Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or a letter? The answer, you'll be irritated to know, is clear. It depends. The success of your mailing depends on who you mail to (your list), what you promise (your offer), when you mail (your timing), and what you mail (your format and creative). Here are a few questions to ask yourself to decide which format is likely the best one to use for your next mailing. Letter Does your sales message need to come from one person by name? Does More..

Where to Find New Customers Using B2B Direct Mail

The challenge in business-to-business direct mail is knowing where to look for new business. You need a source of potential new clients that is reliable and affordable. A source that will give you the contact information you need to send a direct mail package to prospective customers who need, want and can afford what you offer. At a minimum, any source of names should supply the following for each lead: First name, last name Job title Company name Address (sometimes on two lines) City Provinc More..

Beware of Magazine Style Yellow Pages Ad Design.

I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past 15 years. I have been fully submerged in the medium. Even as I sit here writing this article I have various Yellow Page directories from all over the US stacked on my desk. It's an art form, I tell you. Few comprehend its power. Few understand the subtle blend of art and science that combines to create the successful Yellow Page ad design. It takes a true connoisseur to understand the underlying psychology of a masterfully crafted Yellow Pages More..

Loan Officer Marketing - How to Target the Right Agents

Once there was a loan officer, who marketed his services to some RealtorsÃ‚Â®. His story went something like this... ...One day he invited an agent to lunch. During the course of the meal, the loan officer told the agent every reason why they should do business together. By the time they had finished, the loan officer convinced the agent to use his services. At first the agent was reluctent, but eventually acquiesced when they saw the loan officer pick up the lunch tab. A week later the agent More..

Are You Attracting or Repelling Prospects?

There are basically two ways in which you can either attract or repel prospects. I call these Attraction Marketing and Repel Marketing. You can either attract or repel prospects in your traditional marketing activities...such as: networking, direct mail, your web site, your brochure, your business graphics, your product or services, etc... You can also attract or repel prospects in your invisible marketing...such as: the way you present yourself, your attitude, the tone you use, subtleties in More..

Marketing Mimics Life

ClichÃƒÂ©s. We've all heard them...and hear some of them so often that we categorize them as tired, stale old sayings. But, the fact is, particularly in both life and in small business marketing, that there is a validated truth in these commonly applicable and very popular clichÃƒÂ©s. So, just HOW does marketing mimic life? How do the clichÃƒÂ©s that are true in life itself pertain to marketing your small business? Here are six clichÃƒÂ©s showing how the same truisms that resonate in life also More..

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Mortgage Marketing - How to Find Your Niche

Ann Landers, Dr. Phil and Roger Ebert take pleasure in being recognized as leading experts in their respective fields. Because of this status they enjoy greater visibility and reputation than their peers. So instead of having to cold call or advertise for new clients, they benefit from prospects seeking them out. Yet, when you study these experts closely you realize that they're no more talented, smarter or knowledgeable than the rest. They achieved expert status not because they're good at wha More..

How to Use Direct Response Post Card Decks as a Valuable Market Research Tool

Market research specialists have discovered a new tool which enables them to quickly identify target market cells, measure buyer acceptance, test new product or service concepts quickly and inexpensively and survey market characteristics...the Direct Response Card Deck. For two to four cents per contact, the researcher can now gather market intelligence from both specialized vertical markets (lawyers, doctors, etc.) or broad based horizontal markets (all marketing executives across industry lin More..

For Ongoing Success, Make Marketing a Habit

Make Marketing a Must, Not a Maybe When business is booming, it's easy to put marketing on the back burner. Why focus attention on getting new customers when you already have all you can handle? The reason is simple: when things slow down, you want to have new clients in the pipeline. Make marketing part of your habit. The most efficient way to do this is to create structure around your marketing efforts. Here are some tips: 1. Make time for marketing: In your calendar, schedule time each week More..

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing Tips And Ideas

Postcards are perhaps the least expensive way of reaching a large number of people with your sales message. Although they have their drawbacks, they are cost-effective at attracting new customers. But only if you follow some simple rules that professional direct mail copywriters follow. Grab their attention on Side A Side A is the side with the picture on it. One beauty of a direct mail postcard is that your prospective customer does not have to open it. There in the morning mail is your sales More..

Simple Marketing Strategies Versus an SEO Line of Attack!

Each and every day those of us on the Internet are bombarded with information about Search Engine Optimization and all that goes along with it. For the majority of folks who are promoting a business online, this can often lead to confusion especially when it comes to understanding key words, meta tags and title tags. But the real issue is not necessarily in how many people are finding your site, but in how many visitors develop into clients or customers. Attracting The Right Clients! The idea More..

Marketing Flat? Is It Your Plan or Your Vision?

