Direct Marketing News

If you’re involved in marketing products, services and coaching programs for niche markets, one of the best strategies to screen your company from the nation of tire kickers is using the two-step marketing approach. The two-step increases your ability to work with serious prospects that are more likely to become loyal paying customers. This also reduces the time you waste with energy zappers.

What is the two-step?

In a nutshell, instead of making the sale on the first contact, you instruct your targeted market to jump an extra hoop. The ones who do would become your best customers. These are the ones you want to spend your time with. These are the ones who look to your company to solve their problems. And they are the ones who will buy more from you again and again.

Here are some examples of how the two-step system is used today…

1) If you’re an affiliate marketer: you can use the two-step in e-zines and blogs where the prospect clicks on a link to a sales landing page, an audio or video presentation that can be forwarded to friends, or in an article that tells the whole story behind your amazing product. This way, they won’t overload on information. It’s really not a good idea to throw the whole enchilada at the prospect at first contact.

2) If you’re promoting a high-ticket product or coaching program: the two-step can disqualify those prospects who wouldn’t make a good fit for you. And who might later cause more problems that could tarnish your reputation or put a black mark on your merchant status. You know them because they’re usually the ones who buy from you and then quickly take advantage of your guarantee by returning the product.

3) If you’re promoting through direct mail, you can use the two-step to pre-qualify customers by asking them to send one dollar (to cover shipping) to get a special report or C (more…)

If you’re involved in marketing products, services and coaching programs for niche markets, one of the best strategies to screen your company from the nation of tire kickers is using the two-step marketing approach. The two-step increases your ability to work with serious prospects that are more likely to become loyal paying customers. This also reduces the time you waste with energy zappers.

What is the two-step?

In a nutshell, instead of making the sale on the first contact, you instruct your targeted market to jump an extra hoop. The ones who do would become your best customers. These are the ones you want to spend your time with. These are the ones who look to your company to solve their problems. And they are the ones who will buy more from you again and again.

Here are some examples of how the two-step system is used today…

1) If you’re an affiliate marketer: you can use the two-step in e-zines and blogs where the prospect clicks on a link to a sales landing page, an audio or video presentation that can be forwarded to friends, or in an article that tells the whole story behind your amazing product. This way, they won’t overload on information. It’s really not a good idea to throw the whole enchilada at the prospect at first contact.

2) If you’re promoting a high-ticket product or coaching program: the two-step can disqualify those prospects who wouldn’t make a good fit for you. And who might later cause more problems that could tarnish your reputation or put a black mark on your merchant status. You know them because they’re usually the ones who buy from you and then quickly take advantage of your guarantee by returning the product.

3) If you’re promoting through direct mail, you can use the two-step to pre-qualify customers by asking them to send one dollar (to cover shipping) to get a special report or C (more…)

If you have ever attended a trade show, you know that many companies struggle with designing graphics that represent their company well. Even large, nationally recognized corporations make glaring mistakes in their graphic design that could have easily been prevented with a better understanding of the trade show environment. By collecting information from designers experienced in working with trade show graphics, we have compiled a number of tips that we believe are crucial to a successful graphic design.

1- Less is more in the world of trade show graphics. Many designers seem to think that they are designing a museum exhibit, because the entire display is filled with small text and bullet points. You only have three seconds to grab the attention of attendees and visitors at a trade show, and a large graphic full of tiny text is the last thing you want. We have found that large, boldly colored images that relate directly to the brand identity of your company will not only increase your visibility at the trade show, but increase the return on your investment. If you are designing graphics to promote a company that sells orange juice, you would do much better by using a large image of a fresh orange than by writing bullet points about the advantages of purchasing your brand of orange juice.

2- Do not sacrifice a professional image in order to market a smaller facet of your company. At a trade show, you are marketing your brand, not your products. Unless you offer a cutting edge product, visitors to your booth will not be impressed by what you sell. If you design simple but professional trade show graphics that focus on the feel of your company, you are much more likely to leave a lasting impact on attendees by raising the profile of your company brand. The biggest motivating factor that changes potential customers into loyal clients is the (more…)