| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Rising Postal Rates? Don't Cut Down the Direct Mail
The United States Post Office in the past had some trouble with its finances and their solution was to raise the postal rates. Whether or not you agree with this approach to trying to stay in business, like the weather and government in general, it's something you have to live with. Many companies have used this as a reason to send out fewer or smaller mailings in an attempt to keep their costs down. Here's a quote from an issue of Direct Marketing News: "Despite a string of healthy annual increases, the growth of direct mail expenditures is expected to slow over the next four years. Direct mail continued to grow in 2001 but slowed because of the anthrax scare", the study said. The study also said, "Direct mail will continue to expand during the forecast period but at a slower pace than in the past because of the emergence of e-mail marketing and postal rate hikes, which will force marketers to limit mailings." The question is: should you agree with this and follow the trend, or should you turn it to your advantage? Just think, with fewer mailing pieces arriving in your customers' or prospects' mailboxes, your glossy, full-color postcards are going to stand out even more and have a greater chance of producing the desired response. When you start looking at what you have to gain by increasing the amount of direct mail marketing you do and what you have to lose by cutting back, there really isn't a question as to which way to go. Of course you should be smart about your mailings. Make sure they are really well targeted and put a little more thought into the design and content so as to make sure they impinge. That just makes sense. So while others are cutting their own throats by cutting back on direct mailing, you can benefit by increasing yours and sending your postcards into a less heavily glutted marketplace where they will receive more attention. Win-win. Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she's sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Power of a Survey How many times have you been asked to participate in a survey? If you are anything like me then the answer is probably hundreds. I am often being stopped in the street and invited to take part in a survey that will only take a few minutes. Do You Really Know Your Prospect? I'd like to introduce you to someone. I don't actually know his name, but I'm hoping you do. Tradeshow Booth Cures - Living Color Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese practice of configuring home or work environments to promote health, happiness, and prosperity. By utilizing elements such as light and color, Feng Shui Masters used their skill to promote the flow of "chi", or vital energy , to protect and enhance the prosperity of the Imperial Dynasties. 4 Steps to Successful Offline Event Booths A great way to gain more local sales is to rent a booth at a fair or bizaar. These can be a fun way to spend the day, and if done correctly a profitable one at that. Loan Officer Marketing - Why Realtors® Don't Read Your Brochures When you place brochures from every mortgage company side by side, you can't help but notice the similarities. Each piece mentions that they have every possible loan program available, proven & experienced professionals, fast & friendly service, a list of documents needed to process the loan, a promise of individualized attention and a commitment to professionally serve the client. Stop Your Marketing Leaks Thirty percent of all the drinkable water that runs between the plant and your faucet is lost to leaky pipes. In marketing, thirty percent of our business is lost to leaky follow up. Increase Your Response with Multi-Step Marketing "There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of a marketing piece, and that is by the number of responses you get." - Heidi Richards -Multi-step marketing is a simple yet extremely powerful strategy when you use it to its full potential. Loyalty Cards - Tips To Consider Before Committing To One Loyalty marketing has been around for as long as retailing - attractive stores, good service, and a quality product line all contribute to building up a loyal customer base.With the growth of larger stores, a relatively new marketing component - the loyalty card - has been added by many retail outlets. SWOT Analysis -- Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats When conducting strategic planning for any company -- online and/or offline -- it is useful to complete an analysis that takes into account not only your own business, but your competitors' activities and current industry happenings as well. A SWOT is one such analysis. Referrals . . .The Secret Weapon Are you getting referrals from you customers? If not, you are missing a lot of sales. Think about many of the sites you visit on the web. 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. Secret of Strategy - Part 2 How to Create Strategies That Work In Today's Markets. Of course you've heard that when you do what you've always done, you'll likely get what you've always got. Second Dose Of Marketing Vitamins Organizations often get stuck in neutral when it comes to marketing. Sometimes, you just need a kickstart. What The Heck Is An Eponym, And What Does It Mean For Your Brand? Today I've decided to share with you a new word that recently made a special appearance in my daily life: eponym. It is pronounced (EP-uh-nim) and I have to be frank, but I was somewhat at a loss when I saw it. Communicating Our Attitude The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting relationships with your prospects by marketing your business with passion. When you're not excited about what you're doing, no one else will be either. Spring Cleaning: How To Do It In Your Business To Make More Room For Success With the arrival of Spring, I decided to get outside and into my garden. I had neglected to do some basic maintenance during the previous months and wondered if my plants suffered any permanent damage as a result. Discount Promotional Items - How to Save Money It takes money to make money is an adage we hear everyday in the business world. So, when it comes to getting promotional items, you've got to budget for it. Doing it with Class! Doctors do it, hair dressers do it, and salespeople can do it too.I have been working with a chiropractor for a few months and when it came time to give me a new appointment, she would use a quarter sheet of paper to check off the appointment time. Marketing Strategy 101: 10 Marketing Strategies I Learnt From My Oral Surgeon This is how the conversation went on my follow-up visit to the oral surgeon, 10 days after he removed 2 lower wisdom teeth."Go down the hallway, enter the second door on the right and take a seat in the dentist's chair," said the receptionist after calling my name out to the 5 people in the waiting room. Take My Commitment (to Your Biz) Quiz! Starting and managing a successful small business takes time, energy, money and a HUGE commitment. But the payoff can also be HUGE, in terms of personal accomplishment, satisfaction, happiness, and M0NEY! So just how committed are you?Here's 10 questions to help you find out:(1) Have you taken the time to create a business plan?A business plan ensures you have a well-thought-out plan for your business.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
