most List Owners don't like to flaunt to their buyers that they rent their mailing list and some will require a surcharge for a third party endorsement.

Many fine books have been written on the subject of writing and designing an effective direct marketing campaign. To learn more, I would suggest visiting the National Mail Order Association Book Store (http://www.nmoa.org/catalog/index.htm) for excellent books by leading industry experts.

10 Ways to Maximize Your Direct Mail Campaign

Doug Sauerhaft — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:32:00 GMT

Direct Mail is all about measurement. Unlike Space advertising or Radio or TV/Cable advertising, with direct mail you can and should know exactly how effective your marketing efforts are. The old axiom that 50% of my marketing works, I just don't know which 50% doesn't fly with direct mail. Why? Because direct mail is the measurable medium.

If you have a small direct mail marketing budget, you will need to pick and choose what variables you want to test. The basics are list(s), offer, and package. If you are doing postcard marketing, then you might have more than one variation of the postcard to test.

Here are 10 direct mail marketing criteria to consider if you want to maximize your direct mail campaigns.

1. Carefully Target your Audience.

It is rule number one to determine who your customers are, or will be. If you don't know who they are, how can you hope to replicate them in a mailing list to market to?

Questions to ask when determining target audience include:

For Consumers: Who is your buyer-Gender? What is the demographic make-up of your customers-Age, Household Income, Marital Status, Gender, Is there a seasonality to your customers? How do they buy-credit card, check, by phone, by fax, online?

For Businesses: Type of companies, size (either employees and/or sales volume) Job Function or Job Title of the person responsible for ordering, same for the person responsible for specifying and approving the purchase.

2. Buy Mailing Lists that are Relevant.

What are you trying to accomplish with your mailing? Are you looking to derive an outright sale? Are you looking to create store traffic-either on or off line? Are you looking to cultivate a relationship to convert to buyers down the road?

You need to have a goal in order to find the right list or lists to help you achieve your goal. For example, if you are trying to sell gym memberships, make sure you are targeting people who are exercise enthusiasts. Don't decide that a peripheral category like "Dieters" is who you want to reach if you are looking to build a base of long-term memberships. Dieters are notorious for joining but not following thru. While you might achieve a temporary spike in new joiners, people who are interested in exercise and fitness and enjoy working out are much better prospects.

3. Always Stress Benefits.

Concentrate on how your product or service will benefit the person reading your piece. Focus on how it will benefit the prospective customer from both a logical and an emotional level. The key is to have done your homework so you know what "hot" buttons to push. Some marketers do focus groups, other with tighter budgets ask friends and family to imagine they are your target audience and provide you with input.

Repeat your key benefits. If you're doing Postcard Marketing, mention the key benefits twice. If you are developing a letter or more substantial direct mail package, make sure to mention your key benefits in the beginning, in the middle and near the end of your letter or brochure.

4. Feature the Offer.

Everyone loves a good deal. Design an irresistible offer and make it a key focal point of your letter. A strong offer can be the difference between converting and not converting the "fence sitters". Make sure to state the offer at least twice in your letter or brochure. And make sure to list it on your order form or response vehicle.

For the remaining 6 Ways to Maximize your Direct Mail Campaign, simply download the free White Paper on the Home page of www.greatmailinglists.com.

I spell "Junk Mail"…J-U-N-Q-U-E

Doug Sauerhaft — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:26:00 GMT

Maybe it's because I have been making a living for myself and my family for over 28 years in mailing list direct marketing, or maybe it's just because I'm a thin-skinned big baby... but I can't help getting rankled (nice way to say P.O.ed) each time I hear these uninformed news people and self-righteous soap-box preaching online pundits trash direct mail by calling it "Junk Mail".

Are all email marketers SPAMMERS?

Of course not!

So why is it that all direct mail marketers are junk mailers?

Exactly! They are not.

In fact, every legitimate direct mail marketer wants to mail to as few people who are not interested in their offer as possible. The wrong list fails to target people who would want to buy from you - and it is costly.

A properly segmented and selected mailing list is one of the most accurate means for any business to target an audience of people who want their product or service.

The beauty of direct marketing is its measurability. It is far more measurable advertising media than Broadcast TV/Cable, Space Advertising and Radio.

"Buy Mailing Lists"

The direct mail mailing list is the most significant factor in a successful direct mail marketing campaign and a major point to consider in small business marketing strategies where marketing ROI (Return On Investment) is a key concern.

What really makes your direct mail marketing and advertising campaign successful?

The biggest single factor in the success of your direct mail marketing strategy is who you send your mailings to.

You need a mailing list. You need a good mailing list. You need a Targeted mailing list.

Who and where you buy mailing lists from is up to you. You can go with a large nationwide giant, you can go with a local outfit, or you can go with a company that listens to what you are trying to accomplish and helps you develop the best possible list available.

However you choose to proceed, the mailing list must contain the names of people who are likely to be interested in the product or service that you offer.

What kinds of lists are available?

There are basically two types of lists (other than your own house file of existing customers and current prospects) that you can use:

1. A Response list is a list of people that have purchased a product, subscribed to a publication, donated to an organization or joined some type of membership. They have some level of interest in the topic or purpose of the list.

While these people have not previously responded to you, they have responded to someone in a related area (if you have purchased a correctly targeted list) so you know they are at least warm. Many large scale direct marketers operate under the RFM (Recency, Frequency and Monitary Value) rule when selecting a list. It is a direct marketing axiom that the closer to a direct mail purchasing/subscribing/donating action you can offer a similar product or service, the more apt the object person is to engage. Response lists identify a behavioral action. Response lists are also typically more expensive and require higher minimums than the second type of list-Compiled Lists.

