DM TIPS #1

11 ways to get better results in any market – without raising costs (you may lower them!)

If what follows seems like commonsense, remember that marketing is 90 per cent commonsense. Everything else – database technology, relationship marketing, statistical analysis, and other special tools – sits on that base.

–by John Friesen

1. Stop sending out brochures in your direct mail packages. They cost money, and you’ll get better results if you let people ask for them as a secondary offer. Sending a letter is cheap… and think of the money you’ll save on printing!


2. Now you’ve decided to make your brochure a secondary offer, where’s the best place to do that? In the PS. Studies by the Direct Marketing Association show that, after the salutation, the PS is the most read portion of any sales or marketing letter.


3. Get permission to email your customers and prospects. You should be asking and re-asking for email permission – by phone, mail or on your website – because the cost for repeated email contacts is almost ZERO! Spend your money upfront to get permission, then watch your cost of sales drop.


4. Use email permission as part of a longer term effort to educate your customers and build permission to sell them your products and services.


5. Stop talking at people about products and services. Use your marketing and sales pieces to get inside their heads and talk with them about the things they really want and need. Talking at people is the reason most advertising fails.


6. Make an offer. This should be obvious, but too many mail packages try to sell something instead of making an offer. The offer answers the question “what’s in it for me?” So make your offer prominent, state it clearly, and make it both relevant and compelling. Oh yes, don’t forget to sell the offer!


7. This should also be obvious by now, but create a user friendly Website and then use every opportunity you can – phone, mail, print ads, radio and TV – to drive people to your Website. Make sure that when somebody lands on your homepage they see something they want to see – not just you yakking about yourself. Your website is NOT a brochure!
   


8. The most effective format in print advertising is an arresting (but relevant) picture or photograph, with a benefit-laden headline right below it. The headline acts like a caption for the picture… and everybody, everybody reads captions.
   
   NOTE: Men like pictures of men (surprised?); women like pictures of women; men and women like pictures of infants, small children and animals (dogs and aggressive animals for men; cats, dogs and cute animals for women)
   


9. If you’re running TV spots and you want people to call in, for heaven’s sake put your phone number up early. Make it big and clear and keep it up for at least 20 seconds, right to the end of the spot. Let the designers and art directors complain, but remember, your company can’t live on the awards they want to win.


10. Use specialists and be willing to pay for what they know how to do for you. Then listen to what they have to say.


11. This is the most important tip of all: buy and build good lists for prospecting – you’ll save time and money in the long run. Work your house list hard to build relationships with customers, because the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to build profits is to sell more to existing customers.

John Friesen has over 25 years creating successful direct response marketing in all media, traditional and online. He knows how to get better results from your marketing dollars.

604-812-1332