Start Your Own Business (84 page)

DIRECT HITS

 

T
ry these attention-getting direct-mail ideas to power up your business:

•
Reactivation voucher
. Mail a $20 no-strings-attached voucher to any customer you haven’t seen in six months or longer. Few can turn it down ... and even fewer will spend only $20.

•
Magalog
. If you have a catalog, give it more value by enhancing it with problem-solving editorial content. This creates a combination magazine and catalog.

•
We’ve missed you
. Send a card to clients you haven’t seen in a year telling them they’re missed. Include a discount coupon.

•
Birthday call
. Record all customers’ birth dates, and make sure that they get a special call or card from you.

 

TIP

 

Although newsletters give you room for lengthier articles, keep the bulk of your newsletter limited to short pieces, so they are very scannable. You want lots of different items in the hope of providing something interesting to every reader.

PREMIUM PROSPECTS

 

W
hether you call them premiums or advertising specialties, gifts are a marketing tool that works with all demographic groups. Studies show that 40 percent of people remember an advertiser’s name up to six months after receiving a promotional product as a gift.

 

 

Premiums carrying your company name, logo or message can be used to generate leads, build name awareness, thank customers, increase store traffic, introduce new products, motivate customers and create an unconscious obligation to buy. Premiums can be used at trade shows, open houses, special events and grand openings and in direct mail.

 

Classic premiums include T-shirts, baseball caps, jackets, headbands, writing instruments, desk and office accessories, scratch pads and mugs. Mouse pads and high-tech devices, such as USB memory drives, are some of the more recent premiums gaining popularity.

 

How to make a premium work for you? Research it first. Make sure the item is matched with your target audience. Also make sure the item is good quality. A cheap premium that breaks or doesn’t work in the first place makes a negative impression—just the opposite of what you want.

 

When choosing a premium, ask five questions:

1. How many people do I want to reach?

2. How much money do I have to spend?

3. What message do I want to print?

4. What gift will be most useful to my prospects?

5. Is this gift unique and desirable? Would I want it?

You can find specialty advertising firms listed in the Yellow Pages. Ask to see their catalogs; compare sample quality and prices.

 

While the gift is being offered, focus your marketing and advertising efforts on it. There’s no more powerful word in advertising than “free,” so put the power of freebies to work for you.

•
Recognition.
Your newsletter should tell people who you are, what you do and where they can find you. If consumers have to read through two pages of text to find the name of your company, you’re not increasing your name recognition. Use your company logo on the newsletter.

•
Image.
Your newsletter is an important branding tool that can enhance your company’s image. If it’s interesting and professional-looking, customers will think well of your business. If it’s not, they may doubt your credibility. Floyd says most people can create their own professional-looking newsletter with desktop publishing programs or have it done affordably by a freelancer.

•
Specifics.
Give your readers specific reasons why they should choose your product or service. Vague assertions like “We’re the best” don’t work nearly as well as matter-of-fact details about exactly what you can do for them.

•
Enactment.
Make the reader take action—whether by picking up the phone, mailing in a reply card or coming down to your store.

PACKAGE DEAL

 

W
hile direct mail can mean everything from a postcard to a catalog, many business owners get the best response from sending out a direct-mail “package.” In addition to the sales letter and brochure (see the “Sales Letters” and “Brochures” sections earlier in this chapter), this typically includes three other elements:

1.
The outside envelope
. There are two schools of thought on this. One school swears that “teaser” copy on the envelope can get recipients to open it. On the other hand, some people throw away anything that looks like junk mail. The opposite strategy is to trick readers into opening your mail by sending direct mail that looks like personal letters. Software programs can print addresses so they look like handwriting. Put only your address, not your company name, on the return address to arouse the recipient’s curiosity.

2.
A response form
. The form should be easy to fill out. Be sure to include your phone number in case the prospect wants to ask a question or order by phone.

3.
A reply envelope
. Enclosing postage-paid reply envelopes helps get orders. Even if you can’t afford postage-paid envelopes, include a pre-addressed reply envelope. If the prospect has to put the mailing down and search for an envelope, they may have second thoughts.

 

e-FYI

 

Some things never change—and your direct mail can benefit from lessons of the past. At the National Mail Order Association’s site (
nmoa.org
), you’ll find all sorts of information, but don’t miss the exhibits in the site’s “Museum” section, including award-winning direct marketing letters from 1942.