2. A Compiled list is a list of people who were selected to be on the list because they possess the characteristics that you are trying to target.

Examples of characteristics used to target might include adult age, gender, household income level, marital status, etc. These are more fixed characteristics than response list characteristics, which are behavioral characteristics. Compiled lists

Mailing lists, correctly targeted, will make the difference between a mediocre promotional campaign to a wildly successful promotional campaign

Junque Mail

Junque mail typically is mail that is not directed to a specifically targeted audience. In my youth, we used to refer to it as "shotgun marketing" shoot it up in the air and hope that it hits something...

From the many Billions of dollars in direct mail sales each year, it is clear that Consumers do not mind receiving mail promoting products and services they have an interest in. That is direct mail.

When unsolicited mail overpowers the mail box, that is when it becomes junk.

Studies show that 70% of the US population still prefers direct mail to email or telemarketing calls.

No matter how you spell it, slice it or dice it, no one wants to receive mail they have no interest in and has no relevance to them.

When you buy mailing lists, make sure that you have done your homework to best understand who your customer is, or who you are trying to reach. This way you can work with a consultative list professional to purchase the best mailing list(s) available and stop the waste.

15 Tips How to Generate Leads and Build Sales from Direct Mail

Doug Sauerhaft — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:01:00 GMT

One of the really cool things about Direct Marketing is its measurability. Run a space ad in a local paper, buy a radio spot, local cable TV...you need to look at the big picture to determine if it is working. Not so with Direct Marketing, and Direct Mail in particular. The results of a winning mailing can be exhilarating. Few things can compare with opening your mailbox-or Inbox if you're driving traffic/orders online-to find a bunch of emails or envelopes filled with orders! Imagine if you could "move the needle" and increase the response to your offer? Do so and a marginal mailing becomes a winner, and a winner a world champion!

So How do I "move the needle?"

Following are 15 Tips to consider when developing your next direct mail campaign. There are more...to be revealed in a subsequent post...So here are 15 excellent techniques to enable your mailings to pull a stronger response. (Lame disclaimer) Not all of these techniques will work for every mailing you create. Review the techniques whenever you're planning a mailing and incorporate the ones that apply to your situation.

1. Carefully target your audience.

Sale dollars can be directly connected to your ability to accurately identify your most likely customers. You might consider creating different versions of your package tailored to each specifically targeted audience.

2. Buy Mail Lists

Many experts I have read and listened to over the years assign the greatest importance to the actual mailing list chosen. Anywhere from 40% to 60% of the overall success rate of a direct mailing depends upon the quality of your business mailing list or consumer mailing list.

3. Focus on your Customer's Needs (and Solve their most irritating issue), not your product.

Customers have limited interest in your product or company. But they have unlimited interest in their needs, solutions to their problems, and making their lives better. Concentrate on fulfilling their needs through the use of your product or service. Remember, most customers don't buy products, but they do buy solutions to problems that plague them. If your product solves a critical problem, pull out all stops to let your customers know.

4. Always stress Benefits.

Always concentrate on how your product will benefit your customers-both logically and emotionally. Repeat your key benefits (3 seems to be the magic number for me...unless it's my wife telling me to take out the garbage...lol) in the beginning, middle, and end of your email, letter or brochure. Tell your readers once, tell them again, and then tell them one more time. Remember, people buy benefits, not products.

5. Immediately Seize the reader's attention! Use an Impactful headline or first sentence.

Some letters benefit from a headline. Either the headline or first sentence must be very powerful in order to convince your prospects that your letter is worth reading. Don't waste space building up to your blockbuster points. Start with them. You have only a few sentences to convince your prospects to keep reading your letter. Give them what they need to make sure they continue.

6. Never end a sentence at the bottom of a page in a sales letter.

Always use a broken sentence to carry your reader forward onto the next page of your letter. Kind if tricky, but it works.

7. Share some "inside" information.

Direct mail affords a perfect opportunity to appeal to a person's vanity-a need to feel special. An ideal way to do this is to share some exclusive information. Make it clear that this offer is being made only to them.

8. Feature the offer.

Everyone loves a good deal. Make it a key focal point of your letter. A strong offer can often be the extra incentive that will convert your "maybes" to buyers.

9. Give something away for FREE or Run a contest.

Free samples, trials, demonstrations, consultations, or information are all super ways of getting customers to give your product or service a hands-on try. Sometimes that is all it takes to close the sale. Give away a free enrollment in your seminar, a free subscription to your newsletter, or anything else that appeals to your buyers.

10. Use a special "before the price increases" offer.

If you plan to raise your prices, make your regular customers a special offer at the old price for a limited time.

11. Make a time-limited offer.

Offer a special deal for a limited period of time. And do just that-legally you can't continue a time-limited offer indefinitely.

12. Base your offer on a limited supply.

A close-out of your inventory can create strong demand. A limited supply offer can be used to designate exclusivity and prestige.

13. Offer a special deal to the first 100 people who order.

The key is to keep it to a meaningful limit as an incentive for customers to act quickly.

14. Make a "last chance" offer.

Last chance at this price, inventory close-outs, and last chance before a model change can all be used to successfully win more orders.

15. "Buy 1 get 1 FREE" always out pulls "2 for the price of 1."

Although the savings are precisely the same, the first format sounds like the customer is getting a better bargain.

As mentioned in the beginning, not all of these techniques will work for every mailing you create. The key is to review the techniques whenever you're planning a mailing. Pick the ones that best apply to your situation and put them to work. Always remember the most important three words in direct marketing...test, test, and test!