60+ hour workweeks, cash flows that constantly keep you up at night, stress and more stress again. Payroll due in two days (where the heck is that going to come from?) Does this sound like your business?Is your business a job with the most fickle, disloyal boss of all..... the customer? I know, I've been there. I've watched first hand as the cash flow I desperately needed walked out the door with no intention of returning, ever again. Introspection was of little help, after all I was polite, at More..

Trapped in Your Comfort Zone? Break Out and Send Your Marketing Skyrocketing

A marketer whose advice I generally respect recently published an article about how to find your comfort zone and stick to it in your business in order to create a more harmonious work environment. In theory, it makes sense. Most of us have gone into business for ourselves to have more control over our own destinies, financially and otherwise. In reality, however, settling into a routine can wreak havoc on your marketing, making you complacent with small rewards when taking tiny risks could gi More..

Marketing Secrets #101- Your Most Important Sale

Which sale is the most important one you will ever get from aclient? I'll bet you're thinking it's your first sale with a new client.Well, it's not. It's surprising to find out that a second-timebuyer is at least twice as likely to buy from you again, whencompared to a first-time buyer. The second-time client willusually buy again because you have proved that you add valueto his/her life. The customer who has had his/her wants andneeds fulfilled comes back for more. It's very important to kno More..

Guerrilla Marketing in Action

Guerrilla Marketing is using time, energy and imagination to market a product, business or person without spending massive amounts of hard earned profit dollars. It also has been defined as non-traditional marketing, something unusual, unexpected and designed to be noticed. Of course all marketing is designed to be notice. Its just that some isn't, believe it or not. There are many examples over time that have passed the guerrilla test. I will save those for another speech, article or book. For More..

8 Instant Ways to Create Consistently Successful Marketing Campaigns

It's almost a given that when I speak to a new client, she tells me how much she's always hated marketing herself. "I'm no good at it" and "No matter what I try, it doesn't work" are common complaints. Worse, many small shops hate marketing so much that they literally avoid it entirely, or do marketing using the "dribs and drabs" method -- you know, a drib here, a drab there. In order to gain the trust of your prospects, you have to make contact with prospects enough (and make contact with eno More..

Successful Marketing Through Seminars

One of the best ways for potential clients to find out about you and your company is through public speaking. Free seminars attract potential clients. It is a chance for them to get information straight from you. You are the best marketing tool for your business. Speaking to groups is nothing more than a large conversation. It is powerful and efficient marketing. By making the seminar free, you engender goodwill from your audience. By addressing issues of concern to them, you are validating the More..

Overcoming Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 2

In Part 1 of this article, "Resistances to Marketing a Practice" the seven most common resistances helping and healing professionals (counsellors, therapists, naturopaths, homeopathetic doctors, massage therapists, body workers, etc.) have to marketing a practice were identified. This article identifies 10 strategies for overcoming these fears and resistances so that you will have a successful private practice. # Identify all resistances. Awareness is the first step. Write down all your concern More..

Advertising Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems-Part 1

One of the biggest mistakes coaches, counselors and other healing professionals make is to assume that they must advertise their private practice in order to get clients. These professionals often tell me they have spent a lot of money on advertising with minimal, if any, results. Many become discouraged with advertising, and some even give up on the idea of having a private practice assuming they have no other options for marketing their practice. It is not surprising that this happens. Not kn More..

Advertising Your Private Practice: 6 Tips for Maximizing Your Results-Part 2

As discussed in part 1 of this article, "Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems," I usually don't recommend advertising as a main method of marketing a practice for new coaches, counselors and healing professionals. There are often more cost-effective ways to get the word out and attract clients. However, if you are convinced you need to advertise or have a reason to believe that your ads will be effective as a method of marketing your practice, here are 6 tips that will help you maximiz More..

The Name Game

Pop quiz! If you have to say goodbye to your hard earned money to purchase something you've always wanted, who would you rather trust: an unknown provider or one who has an established name in the industry? The answer to that question shows how important branding has become in recent years. And consequently, brand building has taken an equal significance. Brand building consists of all the things you do to establish a good image for your business venture. A brand carries with it an aura of cre More..

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Arts Marketing : Suggestions for Students and Beginners

Many artists create art but when it comes to marketing and selling their work, well, that is another story. It may seem daunting at first but artists can do marketing easily if they just think logically and commit time to the effort. First of all, marketing is not selling, at least not a particular work. It is about selling yourself and the quality of your work, however. If you can develop a self-confidence about that, the rest comes just as naturally. Let us examine just a few simple ways to m More..

Mortgage Broker Marketing - Sell Problems, Not Solutions

Are your marketing messages to RealtorsÃ‚Â® guilty of these promises? - To render great customer service? - To close loans on time? - To offer the best competitive rates? - To help them make more money? - To deliver referrals or free leads? - To co-market services? - To qualify all buyers through a diversity of programs? Guess what?RealtorsÃ‚Â® have heard this before. So much so, that they've become immune to listening. Your message is competing with other similar messages and getting lost in More..

