Direct Marketing News

Because it is frequently difficult for a small business to get established, many products have been developed to entice new customers to call or visit. These products include brochures, flyers and fancy business cards that appeal to the eye and are frequently sent in the mail. One of the most strategic direct mail techniques that will help your company be noticed is the Wallet Mailer.

Often direct mail consists of the same old flyers stuffed in an envelope with numerous other advertisements from numerous other unrelated companies. You want your business to have some pizzazz, to stand out from the crowd. The Wallet Mailer is the answer to your problem. The Wallet Mailer is different from the other ads that your potential customers are pulling out of their mailbox. It resembles a conventional wallet, so your customers anticipate what treasures it might hold.

The Wallet Mailer appears as a regular wallet would, with paper replicas of credit cards and money. The credit cards can be made to look like your company’s business cards. In the billfold you will find the ‘money’ which looks like regular currency but has your company logo and slogan on it. On one side of the Wallet Mailer, they can print your offer headline to let potential customers know who sent it to them. A coupon or other information, located on the back of the Wallet Mailer, can be used to send customers your way.

A direct mail campaign will have poor results if it reaches the wrong audience. Sending ads for gutter cleaning, for example, to an apartment building will be a complete waste of money. Also, a direct mail campaign will not work unless the potential customer actually stops and reads the advertisement. The Wallet Mailer is very effective at catching people’s attention, and the MegaBigBucks are excellent at keeping people’s attention fixated on your message.

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Have you ever wondered why companies hold sweepstakes? What legislation governs these types of free contests? With no real information easily attainable to the average hobbiest we thought we would put together a 8 week set of articles to help you walk through the “sweepstakes jungle”. Its our hope through this article series that you will be much better armed to enter in sweepstakes of all kinds whether they be strictly online, mail-in or a mixture of both.

With all of that in mind lets go to the first question in our series:

Definition: What is a sweepstake?

Sweepstakes (also called prize promotions or games of chance) are essentially popular tools for businesses, marketers, and agencies to build customer loyalty and collect valuable demographic information about potential consumers.

A Sweepstakes Overview

A sweepstakes is a promotion in which a prize is awarded to a participant on the basis of chance, not skill. That prize can be monetary or non-monetary, such as a free product or trip. Sponsors of such promotions cannot require people to purchase a product or to invest “considerable” time or effort in order to enter the sweepstakes.

Here are some basic rules that all sponsors must comply with:

All sweepstakes must have official rules and those rules CANNOT change after the official starting date. Official rules must contain the following kinds of information:

A “No purchase is necessary” statement

Start and end dates

Eligibility requirements (age, residency, and a list of those excluded from participating)

Methods by which people can enter the sweepstakes, including a “no purchase” method, such as a 3″ x 5″ postcard

Any limitations on the number of entries pe (more…)

The direct mail marketing postcard is an inexpensive yet powerful marketing tool. It’s success is with the use of repetition and avoiding these common mistakes.

There are common mistakes made creating and sending marketing campaign postcards, that will be the difference between success and failure of your campaign, that are easily avoided.

Not Targeting the Best Prospects

Business to consumer marketing with postcards is only effective if you segment out your target audience. Once you have a list of consumers who have similar needs you can send them information on the postcard that is relevant and personalized. This creates the scenario that the recipient thinks you are talking directly to them

This list of prospects is one of the most – if not the most – important factors of a successful postcard marketing campaign. Analyze your current customers and generate a list of prospects that have similar traits and interests. If you do not have your own list you can generate one on many Internet sites or rent one from a list broker. For a fee, you can rent subscriber lists of specialized publications and newsletters read by prospects in your targeted market.

Lack of Repetition

Create a postcard marketing campaign, not just a one-time mailing. Consistent and repetitive mailings are more effective than a one-time, I hope this works mailing. When someone sees your company name over and over again, it builds credibility and familiarity. Although it may take a number of contacts with a customer before it leads to a sale, the eventual increase in revenue usually far offsets the small cost of postcard printing.

A Personalized Postcard Gets Read

Your postcards look professional, but at the same time, must carry a message that produces an emotional reaction from readers. Include a personal message o (more…)