| |
| |
|
Online Advertising |
Guaranteed Targeted Website Visitors from just $0.45 per 1000. 24 Hour Unique Visitors, Online Stats, 30 Day Guaranteed. We offer Country Targeted or Mainstream Traffic at wholesale cost.: CLICK HERE |  |
|
|
Direct Mail Sales Letter Mistakes to Avoid
Some companies that use direct mail to sell their products and services are like the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn't there. They repeat the same mistakes, and enjoy the same poor results. Here are their eight most common misdemeanors, and a cure for each. 1. Wrong list That's why you can mail identical packages to two lists, one good and one poor, and find that the good list pulls 10 times more responses than the poor list does. Your mailing list, after all, is not just a way to reach your market. It is your market. 2. No testing If you don't test one package against another, one list against another, you won't know what works and what fails. So test lists. Test offers. Test formats. Test envelope teaser copy. Don't assume you know what works. Test and be sure. 3. No offer To generate leads, offer free technical information, a free analysis, free consultation, free demonstration, free trial use or free product sample. To build retail traffic, offer premiums, special discounts or exclusives. To sell a product directly through the mail, offer a free trial, sample, premium or discount. 4. Starting with you, not me Now, then, which of these two people would you rather talk to? Your readers prefer to hear you talk about them, not about yourself or your product. Yet many businesses mail sales letters that begin: "ABC Incorporated was founded in 1982 and is in the business of delivering quality, service and value into the new millennium." Big yawn. Big mistake. Aim your messages at the prospect and say everything from the prospect's point of view. Don't begin your copy with "we" when you can begin with "you." 5. Slow in getting to the point Don't make the mistake of a slow build-up. Avoid the roundabout approach. Start your letter with your most compelling sales point. Fire your biggest cannon in the first line of copy. Promise your reader a benefit. Give them a reason to continue reading. 6. Poor follow-up So are inadequate marketing literature and unprofessional telemarketing. They can destroy the interest that you work so hard to build. Fill requests for information within 48 hours. Send follow-up mailings to those who do not respond first time. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. 7. No time limit Don't make the mistake of letting your readers put you off until they forget your mailing altogether. Put a time limit on your offer: "Call now. This offer expires June 1, 1999." Time-limited offers almost always outpull offers with no time limit. 8. No call for action Fortunately, others have gone before us. My favourite sources for tested, practical wisdom on direct mail techniques are Successful Direct Marketing Methods by Bob Stone and anything by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Alan is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation consultant. As President of Sharpe Copy Inc. (http://www.sharpecopy.com), Alan specializes in helping businesses generate leads, close sales and retain customers, using cost-effective, compelling direct mail and email marketing. Alan also uses his direct mail advertising services to help charities raise funds and raise awareness of their causes, using fundraising letters.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Questionnaire for Businesses As best you can, answer the following twenty-five questions. There's no scoring. 15-Minute Marketing: Lots of Results in Little Time Do you think you don't have enough time to market? Here's a solution that can help you get started on marketing, or any other task you've been putting off.Promise yourself you will spend 15 uninterrupted minutes working on one aspect of marketing. Marketing Lessons from Santa If a nonexistent man can change the world and millions of people with a message of joy then his marketing plan surely works. Right? Then what has Santa been doing right all these years that we can learn from? Santa's message is short--joy. Psychology of Setting Prices Pricing is one of the four major components of marketing. Psychological pricing forms one of the key elements of demand pricing wherein the consumer demand is the main focus. Determining Visitor Types The trade show floor is full of different types of people with different agendas. Some people have specific goals for attending the show; others do not. Break Even On Your Next Direct Mail Campaign...And Still Generate Huge Profits With direct mail, you can break even and still claim success. The reason for this can be understood only when determining the lifetime value of each customer brought in and the likelihood of those customers responding to subsequent offers. Universal Principals That Guide Business Growth Universal principals are those "self-evident" truths that have guided brilliant minds and withstood the test of time.Today, however, most of us forget to apply them consistently. Preventive Marketing Offers Small-Mid Sized Business Owners An Ideal Way To Maximize Their Results As the owner of a creative services boutique - I have realized that at least 9 out of 10 prospects/clients have suffered from one or all of the following (very detrimental) symptoms of trying to grow their businesses:Trouble defining their "BIG PICTURE"Little to no understanding of "evolution focus"Overwhelming feelings of "being stuck", "spinning wheels", "not knowing what to do next"Not enough information about options, alternatives and solutions to common strategiesNot enough knowledge or support to ask the right questions when researching opportunitiesChallenges in differentiating between "good advice" and "bad advice"Difficulty bouncing back from ill advised decisionsExhausting unnecessary dollar amounts for otherwise less expensive projectsNot enough resources to avoid future mistakesUnrealistic expectations about each unique component of the marketing mix and how enlisting one does NOT guarantee another.Somehow along the way the corporate mentality of "delegate everything" has convoluted the fact that small-mid sized businesses don't always have the resources to do this. Basic Marketing Dope Sometimes the simplest data is the best. Marketing is not complex if you know the basics - that's true with anything by the way. Don't Put All Of Your Eggs Into One Basket I vaguely remember a particular story from my childhood. It had something to do with transporting eggs to market. Use The Neglected Weapons In Your Marketing Arsenal Business marketers have a lot of weapons in their arsenals but they often overlook some very important ones. So, let's do a quick inventory. Top 10 Tips To Market & Build Your Professional Practice In building and running a professional practice (or any small business or a home-based business), there are many items that must be monitored closely. As a small operation, you can't afford to find out too late that a critical aspect of your business has gotten off-track! This list looks at 10 items to emphasize at the start of a new year, or any time you want to rapidly grow your business in a short period of time. The Key to Success Good business is about communication.. How to Write a Fundraising Thank-you Letter for Example (Includes a Free Sample) Thank-you letters are one of the most important letters that your non-profit mails to donors. They remind donors that they made the right decision in supporting your organization. Supply And Demand And Marketing According to Dough McCormick, Chariman and CEO of iVillage, Inc, "Technologists focus on supply but they don't understand advertising is focused on demand. Just because we have an available ad doesn't mean we have to sell it. Knowing Your Customer Is The Key Without doubt, understanding what a customer's wants and needs are is one of the most important aspects of running a business. You must know your customer. Baby Boomers - Marketing to the Me Generation Unless you've been in a dimly lit cavern for the past several decades, you know that "Baby Boomers" is the collective name given to the 76 million people born in the United States between the end of World War II and 1964. Often described as the largest, most knowledgeable and most fiscally influential demographic group in American history, their motto could very well be: Where does a 750-pound gorilla sit? Anywhere it wants!Getting to Know ThemDubbed the "Me Generation" for their nonstop quest for self-gratification, many "Boomers" pride themselves on their counterculture values, for having led movements for social rights and environmental awareness. 4 Steps To Increase Your Job Sign Marketing It's no secret that using a job site sign can be an effective way to market your company's services to neighborhood homeowners. But most job sign marketing isn't done as effectively as it could be. Have You Sold Your Internal Customers? You can make the sale. You know your core message. Marketing to the Affluent - with Wine With its association to an affluent, sophisticated lifestyle, wine can make a good accompaniment when marketing to an affluent audience. However, I am not talking here about ordering expensive wine at a client diner.
|
| home | site map | bad credit loans |
| SUBJECTS: • Advertising • Book Marketing • Domain Names • Email Marketing • Ezine Marketing • Ezine Publishing • Internet Marketing
|