Loan Officer Websites: Your Marketing Hub to Magnetize Realtors

Too many loan officer websites look like congested intersections, information running every which way. Fancy gadgets, like calculators, online application submission forms and loan programs filled with jargon that customers don't understand. You can't tell the difference from one loan officer web site to the next. Take any two sites and swap logos with each one. Still, you can't tell any difference between them. It's no wonder real estate agents get flustered trying to glean something from your More..

Postcard Direct Mail Marketing: 15 Ways To Grab Attention

If you use direct mail postcards to generate leads or sell a product or service, you need to create postcards that grab your prospect's attention. The place to do that is Side A, the side that doesn't have the stamp and address on it. Here are some creative ways to get the attention of your potential buyers, some of which have worked extremely for well for my clients. # feature a wacky photograph # use a photo of your product in an unusual setting # make an outrageous (but true) claim # state y More..

The Value of a Good Sales Letter!

Regardless of how many forms of promotional material you create, the simple yet very important sales letter never goes out of style. As a matter of fact a good sales letter should definitely be included as part of your marketing strategy for it can be the most effective tool over any other promotional material. A good sales letter gives you an opportunity to make a smashing impression right out of the gate. The following are some strategies to consider when preparing your letter. 1) INTRODUCTOR More..

Are Your Brochures Worth The Paper Theyre Printed On?

Brochures are one of the oldest marketing weapons in the business arsenal. And for good reason. A well done brochure lends an air of credibility while laying out a persuasive sales message. It conveys a lot of information and moves the customer along in the sales process. When it's done right. When done wrong, a brochure is an exercise in futility. It bores the reader and makes a beeline to the round file. It's a waste of time, effort, and landfill space. So how can you make sure yours are don More..

Can Message Board Marketing Work For You?

One of the things that makes the Internet fun is all the message boards and forums. You can sound off about nearly anything, get and give advice, and even build a relationship or two. But message boards can be great for another reason: They're a free, effective place to market your business. You spend nothing but your time, but you make valuable connections with potential customers, and get your name out to members and guests alike. With a link to your website included in your signature, you a More..

Radio Ads That Get Results

Radio advertising can be a small business's best friend. It's relatively inexpensive, very effective, and allows you to target your audience pretty specifically. It's also a level playing field -- your commercials can sound just as good as those of a corporate giant. But not all radio ads are created equal. Too often, they're wasted on "name recognition" spots that have to be run over and over, only hoping to produce a positive impression in the audience's mind. Eventually they promise you more More..

The Easiest Small Business Direct Marketing Tip You?ll Ever Get

This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable) small business direct marketing tip you'll ever get.And when I say easy? I really mean EASY. It's a no-brainer. Once I tell you what it is you're probably going to say, "Oh that? I already knew that." But if you own a small business and are doing this I can tell you right now you're an exception. "If this is such an easy and profitable small business direct marketing tip why isn't everyone using it?" That's a good question. I don't k More..

The Seven Vital Steps You Must Know To Ensure Direct Mail Success

1. Your Most Valuable Asset A mailing list of valued customers is the single most important asset you have. Loyal customers will spend an average of five times more in your business than new customers. Plus it costs ten times more to acquire a new customer. When choosing a mailing list, first identify your best customer. What is their age, income level, and geography? Then identify your "perfect" customer. Select mailing lists which match your perfect customer profile. If you're selling busi More..

To Swag or Not to Swag: Tip to Brand Your Tchotchkes on a Shoestring

t's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting their own business. Especially when budget is tight, creative juices go into high gear. I recall my days in corporate marketing when every event, whether it be a sales conference, partner summit or tradeshow had to have tchotchkes. ("Tchotchke" is Yiddish for those corporate giveaways you see at tradeshows, usually small trinkets branded with the company's logo. If the tchotchkes are really cool, some people even call them "swag" More..

Has the Free Report Had Its Day?

For years now we have been inundated with offers of Free Reports. Most promise to tell you how, in a few hours per week, you can make incredibly huge sums of money or achieve some other benefit. And it's not only on the web you find these offers. I subscribe to an informative, inexpensive magazine called "Australian Business & Money Making Opportunities", ostentibly to keep my finger on the pulse of small business. Every issue is chock full of advertisements, many offering a free report. Just a More..

7 Simple Marketing Tips

Here are 7 simple marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits quickly. All are easy to use and work for any business. Tip 1: You can constantly improve the effectiveness of your advertising by allocating 80 percent of your advertising budget to proven promotions and 20 percent to testing new things. When something new works better than your proven promotions, move it to the 80 percent group and start testing something else in the 20 percent category. Tip 2: Customers are usually More..

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